One of the hardest things for me to give up when eliminating oil & eggs was mayonnaise. My favourite brand was Best Foods, and I always had it in the fridge. When I first became Whole Food Plant Based, salads became my everyday go-to for lunch, and I tended to have vinegar based dressings. But I found myself hankering after some of that creamy mayonnaise taste, so would succumb more often than I really like to admit!! Especially when dressing coleslaw or potatoes.
Then this year, I decided that the mayonnaise was never going to get sneakily bought again, and we were going to work out what to do instead. I had heard of people using cashews to make creamy sauces before, but I was unsure it was a good idea, considering the large quantity of (fatty) nuts being used. So this recipe is my compromise. It makes enough to dress 8-10 meal size bowls of coleslaw, so the quantity of nuts per serving is acceptable to me. And it is miles better than the mayo I was using, so I call it a win. 🙂
One of my hacks is to make this dressing on Sunday, along with batch cutting bulk coleslaw, so that lunch prep during the week becomes a doddle. Just start with the coleslaw, add in any other bits from the fridge, and presto! Lunch is done.
If you have a craving for a snack, you can enlist some of this dressing as a dip too! Just pop it into a bowl, and you can dip your carrot and celery sticks.
You can play around with the flavour of the dressing. If you have some yummy fresh herbs from the garden, add those in. Or change up the vinegar for a different flavour bite to the dressing. Play around and show me what you make on Instagram. Tag your photo with @abundantlyclear.nz. I'd love to see how you get on.
Add the cashew nuts to a bowl and pour boiling water over them until covered. Allow to soak for at least 10 minutes. Soaking overnight is good, if time allows. The dressing will be smoother and creamier if the cashews are left to soak for longer.
Drain cashews and add to the bowl of a blender. Note: It is important that you use a blender and not a food processor. The blender will do a better job of making the dressing have a smooth consistency.
Add the other ingredients. Blend on maximum speed until a super smooth consistency is reached.
If too thick, add more plant milk. Taste and adjust miso/garlic/pepper/chilli to your preferences.
Pour into a bottle, and store in the fridge until needed. Shake before use. Lasts for a week.
I have read that you don't need to soak the cashews if you use a high speed blender. So, if you have one of those, you may be in luck! My blender is a normal one, and it makes a great dressing when the cashews are soaked. It is too grainy if I don't soak them. Seeing as I make this most weeks, I am now in the habit of soaking the cashews overnight, and the resulting dressing is lusciously creamy. Delish! No need to pressure yourself, though.
I have made it with a quick soak many times, and it still works well.
Ingredients
Directions
Add the cashew nuts to a bowl and pour boiling water over them until covered. Allow to soak for at least 10 minutes. Soaking overnight is good, if time allows. The dressing will be smoother and creamier if the cashews are left to soak for longer.
Drain cashews and add to the bowl of a blender. Note: It is important that you use a blender and not a food processor. The blender will do a better job of making the dressing have a smooth consistency.
Add the other ingredients. Blend on maximum speed until a super smooth consistency is reached.
If too thick, add more plant milk. Taste and adjust miso/garlic/pepper/chilli to your preferences.
Pour into a bottle, and store in the fridge until needed. Shake before use. Lasts for a week.
I have read that you don't need to soak the cashews if you use a high speed blender. So, if you have one of those, you may be in luck! My blender is a normal one, and it makes a great dressing when the cashews are soaked. It is too grainy if I don't soak them. Seeing as I make this most weeks, I am now in the habit of soaking the cashews overnight, and the resulting dressing is lusciously creamy. Delish! No need to pressure yourself, though.
I have made it with a quick soak many times, and it still works well.
2 Comments
Carolyn
Posted on: July 27, 2021Absolutely love this dressing…just here checking on ingredients as about to make it again. I used only 1/2 tsp chilli flakes which worked for us. Thanks!
Fiona Stewart
Posted on: July 27, 2021Yay, I am so glad you like it!