Sunflower Ranch Dressing

You'll need to soak the sunflower seeds for at least 1 hour, and up to overnight. For best flavor, the dressing can be refrigerated for 2 to 3 days. Use oat milk, coconut or hemp milk to keep this nut-free.

½ cup raw, hulled sunflower seeds

½ cup unsweetened plain almond milk, cashew milk or your favorite nut-free vegan milk

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

1 fat garlic clove, chopped

1 teaspoon dried onion flakes or ½ teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons grapeseed oil or mild olive oil

Water, as needed

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill

Place the sunflower seeds in a medium bowl and add enough cool water to cover. Soak for at least 1 hour, and up to overnight at room temperature.

Drain the sunflower seeds, discarding the liquid. Transfer them to a blender, adding the vegan milk, lemon juice, vinegar, garlic, onion flakes or onion powder, salt and pepper. Puree until as smooth and creamy as possible, 2 to 3 minutes, stopping to scrape down the sides of the blender jar several times as needed.

With the motor running, drizzle in the oil a little at a time, processing until the mixture is smooth and emulsified. It will be fairly thick; if you want it thinner, pulse in a tablespoon of water at a time until it reaches your desired consistency. Add the parsley and dill; pulse once or twice to incorporate.

The dressing is ready to use, or you can transfer it to an airtight container and refrigerate it for up to 2 or 3 days.

Serves 8 (makes about 1 cup)

Nutrition | Calories: 100; Total Fat: 10 g; Saturated Fat: 1 g; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Sodium: 140 mg; Carbohydrates: 3 g; Dietary Fiber: 0 g; Sugars: 0 g; Protein: 2 g.

(Adapted from "Show Up for Salad," by Terry Hope Romero. Da Capo Lifelong Books, 2019.)