Monday, February 26, 2007

Liquid Gold Salad Dressing & Mmmmm, Chickpea Casserole

For the last two days I've been drinking straight from the jar, er... I mean, enjoying dressing my salads with the Liquid Gold Salad Dressing recipe found in Brenda Davis and Vesanto Melina's Becoming Vegan: The Complete Guide to Adopting a Healthy, Plant-Based Diet. Here, I enjoyed it with just a simple salad of Romaine lettuce and roasted portabellos. Today I devoured it mixed with Romaine again but also baked tofu and fresh tomato. wow!

When I first made the natural progression from vegetarian to vegan this book was invaluable (still is!), full of nutrition info given in clear explanations and tables, making for peace of mind to ensure that I'd be doing it right, eating as healthfully as I could.
I still pick it up all of the time to kind of cement in my brain what I need and what nutrients both aid and hinder the absorption of others (confession: I'm a nutrition junkie who never retains what she's 'learned'), what foods to rely on for specific vitamins and minerals, and here and there a spectacular recipe packed with nutrition.

I typically don't share recipes from cookbooks, but this book is such a wealth of information that I think just trying the recipe might turn a few people on to purchase it.

'Just 2 tablespoons of this dressing (I dare ya to only drink, I mean use two!) provides 3.8g of omega-3 fatty acids (your days supply and then some) along with 40% of your B12 for the day (80% if you use the higher amount of yeast...and why wouldn't you?!). This creamy dressing is packed with riboflavin and other B vitamins - plus it's very tasty.'

Liquid Gold Salad Dressing

1/2 c. flax seed oil
1/2 c. water
1/3 c. lemon juice
2 T balsamic or raspberry vinegar
1/4 c. Bragg liquid Aminos or tamari
1/4 to 1/2 c. Red Star Nutritional Yeast Support Formula Nutritional Yeast

2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. ground cumin

Blend until smooth. Dressing can be kept in a jar with a lid, refrigerated for up to 2 weeks. Makes 2 cups.

per T: calories - 78, protein - 1g, carb - 2g, fat - 7g, dietary fiber -0 .4g, sodium - 180mg

I tell ya I am loving this stuff!

I also finally tried out VWaV's Broccoli Chickpea Casserole. Heeding Isa's advice I made it just as the recipe called for...no subs, no extras.
This one is right on the money for me. I thought, at first, that the broccoli was a little more done than I like but the overall flavor is soooo good, I forgot about that entirely after just a few bites and look forward to the mounds of leftovers each day still in the 'fridge.

I love how something so simple can taste so amazing and comforting. I served it over a 1/2 c. of brown rice. Another winner from my favorite vegan cookbook to date. Thanks, Isa!

13 comments:

Matt and Bobbie said...

MMMMMM....I love making my own salad dressings--store bought natural brands can be so expensive and more often than not, disappointing in flavor. This recipe looks fab! That broccoli casserole looks amazing also.

Just call me Orangie said...

Oh that dressing sounds so good! Too bad I'm allergic to nutritional yeast :(

laura k said...

I should try that chickpea casserole--I forget to notice a lot of the VWaV recipes, for some reason. Thanks for sharing the dressing recipe! It sounds delicious.

scottishvegan said...

The dressing sounds yum! I have been meaning to make the VWaV’s Chickpea Broccoli Casserole for ages too, but I have been put off by Isa saying that it’s a little bland. I should really just try it and decide for myself!

Amey said...

Oh yeah, I LOVE that dressing! I lived off of that stuff for a good couple of years after I became vegan. I actually made a few modifications to the spices... and it turns out that you can vary it quite a bit. I also started using garlic powder (how weird!) instead of raw garlic, because it was a bit less intense for my digestion. I was just thinking about that dressing tonight... I gotta buy myself some more flax oil and get on it. Also, I agree about how great that book is. Invaluable!

Sheree' said...

Thanks for sharing the recipe, it sound devine. You are the 3rd post I have read about the chickpea and broccoli casserole this must be a sign that I need to try it. Off to order VWaV from the library. Thanks for the yummies!

Candi said...

Thank you so much for the recipe! I have been eating more salads, and am a little sick of just plain oil and vinegar on top. your timing is perfect for me because I have tons of spinach, lettuce, and arugula that needs dressing!!

I love that broccoli casserole! Well, I can't say I love it since I never made it, but I know I would! Lol! I'll have to check it out and see if I have all the ingredients! :)

Sheree' said...

thank you for visiting my post on help with seitan. I will check with my library and order LDV. It is nice that we all try to help each other out when needed and just share good healthy food and fun. Cool bond.

Anonymous said...

sound very good, thanks for share!

Caroline said...

I'm not usually a salad dressing person--typically I just go with basic balsamic vinegar, but this was AMAZING!!! I've had Becoming Vegan for a while but hadn't tried that dressing...and man, is it ever delicious! Thanks for the push in the right direction. : )

KitteeBee said...

i'm off to the kitchen right now to try this dressing!

thanks!

xo
kittee

MK said...

I discovered this Liquid Gold dressing a few years back, and I absolutely love it, too. The only thing I didn't like was how watery it is...I ended up drinking, uh, I mean using too much of it on everything...so now I add 2-3 tablespoons of canned white beans at the very end - wa-la!! It doesn't change the flavor at all, and it's very creamy and delicious...Enjoy!

Jen said...

I'm stoked to try this dressing! I've had 2 copies of Becoming Vegan for years (I married into one copy) and am ashamed to admit I've never read even 1 chapter. Thanks for posting it! Now I'm inspired to read it from cover to cover.

As for the broccoli-chickpea casserole I thought it was one of the most boring dishes I've ever eaten. I served it to a longtime vegan friend of mine and we both agreed it was a major disappointment. Maybe I'll try making it again but next time douse it with the Liquid Gold dressing! :-)