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Salad dressing - not something to which I give much thought. I love salad, and that is a side that shows up on my dinner table often. If you've followed my April Dinner event, Now Gigi Serves Dinner!, you know how I love my greens, and a crisp green salad is no exception.

Salad dressing, on the other hand, I'm not so crazy over. I like it, and I certainly do not want a bowl of undressed greens and veggies. It's just that bottled dressings do not impress me - not even the fancy-schmancy gourmet all-natural ones. Our standard "house" dressing is a vinaigrette made with extra virgin olive oil, freshly squeezed lemon juice, and dijon mustard.

But occasionally, you want to excite your salad. What better way to do that than with a fresh herb dressing? Cilantro is by far my favorite herb - I nibble the leaves while preparing a batch to store (to see how I keep a bunch of cilantro fresh in the fridge, click HERE and scroll down to bottom of post) - the fresh, clean taste of cilantro just says spring to me. And mine is already flourishing on the back deck, so I grabbed a handful and tossed it in the food processor, transforming it into a vibrant dressing for a simple bed of spinach. I thought you might like it, too!

Creamy Cilantro Salad Dressing

1 large handful of cilantro, large stems removed (about 1 1/2 cups loosely packed)
1 teaspoon fresh jalapeno pepper, minced (more, to taste)
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 Tablespoons coconut milk creamer (plain flavor)
2 Tablespoons olive oil

In a small bowl, combine coconut milk creamer and olive oil; set aside.

In the bowl of your food processor (blender works, too), process cilantro, jalapeno, salt & black pepper as you drizzle in the coconut milk creamer/olive oil mixture very slowly. 

Process until the mixture is smooth and the cilantro is reduced to very small flecks. 

Spoon over salad. I have kept this dressing for 3 days in the fridge, stored in a small glass jar with tight-fitting lid.

This recipe is linked to Real Sustenance Seasonal Sundays and Slightly Indulgent Tuesday at Simply Sugar & Gluten Free!
 


Comments

Gail for So Delicious Dairy Free link
04/17/2011 13:21

Ooh, this sounds delicious, Gigi! We just tweeted it and shared it with all of our Facebook fans. Lots of cilantro lovers out there! Thanks so much for sharing the recipe.

Reply
Roze link
04/17/2011 13:38

ware do you get coconut milk creamer

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Gigi link
04/17/2011 13:44

Gail,
You are such a dear to do that!! Thank you!

I love your products, and this week, I've got several new recipe coming up that use the coconut milk creamer - this is my new "go-to" ingredient! (as you can tell!)

Thanks, again...

xo,
Gigi

Reply
Gigi link
04/17/2011 13:47

Roze,

I buy So Delicious coconut milk creamer (plain flavor) in Whole Foods Market, but have seen it available in Kroger, Publix, and I believe in Ingles markets. I find mine next to the dairy case along with specialty items such as tofu-based products. It is in a small (pint) container, similar to a heavy cream carton.

Hope you find some where you are - it is such a versatile ingredient for those of us who do not consume dairy!

Thanks for stopping by!!
xo,
Gigi

Reply
Veronika
04/17/2011 15:13

Is there a big difference between using regular coconut milk & the creamer? Hate to buy the creamer just for a few Tablespoons when we already have the coconut milk. Thanks, this recipe sounds great!

Reply
Gigi link
04/17/2011 15:20

Veronika,

I think it's best to use the creamer - haven't tried it with coconut milk. You could give it a shot, though! :)

I love keeping the creamer on hand - I don't use it for coffee, etc., but in baking/cooking nearly every day! I could write a cookbook with the many applications using this product! It's so versatile.

Let me know if you try coconut milk in place of creamer. :)

xo,
Gigi

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Georgia @ The Comfort of Cooking link
04/18/2011 15:46

Ooo, Gigi, this looks great! I love the idea of adding herbs to salad dressing, and I will definitely be using this recipe in my next salad. Thanks for sharing! You have a beautiful blog.

Reply
Gigi link
04/18/2011 20:18

Georgia,
Thanks so much!! I'm so happy that you stopped in and commented - I have been drooling over your site and enjoying your down-to-earth nature that is similar to my own. I LOVE that!! :)

A compliment from you makes my day after seeing the lovely site that you author.

The new home is lovely and I bet it's the perfect place for you to cook up a storm! ;)

xo,
Gigi

Reply
Sunny
04/02/2012 12:53

Hola Gigi,
I live in the Baja and we do not get coconut milk creamer ........... so am wondering how to make it out of my coconut milk or coconut cream that I can get here in Mexico? Homemade is how I do almost every kind of sauce, mixed seasonings and etc. etc.
Thank you in advance. S

Reply
Gigi link
04/02/2012 16:57

Hola, Sunny!

Great to hear from you out in the Baja!! :)

My first thought is that I would use coconut milk yogurt thinned to my liking with coconut milk (or other milk of your choice). Then, I thought, perhaps if you do not get coconut milk creamer, you do not get the yogurt either... Do you?

I am dairy free, so regular dairy products like sour cream, yogurt, cream, and half and half are not options for me; however, if you eat dairy, those would make good substitutes for you. Again, not sure about that, so just putting the idea out there in case.

I'm curious about these things:
1. Are you dairy free?
2. What dairy free products do you find available to you in Mexico?
3. Do you get So Delicious brand coconut milk products?

Thanks for commenting and asking this terrific question!

xoxo,
Gigi ;)

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