My FAVORITE Vegan, Oil-Free, Original Dressings & Sauces
How I dress a salad without oil is one of the most common questions I get in my free Plant-Empowered Woman Facebook Group and from my one-on-one clients as well as everyone in my Whole Food Plant-Based No-Oil Weight Loss Groups and Classes. That's because once someone learns that oil (with its 120 calories per tablespoon of pure fat and zero nutrition) is largely responsible for why they couldn't lose weight even though they thought they were living a whole food plant-based lifestyle, they are determined to it off their plate.
So, I thought I would put my original recipes for my oil-free sauces and dressings all in one place for easy reference, separated in two categories:
One category for completely fat-free dressings and one category for those dressings that include nuts or nut/seed butter.
The great thing about all of these vegan sauces and dressings is that they are as equally wonderful on cold salads and noodles as they are on hot roasted vegetables and rice or noodle dishes!
Oil-free, fat-free dressings & sauces
For all of these, add all ingredients to a jar with a tight-fitting lid, shake and store in the fridge for up to a week.
Spicy Ginger Burst
2 cloves garlic, grated fine
1 inch nub ginger, peeled and grated fine
1/3 cup tamari (any kind soy sauce or liquid aminos)
1/4 cup fresh lime, squeezed
1 tbsp. maple syrup
1/4 tsp. or more sriracha sauce
This one has an Asian flair and can be as hot as you like it and totally elevates any hot or cold noodles without any fat whatsoever like this:
Citrus Splash
½ cup fresh-squeezed orange juice
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 tbsp. maple syrup
Salt & pepper to taste.
This one is great for maximizing iron absorption when eating leafy greens such as spinach because of the vitamin C in the citrus and is also so tasty and tangy on shaved Brussel Sprouts like this:
Brussels Sprouts, Quinoa, Cranberry Toss
Salsa Dancing
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup (or more) of salsa or picante sauce
Half a lime, fresh-squeezed
1/8 tsp. of sriracha or hot sauce
Salt & pepper to taste
Optional: Finely chopped cilantro, to taste
This one is amazing when adding any cold rice, beans and corn to your salads like this:
Every Which Way Cold Rice & Bean Salad
Lemony Greek Island
1/4 cup (or more) red wine vinegar
1/4 cup spicy brown or Dijon mustard
1 fresh-squeezed Lemon
1 tbsp. maple syrup
1 shredded garlic clove
1 tsp. dried or fresh oregano
1 tbsp. nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp. salt (optional)
1/4 tsp. pepper
optional: 1/4 tsp cayenne
I love this on salads with chickpeas, quinoa, olives, tomatoes & cucumbers like this:
Naomi's 3-2-1 Knock-Off
This is a knock-off of Ann Esselstyn's famous 3-2-1 dressing but I've added a few extra ingredients.
3 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp. mustard
1 tsp. maple syrup
1/4 tsp. salt
1 shredded garlic clove
juice of half lemon (or more to taste)
lots of fresh ground black pepper OR hit of cayenne to taste
Lemony Delight
From my client, Don, who came up with this on his own:
3 tbsp. fresh-squeezed lemon juice
2 tbsp. mustard