Creamy Cashew Dill Dressing
We all get in a rut sometimes. That's where grocery store samples come in handy. My son loves samples, making a small meal out of them and eagerly looking for more around the next corner with an eagle eye. Dill seems to be one herb that slips my mind sometimes...the forgotten herb. I don't know why. Most likely because I am the only serious fan of this feathery herb in my home. A quick bite of dill chevre offered by the dairy cooler caught my attention and made me realize my life was desperately lacking in dill. This needed to be fixed, asap.
In order to correct such a dire situation, should you also find yourself deficient, I have a rich, creamy dill dressing to share with you. Garlic powder and onion powder (or granules) add a mild note as opposed to the sharpness of raw garlic or onion. Add or substitute about 1/8th to 1/4th Tsp grated raw garlic if you prefer a stronger bite. Raw green onion can also be blended in with the parsley for a stronger flavor. Nutritional yeast is a nice ingredient to have on hand which adds a nutty, cheesy flavor and B vitamins. It can be found at many grocers who have bulk dry goods, natural grocers and co-ops.
This dressing is a nice fit for crisp greens, dipping snack veggies and corn chips, or using as a rich sauce for fish, grilled leeks, and grains. Enjoy satisfying your craving with this super easy, fresh sauce.
Creamy Cashew Dill Dressing
Ingredients:
- 1 C raw cashews
- 2 C boiling water
- 1 Tbsp fresh dill, finely minced
- 1 Tbsp fresh parsley, finely minced
- 1/2 Tsp garlic powder/granulated garlic
- 1/2 Tsp onion powder/granulated onion
- 1/2 Tsp black pepper, ground
- 3/4 Tsp sea salt
- 1 Tbsp nutritional yeast
- 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- zest of one lemon
- 3 Tbsp lemon juice
Bring 2 C water to a boil. In a bowl, soak the cashews, covered, for 30 minutes. Reserve the soaking water. The cashews should be considerably softened. In a blender or food processor, combine the cashews, 1 C of the soaking water, half of the dill, all of the parsley, garlic powder, onion powder, pepper, sea salt, nutritional yeast, and olive oil. Blend this until it is completely smooth and creamy.
With a microplane or fine grater, zest the entire lemon into the dressing. Juice the lemon and add three Tbsp juice along with the rest of the dill and pulse the dressing 3 or 4 times just to mix.
Serve warm or refrigerate. The dressing will keep fresh about 5 days. Enjoy!
Yield: 2 c dressing