EASY 5-minute Healthy Caesar Dressing with Hummus, Capers, Garlic, Lemon Juice and Dijon Mustard! #vegan #glutenfree #dressing
No Eggs. No Mayo. No Anchovies.
I know what you're thinking.. "what's left?" Whelp.. quite honestly, all the good stuff! You guys, I topped some romaine lettuce, homemade croutons and shaved parmesan cheese (otherwise known as a salad) with this healthy caesar salad dressing (V, GF) and served it for dinner and it was DE-LIC-IOUS.
Of course, if you have been reading this blog for any amount of time you are well aware that I have a thing for secretly healthy recipes that don't seem healthy at all. Seriously, tricking my family into eating healthy things makes me absolutely giddy. So, when I asked Joe if he liked the dressing and he nodded, I could hardly contain my excitement in busting out "IT"S MADE FROM HUMMUS!"
I can't take the credit for the ingenious swap of hummus for mayo. I got the idea from Dana from the site Minimalist Baker. Her site is full of simple vegan recipes that are mostly gluten free. You can find her version of Caesar Dressing HERE.
The ingredients for this recipe are simple (you most likely have everything that you need on hand), and the entire recipe requires only 5 minutes. This dressing does not have anchovies because A) my family's palate is not evolved enough to enjoy tiny fish in our food and B) I am not evolved enough to touch said fish. Instead, I opted to make a paste from capers, garlic and salt. The result.. same taste but with less "ick-factor."
Time Saving Tips and Tricks:
Prep: The dressing is so simple that there is not a lot of reason to do much prep. However, if you just want to, you could make the garlic/salt/caper paste ahead of time.
Make Ahead: Sure.. this dressing lasted about 3 days in my refrigerator and still tasted great. I did notice that the taste got a bit stronger so you may need to use less dressing than normal (which amounts to less calories.. so hey, it's a win win!
Healthy Caesar Salad Dressing (V, GF)
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 cup dressing 1x
Ingredients
- 1 TBS capers, drained
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 TBS dijon mustard
- ¾ cup hummus
- 1 TBS olive oil
- splash of soy sauce
- pinch of cayenne pepper (or more if you like spicy)
- pinch of cloves
- 3 TBS lemon juice
- fresh black pepper
- 1-2 TBS of water (depending on desired consistency)
Instructions
- On a small cutting board, combine capers, garlic, and salt. Use the back of a spoon or the flat side of a knife to form a paste.
- In a large bowl, combine all ingredients (except water). Whisk until combined. The dressing will be thick. Add water until the desired consistency is achieved. Don't use more that 2 TBS. If the dressing is still to thick, add a bit of olive oil instead.
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-7 days. Enjoy!
Helpful Hints:
- This dressing has a stronger flavor than bottled Caesar dressings. A little bit goes a long way! Start with a small amount and add more as needed.
- If you cannot or do not eat soy, you can substitute liquid aminos at a 1:1 ratio.
- I used store-bought hummus (cause I'm lazy like that), but you could absolutely make your own if you are feeling extra domestic.
- This dressing is also fantastic on Kale instead of Romaine. If you try this out, toss the dressing and kale and then allow it to hang out in the fridge for about 30 minutes before serving. It tenderizes the kale a bit!
Let's Be Friends:
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As always, if you try out this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a picture #simplysissom Instagram or Twitter. I’d love to see what you come up with?.
Similar Recipes: (These recipes are from deep in the archives.. the pics are ? .. the actual recipes are awesome:)
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