It’s so hard getting back to the grind after such a wonderful Christmas weekend, at least it’s a shorter, quieter week. I really wanted to ignore my alarm this morning partly because my cats spent most of the night partying with new Christmas toys, specifically a round ball with a bell they enjoyed slamming into walls. Note to self: hide all toys before bed!
After so much rich eating, I’m already practicing getting back on the healthy diet wagon to subdue sugar cravings and make up for maybe not consuming as many veggies as I should have been over the last few days. So I’m declaring this salad week and focusing on salad dressings and other ways to mix them up. As much as I love avocados, I have not been eating them much lately since they’re not in season, pricey and a mixed bag on finding perfectly ripe ones. And I seem to lack in skill when it comes to neatly slicing or chopping them for salads, mine always look partly mushed with sloppy edges. But I also feel avocados are a super food that provides many benefits when regularly consumed like so many fresh ingredients. And they can make a fabulous creamy dressing that does not require perfect chopping skills.
Avocado Ginger Dressing
- 1 avocado
- 2 tbsp. tahini
- 1 tbsp. lemon juice
- 1 tbsp. grated ginger
- 1 tsp. Bragg’s Liquid Aminos
- 1/2 cup water
Place all ingredients in a blender and blend to a smooth puree.
Pour over salad and thoroughly toss. Will coat a 2-4 serving salad. For this salad, I used dinosaur kale, red cabbage, carrot ribbons and sauerkraut.
Then topped with dulse flakes for a creamy, gingery and tangy salad. Dinosaur kale can be a little bitter, but I didn’t notice that at all blended with the mellow tahini and zingy ginger flavors. The dulse added a little saltiness which I liked, but the salad didn’t necessarily need. If you’re looking for ways to add more avocado to your diet, give this dressing a try.
I also got to try another new raw recipe from Raw Food/Real World thanks to my mom. One of these days I’ll steal barrow the book from her.
In my non-vegan days, I enjoyed the occasional salad topped with feta cheese, it added a nice tang and texture for salad variety. But I’ve found a new love – the fluffy macadamia “feta” recipe from this book. Anything with macadamia nuts is going to be good and possibly better than most cheeses in my mind. To use it as a moist, flavor loaded salad topping is genius.
It’s actually good to just snack on by itself like a savory granola. But we mixed it with a corn and tomato salad that it went wonderfully with adding a creamy, rich onion and garlic flavors to the party with a slight crunchy texture as well.
We’re still having a blast with our new camera, I’m just floored at the picture quality difference compared to my little point-and-shoot. Yesterday I snapped a few mushroom pics on an extended dog walk while playing with the macro lens. These are sprouting up everywhere after all the rain we’ve been getting.
And my dog isn’t totally afraid of the camera yet, I don’t think she’s figured out it is a camera and I can actually get decent shots of her.
I can thank not having to use the flash for that, what a difference the lens makes!
JL goes Vegan says
I’m making this dressing today! I’ve been craving a big kale-collard salad and now I have the perfect dressing. Thank you!
christine says
No problem, it works great with kale and I’m picky about finding a good dressing to counter the bitterness.
JL goes Vegan says
I actually used it on a collard/cabbage/tomato salad tonight. PERFECT! A new favorite. thank you!
christine says
Awesome, so glad you liked it! :-)
Averie (LoveVeggiesAndYoga) says
i love the last line, that your dog hasnt figured out that it’s a camera yet…therefore you can still get a few good pics in :)
skylar sometimes hams it up wayyyy past the point of a good picture. with my p-n-shoot and the delay, I miss great shots by like 1/2 seconds, all the time. Cannot wait for the new camera to arrive b/c your photos are already just..night and day stunning difference…gorgeous!
christine says
I think the top mounted flash pointed upwards is confusing her. :-)
It’s great for little girls who like to ham it up, I must have snapped about a million of my nieces on Christmas Day! :-)
elise says
ive kinda always wondered this…when you grate ginger, do you peel the outside first? it seems a waste, but you arent supposed to eat the tough exterior right?
christine says
I don’t peel it if I’m grating it into a blender and that always seems to work fine. Some have said the skin adds a bitter flavor, but I haven’t noticed that myself and have seen TV chefs grate it with the skin on. If I’m using whole chunks in a recipe, then I’d probably peel it.
Kylie @ A Hungry Spoon says
This avocado dressing looks incredible–I love that it’s a creamy dressing, but without the mayo/milk products that are usually found in creamy bases.
And the raw chocolate cake you made below looks awesome, too!
Salah@myhealthiestlifestyle says
omg that all looks amazing!!! I most definitely will be making that dressing!
Kristina @ Life as Kristina says
That all looks sooooo good! I love how creamy the dressing looks-need to duplicate soon:)