Creamy Balsamic Dressing

Salad dressing was one of the tougher items for me to adapt when I started Whole30, Hidden Valley ranch and blue cheese were always the condiments of choice here! It was surprising, after more attention was given to reading labels, how much sugar is included in most bottled dressing. I pretty much gave up finding a satisfactory store bought dressing and began working on blending vinegars and oils with a few variations. Balsamic is one of my favorite ingredients so when I saw an idea for a creamy balsamic dressing, it definitely went on the list of recipes to try.

It took a few attempts to get this just right, too much balsamic, too much flavor using olive oil (thus the avocado oil), too much of this or that, but eventually I gained the perfect balance between tahini, oil, and balsamic, and I’m pretty excited to share it!

INGREDIENTS -

1/4 c tahini
1/4 c avocado oil
1/4 c balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 tsp garlic granules
3-5 Tbsp water

Whisk all the ingredients together in a small bowl, adding in the tablespoons of water last until you reach the desired consistency for your dressing. I tried using both an immersion blender and a small food processor to attempt a creamier consistency, but whisking together resulted in about the same texture, so pick the easiest method for you.

Balsamic dressing is SOOOO good on beets and cucumbers, thus the photo. But watch for more in the future, I think this could be a great addition to a variety of other vegetables. I’m currently on a mission to assess more combinations! Perhaps even another twist for a quinoa salad 😋.

Enjoy!