I looooove my creamy avocado salad dressing, it’s so delicious and I use it almost every day! But, sometimes a girl just needs some variety in life, right? I got the idea from reading someone’s blog (can’t remember whose it was, sorry!) and also from one of my favorite California vegan chains, Native Foods, to make a creamy hummus salad dressing.
The recipe is really easy, it is basically a thinned-out version of my hummus recipe. The dressing was so versatile that I ended up using it on a lot of dishes besides the regular ‘ole salad seen here:
I also used it to top a burrito bowl, as a condiment for a lentil burger and as a dressing for a veggie wrap.
Here’s the recipe:
Creamy Hummus Dressing – Serves 4-6
Ingredients:
1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 onion
2 cloves of garlic
juice of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons tahini
1/2 cup white balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup unsweetened soymilk
Directions:
In a high speed blender, combine all ingredients and whirl until smooth.
So this past weekend I traveled into the Los Angeles area for a graduation party. I find traveling to be the most difficult part of being a healthy vegan. Planning ahead is an absolute necessity. I got this rolling insulated cart at Costco and I take it along whenever I travel. Most hotels these days have fridges in the rooms. Here’s my baby all packed and ready to go:
For a 24-hour trip for hubby and myself, I brought along:
- 2 papayas
- 2 veggie wraps
- 1 green smoothie
- 2 breakfast cookies
- 1 bag of berries
- 2 servings of pre-cooked oatmeal
We ate dinner before we went to the party and then had the rest of the food the next morning. A quick stop at Native Foods for a salad on the way home and it all worked out!
I’ve seen blogs where people pack much more elaborate meals for eating on the road. It’s tough to be so organized but I find it pays off. What is your favorite meal to pack for the road?
Note: this post has been submitted to Healthy Vegan Fridays.
{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
Wow–that sounds wonderful! Sometimes I need a change from my vegan ranch dressing or olive oil/vinegar combo. This would be great–thanks!
I am so glad you posted this. We are getting ready for a long road trip and hadn’t even considered veggie wraps! Such a great idea.
ooh this looks great I love chickpeas
The only thing I pack is fruits, because I love the excuse to eat fast food. I know, I know, you don’t approve.
Sophia, I’ll never tell you how or what to eat!
i keep forgetting how easy salads are—but i do get bored of the same dressing…you have given me 2 ideas the avacado one and the hummus one…
i am one of those kinds of people who almost can’t have the same meal twice, and of all the recipes i try, only a few make it into the permanent spiral bound book of clippings…but salads–once a week will be imperative for me and my sanity once the school year begins again, with all the crazy amounts of school activities for both my girls…
How did you transport your green smoothie? I’ve been wanting to do that but don’t know how.
Hi Kat, I put it in a stainless steel thermos with a non-spill lid.
Thanks for the hummus dressing idea! I love avo dressing too, but the hummus sounds so good!
When I travel, I try to pack goji berries and easy snacky things that I don’t feel guilty (or sick) from eating too much…because inevitably, if I get bored, I will eat. I also pack lots of water. Sometimes I use traveling as a sort of detox-day—eat very little super healthy food and then when I get to my destination I feel light and good. In the past…I’ve used traveling as an excuse to eat junk, so this is big progress for me
Glad your travel-food approached worked well!
Hi Lisa, thanks for the comment! I love the idea of using the travel day for detox, except I usually get sooooo hungry when traveling!
Glad you had a safe trip to Cali and home. 
I’m wondering what your feeling about the sulfites in vinegar are. Do you think they pose a threat? Thanks for your feedback
Hi Karla, great question! I did some research on this issue when I started using vinegar to flavor my food instead of salt. I couldn’t find a lot of information except that the sulfites might come from the soil and that’s how they end up in grape-based vinegars (as opposed to food where sulfites are deliberately added). I have found a few sulfite-free vinegars on the market including the Spectrum brand brown rice vinegar and some coconut vinegars. I try not to consume more than a couple of tablespoons of the grape-based vinegars per day in order to reduce my exposure to sulfites. I also don’t consume any other food products that have sulfites added. Let me know if you find out any other information on this issue.
Hi Carrie, in this Creamy Hummus dressing, can I substitute the garbanzo for white cannelinni beans? I love grabanzo but I don’t have any at the moment.
Thanks
Yes, you can absolutely substitute other beans for the garbanzos. Let me know how you like it!
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