Dressings are where plant based cooking thrives or fails. I feel like most dressing from a bottle is sort of disgusting. There. I've said it. These can basically go on anything.
2-3 parts oil - I usually use olive oil. I feel like I should use flaxseed but it smells fishy.
1 lemon juice - or lime or orange??
pinch of salt and pepper (pepper is lovely with orange)
Whisk or shake it all together so it emulsifies a bit. Chuck it on your salad. Taste and adjust.
2-3 parts oil - I usually use olive oil. I feel like I should use flaxseed but it smells fishy.
1 part vinegar - white, balsamic, apple cider, go nuts
pinch of salt and pepper
Whisk or shake it all together so it emulsifies a bit. Chuck it on your salad.
Samin Nosrat is my absolute queen. I first read her incredible Salt Fat Acid Heat on kindle on a train in France and there were actual flamingoes just hanging around by the tracks. But that's not why I love her. She's a genius, pure and simple. Here is one of her dressings. It's not quick to make but lasts well in the fridge and means if you have some shredded veggies around (cabbage, carrot, some herbs, peanuts, some tofu) you have an absolutely delicious meal in approximately one minute. Thank you Queen Samin.
Ingredients:
¼cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, plus more as needed
¼cup seasoned rice vinegar, plus more as needed
5tablespoons white miso
2tablespoons honey
2teaspoons toasted sesame oil
6garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1(3-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
1fresh jalapeño, stemmed (seeded if desired) and sliced
½cup neutral oil
Kosher salt
Step 1
In a liquid measuring cup or wide-mouth jar, combine the lemon juice, vinegar, miso, honey, sesame oil, garlic, ginger and chile, and use an immersion blender to blend until smooth. With the immersion blender running, add the neutral oil in a thin stream. (Alternatively, you can use a countertop blender.) Taste and adjust with salt, lemon juice and vinegar as needed.
Step 2
Cover and refrigerate remaining dressing for up to 1 week. So says Samin. I think it lasts longer than a week.
1/2 clove garlic pounded to a paste with some salt
2 tbsp tahini
1/2 lemon squeezed
maybe some water if you want to thin it out
mix it all up.
Add a big bunch of pasley to make it a green tahini sauce
Another one from amazing Hetty McKinnon, this time out of her book 'Family'.
3 tbsp miso paste
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
1 tbsp mirin
1 tbsp sesame seeds
1 tsp sugar
pinch of salt
Whisk it all together with a couple of tablespoons of water until you get the consistency of pouring cream. I love this on steamed veggies.
Queen Samin strikes again. This one amazing on anything at all, really.
Ingredients
1/3 cup aquafaba
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 packed tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons dried oregano, crumbled
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Directions
In a liquid measuring cup or wide-mouth jar, combine the aquafaba, vinegar, and mustard. With an immersion blender running, add the oil in a thin stream. Once all the oil is incorporated, add the lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, sugar, oregano, onion powder, salt, and pepper, and blend into a smooth, creamy dressing. Taste and adjust with salt, lemon juice, and vinegar as needed.
Lovely with sweet roasted veggies and some sort of creamy cheese. Also good dolloped on to some chick peas, butter beans or canellini.
1 clove garlic
big pinch salt
2 big handfuls of fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 handful of fresh mint
2 tbsp of capers
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
4 tablespoons really good extra virgin olive oil
Bash up garlic and salt in a mortar and pestle. Bash in parsley, mint and capers. Mix mustard, vinegar and oil through. Season to taste.
Zhoug makes anything into a party. Put some on grains, roast or steamed veges, salad or bread. It's incredible. Chuck it all in the food processor and blend into a paste. Will last about a week in the fridge.
35g coriander
20g parsley
2 green chillies
½ tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp ground cardamom
⅛ tsp sugar
¼ tsp salt
2 garlic cloves, crushed
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp water
Great with carrot, radish, cabbage and sesame seeds.
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp wasabi
3 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp sesame oil
Mix well.
250g good-quality sea salt (unfortunately table salt doesn't work well)
8 lemons (depending on the size of your jar)
Take a 1.5 litre sterilised jar and place a couple of spoons of sea salt in the bottom. Wash the lemons and cut into quarters. The amount you will need will depend on the size of your jar. Pack the lemons in layers, sprinkling a generous film of sea salt between each layer. Push the lemons down to ensure they are packed closely. Finish with a layer of salt before closing the jar. Keep in a cool, dark place. The lemons should be submerged in juice after a few days - they are ready in a week, but will be better after a month. They keep for up to year and don't require refrigeration.
THEN... to take things next level, wazz the whole thing up and make it a paste to put on or in basically anything.
This is a riff on cashew cheese, this can be eaten in nut free environments such as school. Pepita's are much cheaper than cashews, contain less than half the fat and a tiny bit more protein. This can be eaten as a dip or spread or in place of cheese on a dish when you want some salty creaminess. The nutritional yeast is one of the only places you’ll find b12 if you’re a vegan.
1 cup Pepitas soaked 3-24 hours
1-2 cup water
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
Salt to taste
1-2 tbsp vinegar
Drain and blend the soaked pepitas with the other ingredients plus 1/2 cup water. Store in the fridge for up to a week or in the feeezer for up to 3 months.
This magic mixture is from the phenomenal canteen at our school. It's almost criminal that the kids eat so well.
3/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup white vinegar
2 tbsp sugar
1small tbsp salt
1 cup water
Put this mixture into the microwave (or a little pot) and mix it all up. Put any veges in and maybe give them a little massage. This will live happily in the fridge for a week or so in a covered jar. Also good with a garlic clove and / or bay leave and / or chilli of some sort and / or dried oregano.