Vegetable - Based Dressings to Share

I hope everyone's weekend is off to a good start!

My day started off with some conov with a fantastic client of mine, and some yoga afterwards. Then I went to Central Market, and got some local organic heirloom tomatoes, cucumbers, bi-color corn, golden beets, jalapenos, and salad greens. Needless, to say, I cannot wait for dinner today! I love making special things on the weekends. I'll probably make a hot sauce with the jalapenos and truly decadent salads for Enrrico and I. I also have half of a GORGEOUS heirloom zucchini in the fridge that I will probably steam with some garlic, organic butter, and sea salt for dinner.

Enough about my day...on to the recipes! One of my promises to clients and friends is that I will be delivering more vegetable-based dressings on this blog. So here is my start.

The first dressing came as a result of my desiring cheese and avocado in one dinner (a food combining no-no). I RARELY use nutritional yeast (it never quells a true hankering for cheese for me), but in this case I figured I'd put some of it to use.

Cheesy Zucchini Dressing

2 cups zucchini, cubed (you can peel it if you'd like, but I liked the light green color the peel provided the dressing


1/2 cup lemon juice


1 tsp Italian Herbamare


1/4 cup nutritional yeast

Blend!

Here it is on top of my avocado and tomato salad. It was delicious!

This next dressing is quite unseasonal. I've been yearning for fall, I cannot lie. As much as I love embracing each season and what it offers us, these past few weeks (and by weeks, I guess I mean MONTH) have been so oppressively hot that I find myself day dreaming of fall. So I picked up a butternut squash at the health food store. I thought I would end up baking it, but the idea of baked anything (with the exception of my macaroons!) is totally unappealing in this heat. So raw butternut squash dressing was born.

Raw Butternut Squash Dressing

2 cups cubed butternut squash (I peel my butternut squash with a vegetable peeler, I think it is easier than using a knife)


1 garlic clove

1/2 lemon, juiced


2/3 cup water


1 tsp cinnamon


1/2 tsp chili powder


1/4 tsp sea salt


stevia to taste (optional)

Blend all ingredients together. The truth is, if you want this dressing to be super creamy, try steaming or baking the squash. I really loved it as is, but cooking the squash is an option of course. Cooking the squash would actually be ideal if you do not have a Blend-Tec or Vitamix blender.

I used this dressing to top a salad of greens, avocado, tomato, and butternut squash pasta. Simple and YUM!

The seasonings in both of these dressings can be adjusted to suit your taste. These dressings are mild, meant to accent really decadent, meal-worthy salads, but who's to say that they cannot be spicier or cheesier, if that is your desire?

Any other recipe requests? I'm happy to appease your palettes! Let me know what you want to see on here, Sunshine friends!!!

XO,

Marlena