Avo-Yogurt Dressing (and Mixed Green Salad)
On the rare occasion I put in the effort to make more than a basic vinaigrette, this is one of my favorite dressings. I love a creamy garlic-heavy dressing, and this certainly fits the bill. Today's salad is a random collection of Keto for Vegans: Book 2 photography leftovers that have been languishing in my fridge, topped with some protein-packed bits and bobs.
The Dressing
Yield: 16 servings of 1 tablespoon (15g) each, totaling 1 cup (240g)
Macros (per serving): 40 calories | 0.5g protein | 4g fat | 0.5g net carbs
Macros (per ¼ cup): 170 calories | 2g protein | 17g fat | 1.5g net carbs
Prep: 10 minutes
Equipment Required: a bullet or immersion blender
Storage: refrigerated for up to 3 days. Note that color will dull and some separation may occur.
Macros (per serving): 40 calories | 0.5g protein | 4g fat | 0.5g net carbs
Macros (per ¼ cup): 170 calories | 2g protein | 17g fat | 1.5g net carbs
Prep: 10 minutes
Equipment Required: a bullet or immersion blender
Storage: refrigerated for up to 3 days. Note that color will dull and some separation may occur.
Ingredients:
½ medium (68g) avocado
⅓ cup (80g) unsweetened low-carb yogurt
¼ cup (60ml/54g) light olive oil or neutral-flavored oil of choice
1 tablespoon (15ml) lime juice (about ½ medium lime)
1 tablespoon (15ml) plant-based milk or water
1 tablespoon (5g) nutritional yeast flakes
3 cloves (9g) garlic (1½ teaspoons if crushed)
¼ + ⅛ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
½ medium (68g) avocado
⅓ cup (80g) unsweetened low-carb yogurt
¼ cup (60ml/54g) light olive oil or neutral-flavored oil of choice
1 tablespoon (15ml) lime juice (about ½ medium lime)
1 tablespoon (15ml) plant-based milk or water
1 tablespoon (5g) nutritional yeast flakes
3 cloves (9g) garlic (1½ teaspoons if crushed)
¼ + ⅛ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
Directions:
- Place all ingredients in the cup of your bullet or immersion blender and blend to smooth.
- Enjoy chilled as a dressing or dip.
The Salad
Yield: 4 salads
Macros (per serving dressed): 320 calories | 13g protein | 29g fat | 6g net carbs
Macros (per serving undressed): 155 calories | 11g protein | 9g fat | 4.5g net carbs
Prep: 10 minutes
Storage: prepared salad can be stored, refrigerated, undressed for up to 2 days. Store toasted pumpkin seeds separately if you want them to maintain their crunch.
Macros (per serving dressed): 320 calories | 13g protein | 29g fat | 6g net carbs
Macros (per serving undressed): 155 calories | 11g protein | 9g fat | 4.5g net carbs
Prep: 10 minutes
Storage: prepared salad can be stored, refrigerated, undressed for up to 2 days. Store toasted pumpkin seeds separately if you want them to maintain their crunch.
Ingredients:
12 cups (360g) lettuce(s) of choice
1 medium (123g) tomato, chopped or sliced
2 medium (50g) deseeded jalapeño peppers or ½ medium (60g) green bell pepper, chopped or sliced
¼ medium (28g) onion, thinly sliced
½ cup (20g) alfalfa sprouts or microgreens
½ cup (86g) cooked & cooled soybeans
¼ cup (40g) pumpkin seeds, toasted
2 tablespoons (20g) hemp hearts
1 batch (1 cup - 240g) Avo-Yogurt Dressing
12 cups (360g) lettuce(s) of choice
1 medium (123g) tomato, chopped or sliced
2 medium (50g) deseeded jalapeño peppers or ½ medium (60g) green bell pepper, chopped or sliced
¼ medium (28g) onion, thinly sliced
½ cup (20g) alfalfa sprouts or microgreens
½ cup (86g) cooked & cooled soybeans
¼ cup (40g) pumpkin seeds, toasted
2 tablespoons (20g) hemp hearts
1 batch (1 cup - 240g) Avo-Yogurt Dressing
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C), spread the pumpkin seeds out in a single layer on a baking sheet/pan, and toast for 5 to 7 minutes. Monitor carefully to prevent burning.
- Meanwhile, prepare the vegetables as per the ingredient list and divide equally between 4 dinner bowls. Alternatively, toss the lettuce with the dressing in a large mixing bowl prior to dividing.
- Top with the beans, seeds, and dressing.
Boost the Protein: increase the soybeans to ¾ cup (129g), the pumpkin seeds to ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons (60g), and the hemp hearts to 3 tablespoons (30g).
Macros (per serving dressed): 385 calories | 18g protein | 31g fat | 6.5g net carbs
Macros (per serving undressed): 215 calories | 16g protein | 14g fat | 5g net carbs
Macros (per serving dressed): 385 calories | 18g protein | 31g fat | 6.5g net carbs
Macros (per serving undressed): 215 calories | 16g protein | 14g fat | 5g net carbs
Soy-Free (Carb-Booster): replace the soybeans with an equal amount of drained and rinsed black beans (½ cup is roughly equal to a third of a 15-ounce [425g] can).
Macros (per serving dressed): 315 calories | 11g protein | 24g fat | 8.5g net carbs
Macros (per serving undressed): 145 calories | 9g protein | 8g fat | 7g net carbs
Macros (per serving Protein Boosted dressed): 375 calories | 15g protein | 28g fat | 11g net carbs
Macros (per serving Protein Boosted undressed): 210 calories | 13g protein | 11g fat | 9g net carbs
Macros (per serving dressed): 315 calories | 11g protein | 24g fat | 8.5g net carbs
Macros (per serving undressed): 145 calories | 9g protein | 8g fat | 7g net carbs
Macros (per serving Protein Boosted dressed): 375 calories | 15g protein | 28g fat | 11g net carbs
Macros (per serving Protein Boosted undressed): 210 calories | 13g protein | 11g fat | 9g net carbs
✎ Notes:
- In the salad pictured, I've used a mixture of Boston/butter lettuce and little gem lettuce. Macros are calculated with "mixed greens."
- Toasting pumpkin seeds is optional, but I highly recommend the crunch and depth of flavor toasting brings. They can also be bought toasted in some supermarkets or online.
- I like my salads heavily dressed. If you do not, you may wish to reduce the amount of dressing.
- Macros for this recipes are calculated with American national nutritional data (i.e. NCCDB & USDA entries in Cronometer) for all ingredients apart from yogurt (Aplro), nutritional yeast flakes (blend of Bob's Redmill and Foods Alive unfortified), pumpkin seeds (Bob's Redmill), and hemp hearts (Manitoba Harvest). I'm using a custom size for a medium jalapeño (25g) because national data claims a regular jalapeño is 14g, which is very small.
- Macro numbers are rounded. Numbers equal to or greater than 10g are rounded to the nearest whole number (e.g. 10g, 11g, 12g, etc.) and numbers below 10g are rounded to the nearest 0.5g (0.5g, 1g, 1.5g ... 9g, 9.5g). Any numbers below 0.5g are given as is (e.g. 0.1g, 0.2g, etc.). Calories are rounded to the nearest multiple of 5.
