Creamy Raw Nut Dressing

I consider myself a salad expert extraordinaire. I’m sure I’ve mentioned this before, plenty of times. It has been my go to meal over the past seven to eight years. After years of experimentations I’ve collected an arsenal of tips. I want to talk about dressings.  

Salad dressings can make or break a salad. Too much dressing: soggy. Too heavy: gross. Not enough dressing: dry and boring. When making a salad dressing, you need the perfect ratio of acidity and sweetness to fat. I like to mix the dressing ingredients at the bottom of a large bowl, add the salad ingredients, then a sprinkle of salt and toss. This should be done when ready to serve to prevent the greens from wilting. Heftier greens, like kale for example, can sit dressed for longer periods of time.

I usually stay clear of the heavy creamy dressings, and go for the super simple olive oil-balsamic vinaigrettes. But for special occasions, I like to embellish my salads with a little more “oomph”. The recipe I’m sharing with you today I learned to make several years ago. It is a simple and versatile, creamy and rich without the mayonnaise, cheese, or cream. When ground, the nuts become creamy and smooth. I found the original recipe in one of my mother’s old Puerto Rican Cookbooks. It called for pistachios, which I substituted for almonds. If you have pistachios, they are amazing on this dressing. The combination of mint, parsley, grapefruit, and olive oil is amazing. The nuts here serve as body to the dressing, giving it a thick, delectable, texture.

I like to use it mostly in salads, but you can also in cooked pastas, roasted vegetables or on toast for an easy quick lunch.

Creamy Raw Nut Dressing

• Handful blanched almonds (about ¾ cup)
• Juice and zest of half a grapefruit
• Handful of parsley
• 5-6 leaves mint
• ¼ cup olive oil
• Salt to taste

Place all ingredients, except for olive oil, in a food process. Pulse until smooth. Slowly add olive oil, while continuing to pulse until dressing reaches desired consistency. Pour over salad greens or pasta to use as dressing.