This cilantro pepita salad dressing will become one of your absolute FAVORITE salad dressings! It’s free of any added sugar and also makes a great dip!
In preparation for Cinco de Mayo, we are whipping up a copycat version of Who Song and Larry’s salad dressing. Located next to the Columbia river in Vancouver, Washington, Who Song and Larry’s (yes I know it doesn’t even sound Spanish) is one of my favorite Mexican restaurants. I rarely am able to eat there because it is several states away. But now I can enjoy their oh so delicious Cilantro Pepita Salad Dressing right from home!
This dressing is rapido to make and sooo good… My husband, after asking him to taste it, kept dipping in chips! I had to stop him from making it his meal! It makes for a delicious dip (as proved by my husband). Just be sure to omit the water and a few tablespoons of the oil. Also a great way to use all those pumpkin seeds you scooped out from Mr. Jack back in the fall. Yogurt can be substituted for the mayonnaise (although my husband says it doesn’t taste as good) but make sure you mix the yogurt before using. Since yogurt has a higher water content than mayonnaise, don’t add the water and take out a few tablespoons of the oil.
CILANTRO–PEPITA SALAD DRESSING
Ingredients
- 1 Anaheim pepper
- 1 TBS roasted pumpkin seeds (also known as pepitas)
- 1 garlic clove
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
- 2-3 TBS cotija cheese or parmesan cheese
- 1/2-3/4 cup cup olive oil*
- 4 tso red wine vinegar
- 1 bunch cilantro
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise or plain yogurt**
- 1 TBS water
Instructions
- Roast the anaheim pepper. Preheat the broiler. Core the anaheim pepper removing the seeds and membranes (wear something to protect your hands or they might burn from the juices!). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place peppers on the foil skin up. Cook 5-10 minutes, or until the skins are almost completely blackened. The blacker the skins, the easier to peel. Let pepper cool before removing the peel.
- Place pepper, seeds, garlic, salt, pepper, and cheese in a blender or food processor. Blend for about 10 seconds then add oil and vinegar to mixture. Add cilantro bit by bit until blended smooth.
- Mix in mayonnaise and water thoroughly and devour!
Notes
- Makes about 2 cups. The dressing is great on a bed of lettuce with tomatoes, sprinkled with pumpkin seeds, cheese, cilantro, and tortilla chips.
- *depending on how you like your consistency. More oil can always be added at the very end if the dressing is too thick.
- **If using yogurt instead of mayonnaise, do not add water and go without a few tablespoons of oil.
Super yummy! Love it
I used 2% Greek yogurt and olive oil instead of mayo…. I eat this on my turkey rice burgers. I am a bodybuilder i just wish I had a nutritional breakdown of it (macronutrients)
This sounds yummy!
Thanks for linking up at the Talented Tuesday party last week 🙂 I hope you can join us again this week!
This dressing reminds me of a southwestern salad I used to order all the time at a little sandwich place. Totally making this soon, yum!
I hope you like it Renee!
Oooh, this looks and sounds so amazing! Healthy too!
Thanks so much for sharing (and for linking up to the #SHINEbloghop).
Wishing you a lovely day.
xoxo
Oh it is!!! 🙂 Thanks for stopping by Jennifer!
Oh YUM! Cilantro is my favorite. I will be trying this. 🙂
Great! Let me know how you like it Lynn!
This sounds amazing! I love how you roast the peppers before using them in the recipe. I am going to have to give this a try!
Thanks for linking up to the Homestead Blog Hop!