Sweet Citrus Mandarin Dressing

This salad dressing recipe fuses vibrant flavors and wholesome ingredients, perfect for enlivening any salad. It adds the sweet and tangy essence of fresh mandarins paired with other nutrient rich plant-based ingredients. As a naturally low-fat option, it embraces clean eating principles without compromising on taste. Whether you're looking to add a refreshing sweet twist to your salad or seeking a healthy dipping sauce alternative, this mandarin creation promises to deliver. With its easy preparation and irresistible flavor, it's sure to become a new staple in your kitchen.

Store Bought vs Homemade

Many store-bought salad dressings, even the vegan ones, are highly processed and predominantly oil-based, leading to high-fat meals even in small servings. They are usually expensive for the size you get and are often filled with preservatives, added sugars, and artificial flavors to replace freshness and prolong shelf life. Bottled dressings can weigh down the natural goodness salads provide. A mere tablespoon or two can pack in a significant amount of fat and calories, making them less than ideal for those seeking a lighter, more wholesome option.

However, with our whole foods, plant-based mandarin dressing, you can indulge freely, even drenching your salad with a good half cup, but without any of the guilt. This not only enhances the flavor and nutritional value of your salad, it keeps your meal light and refreshing.

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Ingredients

• 2-3 Mandarins (about 100 grams)

• 1 cup chopped red bell pepper (100 grams)

• 3/4 cup chopped celery (85 grams)

• 1/3 cup raw cashews (50 grams)

• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast

• 2/3 cup filtered water

• 2 pitted Medjool dates, soaked

• 1 tsp Pink or iodized salt, or to taste

• 1/2 tsp coarse black pepper

Instructions

1. Start by soaking the dates and cashews for about an hour in the 2/3 cup of water

2. Peel the mandarins and chop the bell pepper and celery, then add them into your blender

3. Poor in the dates and cashews, along with the water, nutritional yeast, salt and pepper.

4. Blend starting at a low setting, gradually build up to a higher speed.

5. The texture in this dressing should be smooth with no chopped bits left behind. Adjust the salt to your preference.

This recipe makes about 2 cups of dressing. Pour into a small mason jar and keep covered and refrigerated for up to three days for the best flavor. Enjoy!

One person's faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. ~ Romans 14: 2

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Written by Lupita Ronquillo for Vegan Health and Yoga