Living Caesar Salad

Dreena says, “When I concocted this entirely “raw” Caesar dressing, it quickly became a sensation! The creaminess is derived from the blended raw nuts, and the taste is absolutely marvelous – almost unbelievable, in fact, that it tastes so authentic. Toss this dressing in crisp, torn romaine leaves, along with raw pumpkin seeds, pine nuts, and/or sliced tomatoes.”

Yield: roughly 1 cup dressing

Ingredients

Ceasar Dressing:

• 1/4 cup raw cashews (or raw sunflower seeds) (see note)
• 1/8 cup raw pine nuts (or raw sesame seeds) (see note)
• 2 1/2 — 3 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice (adjust for extra ‘tang’ to taste!)
• 1 medium clove garlic, chopped
• 1 tsp mild miso (I use Genmai brown rice or barley miso)
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp kelp granules (I use Maine Coast Sea Seasonings brand)
• freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1/2–1 tsp raw agave nectar
• 1/3 cup water (or more to thin as desired)

Salad:

• 1 head of crisp romaine
• Orange, yellow, or red cherry tomatoes
• Pumpkin seeds for garnish (grind them in a coffee grinder for a «parmesan» effect)

Instructions

1) Using a hand blender or in a blender, combine all ingredients (starting with 2 1/2 tbsp of lemon juice and ½ tsp agave nectar) and purée until very smooth. Add additional water to thin dressing if desired. Taste test, adding additional lemon juice/agave nectar if desired.

Notes

This dressing will thicken after refrigeration; you can thin it by stirring in 2–3 tsp water if desired. When thick, this dressing can be used as a veggie dip.

If nut allergies are a concern, substitute raw sunflower and sesame seeds in place of cashews and pine nuts, respectively. The dressing will be just as delicious, though you may need additional agave nectar to sweeten to taste