Dairy-Free Caesar Dressing

We eat a lot of Caesar salads around here.

And while I’m no respecter of cheeses (except you, bleu), I typically use fresh Parmesan or Romano in my dressing.

During those strict paleo or Whole30 stints, I typically don’t even make Caesar salad, but I was craving it this time around.

A dairy-free Caesar dressing that was Whole30 compliant needed to happen.

Speaking of… how many January Whole30-ers out there are on Day 30 today??

During my first round of Whole30 I found myself, due to some change in travel plans, at my grandma’s house in Utah staring at a Pineapple Pie she had made because I was coming.

That’s my favorite pie in the world. You can imagine the dilemma I was facing. I could have buried my face in that pie and called it at Whole29. 

However, I’m all or nothing kind of girl, and  I decided that Whole29 wasn’t Whole30. I also wanted to say that I completed an entire round, and because I knew we were going to be returning to grandma’s house the next day where that pie would be waiting…. I didn’t cheat.

That may have been one of my proudest achievements, aside from potty training three children.

So, this dressing. I had some serious doubts as I was tinkering with my go-to Caesar dressing that I’d end up with something that tasted authentic.

While it does taste a bit different, it’s good. Like, really good. I used it immediately in a salad I was working on and we ate it two weeks in a row.

Here’s a little peek:

This Kale Caesar Salad with Garlic Shrimp & Crispy Prosciutto is FABULOUS!

Oh, and traditional Caesar dressing is made with anchovies, which I typically use (or anchovy paste). You can totally use them during Whole30, but if anchovies freak you out, I’ve got you covered.

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Dairy-Free Caesar Dressing

Yield: Makes about 1 cup

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

Caesar dressing is one of my favorites, and I was craving it during a round of Whole30 once -- thus this dressing was born! It's not identical, but tossed into a bowl of Romaine with some crunchy toppings it's pretty close!

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Ingredients

• 1 clove garlic, halved
• 2 teaspoons coconut aminos
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon ground mustard
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/2 medjool date, pitted
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil or avocado oil
• 4 teaspoons nutritional yeast

Instructions

1. Place all of the ingredients (except the oil and nutritional yeast) in the work bowl of a food processor or a blender.
2. While the machine is running drizzle in the oil. Add the nutritional yeast and pulse a few times to combine.
3. Pour the dressing into a lidded container (like a mason jar!) and chill until ready to use. Dressing is best when used within 4-5 days.

Notes

Nat's Notes:

1. If you'd rather use anchovies, you can use substitute 3 anchovy fillets or 1 teaspoon of anchovy paste. Omit the coconut aminos.

2. You can also use 1/2 teaspoon of honey in place of the date if you're not doing Whole30. You could even leave it out entirely if the dressing tastes OK to you. I find it to be slightly acidic without a bit of sweetener. Substituting 1/4 teaspoon of erythritol would be a good low-carb option if you feel it needs some sweetener.