I know there are a bunch of recipes going around right now for the holidays that are a little on the, well… indulgent side (to say the least). Not that there is anything wrong with that at all, but I know personally my body starts to hate me after eating lots of heavy foods. I usually try to put out a good balance between indulgent & healthier recipes during the holidays, to give some balance & hopefully help you not feel like a complete garbage human as I typically do, haha. This one is on the healthier side, and y’all… It’s seriously the best salad dressing I’ve ever made, I could eat it alone with a spoon. It’s a super easy recipe to create, so let’s get right into it!
This dressing only takes a couple of minutes to make, and seriously is so good on almost anything. I’ve created multiple salads using this, have put it on sandwiches, and have even used it as a pasta sauce.
First you’ll want to toast your walnuts in a dry pan over medium heat, just until fragrant. This should take a few minutes, but make sure you’re shaking the pan around frequently because you don’t want them to burn! Once they’re fragrant and toasty, add them to a blender along with your celery leaves, garlic, shallot, maple syrup, sherry vinegar, apple cider vinegar, salt, & pepper and blend until smooth. Once that’s ready to go, mix your olive oil & walnut oil together in a liquid measuring cup, and with the blender running on medium speed- slowly drizzle in the oil until its completely emulsified. This will help the dressing not split immediately, and it makes it nice and creamy.
I recommend chilling the vinaigrette in the fridge for a bit before using, just because it might be a little warm from blending / the toasted walnuts. But it’s totally up to you! Like I said, this really goes great on just about everything- but my personal favorite is a big salad full of mixed greens, Granny Smith apples, vegan cheddar cheese, dried cherries, and chopped toasted walnuts. The dressing really compliments the flavors of the salad ingredients & makes for a super healthy & delicious as all fuck meal.
As always, I LOVE LOVE LOVE seeing y’all recreate my recipes, so make sure to tag me on instagram @plvntfood or #plvntfood so I can see them & share them!! Thank y’all so much for the endless support… I couldn’t thank you enough for being the best fucking group of people on the internet just giving ya girl all the love over food. I really hope you guys enjoy this recipe, and if you use it in anything other than a salad, PLEASE SHARE! xx
Toasted Walnut Vinaigrette
Toasted Walnut Vinaigrette is the perfect seasonal & tangy dressing for so many different salads. With very few ingredients & time needed to make this, you're gonna want to put it on everything!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup walnuts
- 1 tbsp celery leaves
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 tbsp fresh shallot
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup sherry vinegar
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup walnut oil
- 1 1/2 cups extra virgin olive oil
- salt / pepper to taste
Instructions
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In a dry pan over medium heat, add your walnuts. Toast gently until just fragrant, then add to a blender with all of your other ingredients except the walnut & olive oil.
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Once blended, turn the blender on medium speed, and while its running, drizzle in both the walnut oil & olive oil slowly until the vinaigrette is completely emulsified. This will also help it become nice and creamy.
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Serve on top of your favorite salad. My favorite combination to go with this vinaigrette is mixed greens, granny smith apple, vegan cheddar cheese, dried cherries, & chopped toasted walnuts.
