Who doesn’t love a good salad. Especially one that’s not only loaded with tons of greens and colorful veggies (or just a bowl of cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, olives and Violife Feta crumbles like this one) AND topped off with a super YUM dressing. Although skeptical when I first started messing around with vegan dressing recipes, I have found that getting a flavor profile is the easy part … the hard part is finding a proper consistency. But, alas, I believe I’ve finally figured out the key to making creamy dressings that fit into a plant-based diet. And the secret is, silken tofu. Sort of like the recipe I shared for making creamy tomato soup sans the cream, silken tofu is a wonderous thing when it comes to tricking your palate to think it’s still getting cream-based goodness. So give this recipe a whirl and LMK what you think. I absolutely love, love, love it!

VEGAN RANCH DRESSING

• 1 shallot chopped
• 12 Ounces silken tofu, soft
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1 T white vinegar
• 1 T lemon juice
• ½ tsp dry mustard
• ½ tsp ground celery seed
• ¼ tsp paprika
• 1 tsp nutritional yeast
• Fresh herbs: chives, parsley, dill
• ¼ cup water, optional

Place all ingredients into a food processor and blend until smooth. Note on the herbs, most people don’t add dill to this, but I like dill so I add equal amounts of dill, chives and parsley—about a small, loose handful, so ¼ cup. As for the water, I don’t like to add it because I prefer my dressings thicker than most but hey, you do you 😉 Store in a closed container for up to two weeks in the fridge. 

DISCLAIMER: Our recipes are just that, ours. Some are modified versions of dishes we’ve had elsewhere or old-favorites that contained animal proteins that we replaced with plant-based options, while others are a concentrated effort of trial and error. But all are intended to be altered by you and made to suit your tastes. So if you want more garlic or none at all, go for it. You do you ; ) Now for the serious part … periodically this site does offer health, nutrition and exercise information. The information provided is not intended as medical advice and is for informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for medical advice given by a licensed physician or other health-care professional. If you have any concerns or questions about your health, consult your physician and never delay obtaining medical or health related advice from your health-care professional because of something you may have read on this site. The use of any information provided on this site is solely at your own risk.