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Is it just me or does time feel like it’s flying by these days? With the increase of work at my day job, it’s almost like I have a real full-time position instead one that I struggle to fill with 40 hours of work. Today is nice though. It’s a Sunday and I’ve posted up shop at Cartel, a coffee bar in my neighborhood.
I’ve been coming here for over 9 years and this place has probably been through more than I have. It originally started as a tiny garage that refused to supply their customers with wi-fi or napkins. Now it’s taken over three suites, it also has wi-fi and a handful of daily vegan pastries.
Cartel is one of those places that I can never quite seem to shake. It’s the place I have to visit to feel like I’ve truly returned from a vacation. It’s how I start my weekends off in the right direction. It’s where I go when I’m mad at my boyfriend, or has historically been the place I’ve chilled during my single days.
People often describe places like this as a “third home.” Third Homes can be anything from a coffee shop to a bar. Maybe it’s a park? It’s a place you frequent that feels like home that isn’t your actual house. Cartel (and Taste of Tops) is mine. What’s yours?
With this week being so crazy, I am thankful I always prep all my salad components ahead of time for the week. I don’t have to prep too much to get my salads ready… I actually buy all my veggies at the Sprouts next door to my work, so I only have to prep any grains, salad dressings, or extra stuff on Sunday evenings.
Salad dressing, in my opinion, is the most important component of salad prep. To be frank, store-bought dressings are not worth the tradeoff in terms of taste to calories and fat. I try not to be a freak about that kind of stuff, but I’ve noticed since I switched to making my own dressings that I’ve been able to maintain my weight better because I’m consuming 10-15 less grams of fat per salad. It adds up quick!
This Creamy Lemon Dill Dressing is one of my favorites. Dill, in my opinion, is a highly underrated spice and I love incorporating it whenever possible. The creamy element of this dressing comes from cashews, which if you’re like me, you always forget to soak. Luckily for this, you’re off the hook and don’t need to! All you need to do is blend, add the spices and pulse a couple times to incorporate.
I love this dressing and you can use it on top of salads or as a fun substitute for ranch in a homemade veggie tray. If you combine with some kind of unsweetened non-dairy milk and add some more dill, you could probably use it as a pasta sauce as well. The possibilities are endless!
If you try this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment or tag me at #hellyesitsvegan on Instagram. Cheers!
Creamy Lemon Dill Dressing
Equipment
- blender
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 ¼ cup water
- ⅓ cup lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp dijon mustard
- 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
- ½ tsp sea salt
- 3 Tbsp fresh dill
- ¾ tsp Spike Gourmet Seasoning
Instructions
- Break out your blender and blend the cashews, garlic, water, lemon juice, mustard, nutritional yeast and salt until smooth and creamy.
- Add the dill and Spike seasoning, pulse a few time until incorporated.
- Store in the refrigerator. Dressing will thicken over time, add water to thin it out if necessary.