Creamy Italian Dressing ♭

Most commercial creamy Italian-style salad dressings are loaded with oil, salt, sugar, and loads of chemicals. Even some of the so-called “healthy” recipes that I found online contain nuts, often cashews. Now I love cashews--an addict in fact--but they are extremely caloric. I don’t want to be eating hundreds of calories of salad dressing in just a few spoonfuls.

So I came up with this frugal, dairy-free, nut-free, gluten-free, oil-free, easy-to-make, vegan-friendly dressing using pantry staples. Fresh lemon, garlic, and onion may be used, if preferred.

• 1½ cups cooked white libbity beans^*
• ¾ cup hot water
• ¼ cup lemon juice
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp onion powder
• 1 tsp leaf oregano
• 1 tbsp parsley flakes
• 1 tsp salt (if you’re not hypertensive)

Put all ingredients into a blender or food processor and blend at high speed until the mixture is creamy and smooth.

Add more water if necessary to achieve the creamy texture you desire.

Add more juice and spices, if necessary to meet your preferences.

Refrigerate at least an hour before use.

Makes about 12 oz dressing.

Italian Salad Dressing, FF-SF-SF ✠

The challenge here was to make an Italian style salad dressing that is fat-free, sugar-free, and sodium-free. The one below is pretty good, but is not final yet. The use of Mrs Dash® Original Seasoning Blend saved me from writing in the following ingredients commonly found in Italian salad dressings into the recipe: Onion, Black Pepper, Parsley, Celery Seed, Basil, Bay, Marjoram, Oregano, Savory, Thyme, Cayenne Pepper, Coriander, Cumin, Mustard, Rosemary, Garlic, Carrot, Orange Peel, Tomato, Lemon Juice Powder, Citric Acid, and Oil of Lemon.

• ½ cup white wine vinegar
• ¼ cup lemon juice
• 1½ cups water
• 2 tbsp <sugar>
• ½ tbsp garlic powder
• ½ tbsp onion powder
• 1 tsp Mrs. Dash® original seasoning blend, salt-free
• 1 tsp guar gum or xanthan gum

Put all listed ingredients into a blender and buzz for one minute on the highest setting.

Makes about 2½ cups.