So… just because you might be off dairy doesn’t mean you have to do without creamy, zesty salad dressing. This is a terrific little recipe, and it surprises me just how dairy-like it tastes. I could swear there was mayonnaise in there. Crazy. The great thing is, for ONCE the dairy replacement is nut free and soy free.
I find in general its pretty hard to have more nut-free and soy free alternatives. Its just so easy to use things like nut butters and nut milks and nut flours to bake- but not everyone can tolerate nuts, and I know that the schools in my area don’t permit any nut products at all. So, working on it… my goal this year is to cut down on the nut products and give you guys who are nut-free some more alternatives. I’ve got most of the other allergens covered, so this one needs to go too. :) And don’t get me started on those soy-based mayonnaise products. No. Thank. You.
I did indeed mark this recipe as paleo- hear me out a sec- I know the salad pictured has noodles in it but the actual dressing is a fit with the paleo diet. Also, I just discovered something you might be interested in- Kelp noodles! They look like those transparent mung bean (glass) noodles but they are thicker, and all you have to do is rinse, then soak them in hot water for 10 min with a bit of salt and juice of 1 lemon. No grains, no tubers, no starch, and its EVEN considered a raw food. I found them at Rainbow Foods in Ottawa but you can also find them through Upaya Naturals in Canada, and Sea Tangle Noodle Company in the States. So, I’m not sure if they qualify as Paleo but it would seem to me that they do? Let me know what you think. It would be a neat noodle option if it were!
Allllrightey. So, on to this dairy free, nut free ranch dressing. :)
MyRealFoodLife.com
Dairy Free Ranch Salad Dressing (Nut Free, Vegan, Paleo)
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp Sunbutter (sunflower seed butter)
- 1 tbsp tahini
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp honey (vegan: agave paleo/ acd: several drops stevia, or sprinkle coconut sap)
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- salt to taste
Directions
- Mix everything together (I like to shake it in a tupperware – you might even want to heat it slightly to melt the butters). Done. :) Now, if you want a little more zest, add more lemon juice and tahini. For some punchy flavour, think of adding a pinch of oregano or basil, onion powder, a little garlic powder, maybe some dill, black pepper.
- For the salad below, toss together mung bean noodles, two raw chopped carrots, one raw chopped cucumber, and a bunch of steamed chopped asparagus. Sprinkle a few black sesame seeds on top for decoration. I also added some cooked chicken pieces tossed in lemon juice and tahini sauce- tasted great. You could also toss in a little tuna. If you are vegan and looking for some more protein, you could probably toss in some roasted sunflower seeds- that would be delicious.
Hiya Jessica!
I do indeed have a suggestion for you- you can try white wine vinegar or rice vinegar, or for a more authentic ‘bite’ type of flavour, i suggest a pinch of citric acid crystals dissolved in about 1 tbsp water- you can get citric acid crystals at any store that sells canning supplies- its usually about 2 $ or so for a bottle… hope that helps! :)
Hi! Love your blog and recipes :) I have quite a few food allergies and this is really helpful. I like this particular recipe, but I can’t have lemon or lime. Any thoughts on substitutes?
Wow, this sounds yummy. Definitely making.
Hi there Lori-
In order to blend well, i actually use store bought sunflower seed butter- its the smoothest i can find… If you want to make your own sunflower seed butter, you can roast the sunflower seeds and then blend them… although, if you want to do a raw version of this recipe, I bet trying it with soaked sunflower seeds might just do the trick… let me know how it goes! :)
alea
Do you have to soak the sunflower seeds to make the sunflower butter?
Then just blend it?