Once upon a time, there was cream, or sour cream, or at least plain yogurt. But in recent months, as we started eating more plant-based meals and those ingredients grew sparser in my fridge, I wistfully said goodbye to creamy, luscious sauces.
I was a fool! As you probably know, and I have now learned, it turns out that creamy vegan sauces require only selecting the right ingredients–like in this walnut sauce, this creamy sweet corn sauce, this tahini sauce–and I haven’t even tried the cashew cream trick yet.
Today’s herb-packed, lemony avocado dressing takes five minutes to make, and tastes like an indulgence of a much greater magnitude. Pour it over a crisp summer salad, and you’ll never miss buttermilk dressing again.
Help me out, readers: What other tricks am I missing for creating decadent, creamy, whole-foods, plant-based deliciousness?
Summer Crunch Salad with Creamy Avocado and Herb Dressing: In a food processor or blender, combine the flesh of one medium avocado, the zest and juice of a lemon, 1/2 c. water, 2 Tbsp. egg-free mayonnaise, 3/4 tsp. salt, a heaping tsp. dried dill, and 1/4 c. each chopped fresh parsley, cilantro, and chives. Puree until creamy.
Serve over a crisp salad of sliced romaine lettuce, chopped sweet peppers, halved cherry tomatoes, and diced avocado.
And did you know that today is the Virtual Vegan Potluck? Welcome! From here you can go back to Barefoot Essence, forward to Yum for Tum, or you can start from the very beginning at Vegan Bloggers Unite.
Emmy Cooks 
Sounds delicious and looks so beautifully green! On to my list it goes … And happy virtual potluck, by the way!
Welcome to plant based fats – aren’t they wonderful?! This looks fantastic!
Love the simplicity of this dressing. Sometimes I literally spread avocado on toast just as if it were butter!
This looks just perfect!
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Delicious :-)
Love the sound of that creamy avocado dressing!
Delicious!!! I am pinning this. Can’t wait to try it!
We vegans got the creamy sauces DOWN ;-)! Thank, Emmy! So glad that you joined the Potluck again!
Yum! Looks rich and flavorful…
Looks delicious! I love crunchy salads with creamy dressings.
Your dressing sounds delicious! I bet it would dress up sandwiches beautifully too.
Oh girl, you gotta try the cashew cream! This salad looks perfectly crunchy! Lovely to bump into you at the potluck! xx
I normally don’t really like the creamy sauces, but this one makes me want to cange my mind – will be trying this one!
I was about to suggest cashew cream, but you beat me to it. :) Honestly, I usually go for thicker cashew cheese concoctions, but a thinned-down version would work so well in a dressing. This, of course, sounds fantastic! Perfect or the sack of avocados hanging out in our fridge.
This looks delicious. *drools*
Avocado dressing always sounds delicious! Yummmy!
– alexis
http://www.sugarcoatedvegan.com
Emmy, this salad dressing sounds delightful! I’m rarely tempted by creamy dressings actually– I love tangy vinaigrettes– but with avocado, lemon, and herbs, yours looks even better than whatever other non-vegan creamy dressings are out there. I will definitely be trying this as salad season takes over! :)
Can I just have that dressing with a spoon!? YUM!
The salad looks wonderful – and Emmy glad to see you posting again! I have missed your posts :-)
A fantasticly & tasty green goddess dressing, I think! Yummm!
This dressing would be great on jacked potatoes, on roasted sweet potatoes & on this fab salad too! :) A grand entry for the VVP! I am in the dessert section! :)
Decadent and creamy? Try using ripe bananas! May be a bit difficult to use in a savory dish, but could be nice combined with lemon or lime juice to create something sweet & sour maybe? Personally I would just use actual cream ;-)
This looks so delicious Emmy! Happy Mother’s Day to you :)
YUM!! Matt can’t really digest dairy, so this would be perfect for him!
That dressing looks divine, Emmy! I am just starting to figure out creamy dressings myself. I was one of those kids who liked everything plain, so it’s taken me a while to figure out. :)
Avocado is so expensive in Korea that we barely use this for cooking. Anyway, it looks so yummy.
That dressing looks amazing! I will have to try that. Does it keep — just wondering with the avocado if it’s something you have to make at the last minute?
The dressing (including its amazing color) keeps well for at least a couple of days, which is how long it took us to eat the last of it!
Avocado dressing on avocado-laced salad? Yes. Happy Mother’s Day Emmy!
Looks so good! Must try soon. Thanks for the recipe!
That looks delicious, Emmy! I was reading this article about Gwyneth Paltrow’s new cookbook (I know, I know), but the author declared that some of the recipes were drop-dead delicious. I have since heard this from other people as well.
In any case, there was this for “Spicy Cashew Moment”:
http://www.silive.com/entertainment/dining/index.ssf/2013/04/the_art_of_eating_like_gwyneth.html
And I have read others trying her almonds soaked in water idea to great success.
That is hilarious. Tastes like mashed saltines, I hear–I’ll let you try it first. ;-)
I’m gonna buy that book and I’m going to have the butt of a 22 yo when I’m done cooking :-)
What a delicious dressing! looks like a great spread for bread too.
I have never added water to my avo based sauces… it kinda makes sense.
Thank you for the great avo herb dressing idea. I really like it (but I will just skip the mayo).
This sounds easy and tasty. I am always looking for new recipes for homemade dressings that are easy to make. Definitely making this one within the next week.
This salad looks simply perfect! Sometimes simple and sensational is the best!
What a lovely salad! Your dressing sounds delicious. Will be making it soon.
x Vix
vixbakes.com :: vegan baking + raw desserts
The dressing sounds amazing! Beautiful salad. Happy VVP!
This dressing looks incredible! I must make it right now.