A good dressing is what takes healthy food from boring and bland to fun and fabulous. This one is creamy, nutty, gingery, spicy, fatty and lightly sweet. Pouring this dressing over vegetables, rice or noodles in a dish is what keeps me from eating it by the spoon. Warning: you will want to eat it on everything for a few days. I get obsessed and then take a little break after a week, but I always come back to it in rotation with my other trusty sauces like: Citrus Shoyu Dressing, Dijon Vinaigrette and the star of Asian-inspired sauces from my upcoming book, Ginger Miso Dressing.
You can easily substitute roasted cashew, almond or sunflower butter for this recipe in place of the nuts, but to experience the full pow-pow of this lovely dressing, freshly roasted, still-warm cashews make this really shine.
Prep Time: 10 mins if roasting nuts, 5 mins if not Makes: 375ml of dressing, 30-50ml per serving gives you about 8 servings
INGREDIENTS
200g raw cashews or cashew butter (sunflower seeds or butter in case of a nut allergy)
60ml raw apple cider, coconut or other mild vinegar
2 Tbsp (30ml) tamari, nama shoyu, coconut aminos or soy sauce
1 Tbsp (15g) crushed red chili or 1/2 a fresh red chili pepper, seeded and chopped
1 Tbsp (15g) maple syrup, honey or a few drops of stevia
2 Tbsp (30g) chopped fresh ginger
1 small clove chopped garlic
100ml water
1 lime, juiced
HOW TO Roast the cashews at 170C for about 10 mins or until golden brown. Watch them closely after 5-7 mins as they go from roasted to burnt in a flash.
Remove the cashews from the oven and let them cool. To finish the dressing, toss all the ingredients except the water into a blender or food processor. Whizz the ingredients together and add a bit of water at a time until you reach a consistency you like, adjusting to taste along the way.
Bon appétit!
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