I found myself the other day craving something but the thing is, I had no idea what I wanted. Did you ever open up the fridge and just stare at the contents inside waiting for something, anything to jump out at you and be like “TADA! Here I am! You want me tonight for dinner!”? Then you’d close the fridge door and then open up every single kitchen cabinet and pantry door hoping to find “it” in there; “it” being that food you’re craving but yet you’re not sure what it is. Like as if the kitchen God’s can read your mind and tell you what you’re craving before you figure it out. Andddddddddddd.. you shut the cabinet doors (well okay most people do that, apparently Mr. Fantabulous lacks that skill to perform that task). And then you repeat the process… fridge door opens up and there you stand, getting cold feet and cheeks as perhaps this time you stick your head in a little deeper praying there’s a rogue jar of something behind the single pickle in the pickle jar (this bothers me btw.. eat the pickle and pitch the jar.) You’re letting it take up precious space in the fridge…for cake! lol
So as I stood there for the third time with the fridge door opened hoping SOMETHING would be different (btw.. it doesn’t change… ever) I spied a rogue avocado in the drawer. Now this thing was just on the border of being pitiful. It was a bit softer to the touch which meant it had to be eaten that night else she was a goner. See it was at that point where it was perfect for guacamole or spread out on toast with a little sea salt and sriracha sauce (trust me, this is AMAZING!) but I would have been embarrassed for the avocado (and myself) to put it on a salad in slices. Actually I don’t think it could have been sliced since it was that soft.
Great… we’re having an avocado for dinner!
…and that’s about as far as I got! LOL Since I wasn’t feeling guacamole as I so carb-overindulged the past week I was steering clear of carbs as much as a I can. My yoga pants were NOT happy with me for about a week. That being the case, avocado toast or chips and guac was out of the picture. And like I said, slicing this was not an option on a salad. By this time having a salad sounded pretty appealing but I had to incorporate that sad little avocado in somehow. So I went with an avocado dressing. Why not? It would be totally creamy and indulgent but without all of the fat; well bad fat that is.
Avocados are a “Good fat”. Good fats are monounsaturated fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids, which are naturally occurring in plant products and fish. Avocados are one source of monounsaturated fatty acids, which may help lower your bad cholesterol. In addition to good fats, avocados are rich in potassium and magnesium, which help regulate your blood pressure. Also, avocados contain folate, a vitamin that helps reduce inflammation in your arteries. You can eat them plain, as a condiment, in a dessert, in a savory dish… well unless you’re allergic. In that case, give me yours!
Out of the fridge (for the 4th time mind you) came the arugula, spinach, baby peppers, feta along with some greek yogurt, a lime and buttermilk. The one pantry cabinet provided the seeds, craisins and remaining spices. Now I’m a huge fan of making my own salad dressings, sauces and dips. I like being able to control what goes in it without all that chemical preservative crap. That being said often homemade dressings don’t have a long fridge life. But trust me on this one – you’ll be lucky this jar of creamy avocado lime dressing lasts the night! No seriously, it is THAT good!
Out came the food processor and away I went. I’ll be honest, I wouldn’t make this in a blender as the mixture is really, really thick before you add the oil and buttermilk. I wouldn’t want you to tax the motor on it. Let your food processor do the deed; that’s what they are meant to do. Plus it’s kinda cool to be able to hold all that power and with the press of a button turn chunks of stuff into something truly creamy and decadent. Now when you make this you get to control the consistency – do you want it more pourable or more where you glob some on? Totally your call. Mine I kept a bit on the thicker side where I could glob it on but it was still really loose. It was dippable meaning I could stick some peppers in it like a veggie dip but then use it as a salad dressing.
The best thing about this recipe, aside from the taste as it ROCKS, is that it’s really, really versatile! I’ve used this as a salad dressing, vegetable dip, condiment on a mushroom burger, as a taco sauce topping – THIS on a grilled chicken taco cup… OMG!
As you can see this presents really, really well. It’s a gorgeous color with one of the best flavorings I’ve had in a while. With the cilantro and lime juice in it, it’s so light and bright. This is PERFECT for the summer. Now if you use this at your bbqs and cookouts, keep it cold and covered until you’re ready to use it. But if you’re like me, make a big batch of this because this will be the go-to dressing for most everything!
Creamy Avocado Lime Dressing
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Ingredients
- 5.3 ounces of plain Greek yogurt
- 1 medium-large avocado, pitted and removed from the shell
- 1 cup cilantro, fresh & very loosely packed
- 1 tablespoon garlic
- 2 tablespoon lime juice
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 2 teaspoon white vinegar
- 1/4 cup avocado oil (can use olive oil)
- 3–4 tablespoon buttermilk (depends on how thin/thick you want the dressing)
Instructions
- Rough chop the avocado and place in a food processor.
- Add in the yogurt, cilantro, garlic, lime juice, salt, pepper, crushed red pepper and vinegar.
- Blend until no chunks remain; about 30 seconds to a minute.
- While the processor is running slowly stream in the oil until thick and creamy.
- Add in the milk 1 tablespoon at a time until desired consistency is reached. I went with 4.
- Transfer to a container and cover.
- Serve immediately or chill. Will last ~3-4 days in the fridge.
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