This creamy, tart salad dressing is packed with flavor and nutrient-rich ingredients. Here we’ll take a closer look at three key ingredients in this recipe: parsley, lemon, and garlic.
Parsley en Perpetua
Parsley is one of my favorite herbs because it is affordable, accessible, and an easy way to add freshness to any dish. This nutrient-rich herb is packed with Vitamins A, C and K. Parsley also contains minerals like magnesium and potassium, essential to a balanced diet.
This recipe utilizes a cup of parsley, which serves to balance out the heaviness of the tahini and rich olive oil.
When shopping for parsley, look for the flat leaf Italian parsley. This varietal provides much better flavor than the curly parsley, commonly used for garnish in restaurants.
To read more about parsley, click here.
Luscious Lemon
Lemon is a citrus fruit, and as a citrus, contains notable amounts of Vitamin C. Additionally, it is cleansing to your gut and supports digestion. In this recipe I use whole lemon, mostly skinned but including some peel.
Additionally, lemons contain a high amount of soluble fiber, which can have a detoxifying effect in cleansing out your system (if you know what I mean).
The peel and white part of the lemon (called the pith) contains the highest concentration of nutrients, therefore I make an effort to include it wherever possible! However, it can be quite bitter, so adjust the amount of pith used to your preference.
Gotta have that Garlic
We all love garlic right? Garlic breath not so much. However! Consuming garlic raw provides the highest concentration of nutritional benefits. Some have even claimed that it reduces blood pressure, lowers cholesterol and reduces the risk of heart disease. I’d say garlic breath is a small price to pay for all those benefits!
If you are still wary of consuming raw garlic at lunch time, never fear. You can easily swap roasted garlic for the raw garlic in the recipe.
For a full report on the benefits of raw garlic, click here.
What is tahini anyways?
Tahini is ground sesame seed paste. Tahini is one of the key ingredients in hummus. On it’s own, tahini can be quite bitter, which is why it makes for a dynamic ingredient to incorporate in sauces, dips, and in this instance, a salad dressing!
Some tahini is made with hulled sesame seeds, some aren’t; similarly, some are made with raw sesame seeds, and others with roasted. If this is your first tahini encounter, I’d recommend starting with the Organic Tahini from Trader Joe’s and venturing out from there.
Big batch does it best
This recipe yields approximately 20 ounces of salad dressing, or about 10 servings. That’s enough for two people to eat a salad five days in a row, which makes this an ideal meal prep salad dressing recipe!
With about 15 minutes of prep time, this Garlic Tahini Salad Dressing is easy to put together and can be made in a pinch. Drizzle over your favorite salad and enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1 cup fresh parsley packed, stems removed
- 8 cloves fresh garlic peeled. (substitute roasted garlic if desired)
- 3 tablespoons tahini
- 2 tablespoons mustard dijon preferred
- ⅓ cup sunflower or avocado oil
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ⅔ cup cold water
- ⅓ cup white balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon salt (add more to taste)
- 1½ teaspoon black pepper (add more to taste)
- ½ whole lemon skinned, small in size. incorporate a small amount of peel if desired.
- drizzle of agave syrup or honey if desired.
Instructions
- Stir tahini well. It's common for tahini to become separated in the jar, with the oil settling on top and solids on the bottom. Stir well before measuring.
- Cut lemon in half. Remove seeds from the half you plan on using in the recipe. To skin the lemon, place the cut (flat) side of the lemon on a cutting board and gently cut the skin off, making sure you are cutting down and away from your fingers. Leave as much (or as little) skin on the lemon as you'd like.
- Add all ingredients to a blender or large food processor. Blend until smooth. To make the dressing without a blender: Finely mince the garlic, parsley and lemon. Combine all ingredients into a large jar and shake well until combined.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning. If you find it bitter, add a pinch of sugar or drizzle of honey.
Notes
- If you prefer a thicker dressing, omit the water. You can always add more later to reach your desired consistency.
- For a less pungent garlic flavor, roast the garlic before adding it to the blender.
Tried this recipe? Tell us how you liked it in the comments below!
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