April 8, 2013

Glory Bowl Dressing

dani@slyrooster.com Salads healthy, nutritional yeast flakes, salad dressing, tahini, vegetarian 7 Comments

This recipe for a versatile salad dressing will ideally inspire you to visit Whole Foods or your favorite natural food store to pick up a key ingredient. If you have a favorite health food store, you may already have what you’ll need or at least won’t require much convincing to head out the door.  If you still imagine the odd smelling co-ops or natural food stores of days gone by (was it the vitamins?) then I have my work cut out for me.

Let me start by saying that this dressing is unique and you, and everyone who tries it, will love it.  People won’t be able to identify the flavors or like my daughter, might refer to it as “the peanut butter sauce” despite the fact that it doesn’t contain any peanuts and doesn’t really taste all that peanuty.  The initial batch will make enough to fill two salad dressing bottles and you’ll wonder, “What will I do with all this sauce?”  Soon thereafter you’ll find yourself pouring it over a variety of salads, spinach (raw and steamed), brown rice and all of those grains you’ve been reading about.  It even works as a dip for crudite.

Now I’ll break the news that this tasty dressing is incredibly good for you.   Its main ingredient is nutritional yeast which is high in protein, low in calories and contains seven grams of fiber per ounce.  Nutritional yeast is rich in B vitamins and one serving provides the full daily recommended amount of B12.  The yeast also contains folic acid, biotin and fifteen minerals such as iron, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, chromium, and selenium. It is one of the few vegetarian sources that provide all nine essential amino acids, which are used by the body to form protein. If your Whole Foods doesn’t carry the flakes (note Nutritional Yeast is not the same as Brewer’s Yeast) you can order it online–Amazon carries several varieties.

The dressing also contains tahini, a paste made from ground sesame seeds.  Tahini boasts healthy fatty acids, essential for your brain and heart; thiamin (vitamin B1) which influences your nervous system, muscles and digestion; and phosphorus, for strong bones and teeth. Among its many health benefits, phosphorus helps with digestion, increases energy, regulates reproductive hormones (could relieve symptoms of menopause), and assists with proper metal function (including improved memory and concentration).

And now for the big reveal…this recipe for Glory Bowl Dressing was lifted from Whitewater Cooks by Shelley Adams.  Among the inner sanctum of hard-core skiers, Whitewater Ski Area in Nelson, British Columbia is legendary.  Unfortunately, I am not a member of this exclusive crowd but my brother is a proud devotee.  In fact, so much so that he and Romy got married at the top of Whitewater in February 2010.  And while I don’t get the opportunity to ski the Nelson “pow” each year and I have never set foot in the Fresh Tracks Cafe, I do enjoy cooking my way through all three of Shelley Adams’ cookbooks.  The recipes are original and never let me down.

After this much fanfare I sincerely hope that you’ll be making a batch of dressing later in the week.  Feedback, please!