How many of you out there have tried to get your hands on a decent store-bought dressing, but to no avail, they either don’t exist in some stores, or if they do the taste makes you want to stop eating salads, forever?
I’ve come across some excellent oil-free vegan salad dressing recipes, but many of them are still very high in fat or they are way to vingegar-y.
I came across this tip from Bryanna Clark Grogan’s cookbook, The (Almost) No-Fat Cookbook (available for a great price at my Amazon store). To replace oil in dressing recipes, cup for cup, mix in 2 tsp. of cornstarch (arrowroot powder would also work) and 1 cup cold water. Heat and stir on medium-high heat in a saucepan, until thickened.
I used this oil-replacement for one of my favorite dressings, Cumin-Cinnamon Vinegarette (from Dreena Burton’s Eat, Drink, & Be Vegan) and was thrilled with the result! You know it’s a good dressing when you want second or third helpings of salad. The dressing was thick, like it would be with oil, so it “stuck” to the salad. And the spices in the dressing…ah, divine!
It is simple and easy, it doesn’t seem like it’d work, but it does–acts like the oil in getting the dressing to stick to the salad without adding all of the empty calories.
[For further info on oil-free dressings, I recommend Chef Del’s recipe booklet ($5, 21 oil-free, vegan recipes, call 800.761.8210) OR come to my oil-free dressings class in February and you’ll get a book with the class!]
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