Cooking Through “The Prevent & Reverse Heart Disease Cookbook” – Susie Cuke Dressing

Susie Cuke Dressing from page 173

If you are like me, you will have everything on hand to try this dressing. I found the idea of using cucumber in a salad dressing a little odd, but figured how bad could it be? I put cucumber on my salad and then add another dressing, so, why not?

This clung to the salad leaves pretty well, which is important in a salad dressing. It was a very nice consistency. Sort of in between a creamy, fat filled dressing and a vinaigrette. It was light, but had a nice texture and a good mouth feel, which I think is important in a salad dressing. Let’s face it, plain lemon or vinegar is tasty on a salad, but it leaves something to be desired in how it feels in your mouth. This dressing takes care of that.

It gets body from the hummus and the cucumber, a tangy bite from the lemon juice, balsamic and rice vinegars, and a little spiciness from the garlic, mustard, and black pepper.

The recipe does not call for any salt. I used to add a little bit to salad dressings, but I’ve gotten over that. I do not add any salt to anything I make. If I really feel it needs it, I add a tiny bit at the table.

There was really not much prep to this. I already had hummus made, so making this salad dressing was really all about throwing everything in the Vitamix and blending. Voila! Nice, creamy salad dressing in less than 5 minutes.

The recipe says that it makes two cups, and that is just about how much I got.

I really liked this salad dressing, and I like the idea of getting another veggie. I also like the idea of not using nuts to add creaminess to a dressing. Honestly, if you are following an oil free diet and missing creamy type dressings, give this a try.

NOTES:

• Add more lemon for more tang.
• The recipe calls for white balsamic.  I just used regular balsamic.  The color is still light.
• So easy, no excuse not to make salad dressing.
• The recipe says to use a food processor, but a blender makes for a smoother dressing.
• I bet zucchini can be subbed out for the cucumber.
• This would make a nice dressing for potato or pasta salad.