Most store bought dressings have long lists of chemical-laden words. It would be VERY rare to find a dressing that has whole food ingredients in it, that would contain as many antioxidants as this dressing. That is because healthy food, SHOULD go bad, and isn’t meant to hang out on a shelf. A tip to live by from Michael Pollan in his book In Defense of Food: “Don’t eat food that doesn’t rot”. In fact, this dressing is so good for you, you could just drink it! I created this to go along with my Rainbow Rice Salad that I created for a Mexican cooking class I did a bit ago. The colors are just beautiful, and the chia seed in the dressing helps to thicken it and help it to coat the rice better.
Chia is a great thickening agent. It’s a great source of omega 3-fatty acids and is very high in fiber and magnesium. It absorbs a ton of water and helps you feel satiated. I use white chia seed (vs black chia seed) in this recipe, which I get from my local food coop, so that it blends into the ingredients. Chia can create a gelatinous texture, but the small amount of it in this dressing will only help to thicken it in this case. To turn this into a smoothie, you can swap the water for almond milk, add an extra tbsp of chia, and skip the onions and garlic. I also have an old recipe from back when my blog was called Tooth Food, called Carrot Creator.
Dates act as a natural sweetener. They are high in fiber, magnesium, and potassium. If your dates aren’t soft, soak them in hot water for about 5 minutes before adding to the blender. Make sure to pit them or you will NOT like the sound that comes from your blender!
Carrot Chia Dressing Ingredients:
- 1 tbsp white chia seed
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tbsp minced ginger
- 1/2 cup diced carrots
- 2 dates, pitted and soaked in hot water for 5 minutes
- 2 tbsp red onion
- pinch salt
- 3/4 cup water
Instructions:
- Place all ingredients into blender, and blend
- Serve with Rainbow Rice Salad or any other salad and enjoy!
- Dressing will keep in fridge for 3-5 days. Brightest colors on day it’s made.
Nutritional Benefits:
- No oils-fat in this dressing is from a small amount of whole food fat in the form of chia seed
- Good source of antioxidants
- Very low in calories
- Anti-inflammatory
- Carrot Chia Dressing Ingredients:
- 1 tbsp white chia seed
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 2 cloves garlic, about 1 tbsp
- 1 heaping tbsp minced ginger
- ½ cup diced carrots
- 2 dates, pitted and soaked in hot water for 5 minutes
- 2 tbsp red onion
- pinch salt
- ¾ cup water
- Place all ingredients into blender, and blend
- Serve with Rainbow Rice Salad or any other salad and enjoy!
- Dressing will keep in fridge for 3-5 days, brightest colors on day it's made.
This recipe sounds so good. I can’t wait to try it, the dressing and salad together. I am have family coming in to visit for two weeks and I have been searching the web for good, nutritional, and eye appealing recipes to serve my family. We are all health-nuts, and I would like to try something different on them. I will let you know how they liked this recipe. Thank you so much.
Thanks Shirley! It is a beautiful salad! Hope you all love it! Another beautiful one is my Rainbow Kale Salad.