Caesar Dressing (Vegan)

Recipe from Power Plates by Gena Hamshaw of The Full Helping blog

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

Makes approximately 1½ cups or 12 ½ ounces or 25 Tablespoons

I recall years ago attending a dinner party at an Italian restaurant. I knew only a few people at the table. There was a man seated next to me who declared quite loudly that he absolutely hated anchovies and then he proceeded to order a Caesar Salad.  I was feeling wicked and waited until he had eaten his salad to casually mention that what made Caesar Salad dressing so yummy was the anchovies.  For those of you who love a good Caesar salad, but don’t like the idea of eating the little fishies we know as anchovies, this vegan (no anchovies) Caesar Salad Dressing is just scrumptious and would taste great on just about any salad.

¾ cup raw cashews, soaked in water for at least 2 hours* and drained

½ cup water (This is separate from the cashew soaking water which is drained off and discarded.)

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

2 cloves garlic

2 Tablespoons capers

1½ Tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1½ Tablespoons red wine vinegar

½ teaspoon kosher or sea salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

¼ cup nutritional yeast

Put all the ingredients in a high powered blender.  Process until smooth.  If the consistency is too thick for your taste, you can add just a bit of water to thin it out.

*You can save time by covering the cashews with boiling water and allowing them to soak for about ½ hour.  (The goal is to soften the cashews so that the dressing will be smooth. Drain off the water before proceeding with the recipe.