Original Recipe - Shelly's Cashew Ranch Dressing

If you knew me back in the day before I started eating a plant based diet, you knew me as fat and unhealthy with an IV in my arm that was dripping ranch dressing. I used it on everything and it showed.

I am trying to not use processed oils unless I have to so I wanted to come up with a dressing that I could use that would keep me satisfied and away from my favorite dressings that were made with olive oil.

I wanted a yummy vegan ranch that did not use any sort of processed oils, tofu, nut milk, non-dairy sour cream or non-dairy mayo.  I wanted a dressing that had a great mouth feel - thick, creamy, rich and delicious.

I made this a subtle flavored dressing because veggies taste good... they don't need a strong flavor overpowering them. Dressing should enhance, not cover. Plus, the cashews give you the natural fat that you need to help digest the veggies!

If you want a yummy ranch dip for veggies, just add less water. I created this recipe using dried herbs because it's February in Illinois and that is what is available in my house right now!

TIP:  Make spice packets for later. Set out individual bowls and measure out the spices into each one. Place the spice blend from each bowl into a baggie. Then you just have to add a baggie of the spices to the cashews and water when you want to make it. Saves time! It's just like buying packs from the grocery store except this doesn't contain MSG and crap ingredients.

Feel free to share my recipe but I want you to link back to this page on my blog when doing so. Thank you!

Shelly's Cashew Ranch Dressing


1 cup raw cashews (soaked at least one hour.. go 4 hours if you don't have a VitaMix or BlendTec)
3/4 to 1 1/8 cup water (depends on how thick you want it)

4 tsp dried parsley
2 tsp dried chives
2 tsp lemon juice (fresh squeezed if you can)
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dill
1 1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp smoked paprika (regular is fine too)

1. Soak cashews in water for at least an hour.
2. Drain the cashews, rinse and combine them with 3/4 cup fresh water in a strong blender.
3. Blend until it's basically smooth.
4. Add the rest of the dry ingredients and blend, blend, blend until it's nice and smooth.
5. Add as much of the remaining water as necessary until you reach the desired consistency for dressing or dip.

Tips for Going Plant Based - Take it one step at a time.

When I saw this illustration, I thought it needed it's own blog post! This illustration can apply to any change... like exercise. However, I'm going to talk about the stages of moving towards a plant based diet.

Which step are you on? What will you do today to move up a step?


I Won't Do it.

This person has no interest in a plant based diet. They live on junky processed food, lots of cheese and dairy. They think a meal isn't a meal without a slab of flesh or a pile of body parts on their plate. They rarely eat vegetables and drinking water is a punishment. They refuse to cook and they make excuses like they are too busy or they can't afford to eat healthy food. This person hasn't taken the time to think about their food. They make fun of those following a plant based diet and they try to make excuses against eating healthy. They give advice when they know nothing of the topics relating to diet, exercise and nutrition. They think life is short so they should just eat all the shit they want because death is coming anyway.

I Can't Do It

This person doesn't have the self belief and courage that change can actually happen. They think they couldn't live without cheese or ice cream. They think life isn't worth living without 6 cans of soda a day. They think change is too hard and too far beyond their reach. They give up without trying because they can't handle disappointment. They don't understand that they choose their reality. They live in a prison of excuses because it's easier than trying to break free.

I Want To Do It

This person has started to use their brain a little. They are open to hearing about plant based diets. They start to think that maybe it actually makes some sense. They see others that have lost weight and gained health. They see that a plant based diet prevents and reverses disease. They are curious. They think that maybe.. it could be something they could do.

How Do I Do It?

This person wants to put their desire into action. They are hungry for knowledge and insight. This person will seek out books, lectures, documentaries and articles about choosing a plant based lifestyle. (ie: Forks Over Knives).  They will research both sides to find their truths and their experts.They will start reaching out to others who are more knowledgeable and ask questions. They will seek guidance. They are open to trying new foods and recipes.

I'll Try To Do It

They want to believe that choosing to eat a plant based diet is what will finally bring them to the light of breaking through their pain, disease, health and weight issues so they decide to commit to a plant based diet.  They will tell themselves that they will try for a certain period of time in order to test the waters to see if change can happen and that the change probably isn't permanent because nothing has every worked before.

I Can Do It

This person is successful during their test period and they begin to see the changes in their weight and well-being. They now have the self esteem to be stronger and more courageous. They begin to see what may come to them if they continue. They understand that it's only as hard as you make it and soon their previous excuses can hold no water.

I Will Do It

This person understands that change is real. They feel better, they look better, their issues have lessened. Perhaps they have gotten off medication, had an increase in their energy level, seen a favorable change in their blood work or gone down a size in their jeans. They come to understand that plant based eating is the key to opening the door to health, and a happy life free from disease, weight issues and medication. It can be done if you choose to do it, if you want to do it.. you will do it.

Yes, I Did it!

This person is living comfortably in a plant based lifestyle. The know how simple it is. How easy it is. They understand they will do this for the rest of their life. They will encourage others to dip their toe in the test waters to see what changes they can bring for themselves. They are the knowledge. They are wisdom.

Beware of Carrageenan

A number of years ago when I first decided to become vegetarian, I started buying soy milk and when I consumed it I would get a terrible stomach and intestinal pain that made me wonder if I were allergic to soy in some way.

I realized that the pain was the same sharp and intense pain that I experienced when I drank Slim Fast in a can years prior (the prepared type) so I did some research and discovered they had an unfamiliar ingredient in common – carrageenan.

Carrageenan is a gel produced from red seaweed and it's used as a thickener and emulsifier. There are two types - undegraded and degraded. Undegraded is allowed in food products.

Upon further research I discovered that consumption of carrageenan may have a role in intestinal inflammation and possibly inflammatory bowel disease, ulcers and maybe even stomach cancer. Some people may have an allergy or sensitivity to carrageenan and they may mistakenly believe they actually have an allergy or sensitivity to dairy or soy products since the ingredients is so prevalent in those types of products. If you’ve had this stomach/intestinal pain in the past and think you can’t eat dairy and/or soy, you may want to seek out products without carrageenan to see if that is your problem. Agar is similar so you may wish to avoid it as well.

The stuff is in a ton of products. I started using a new toothpaste and I couldn’t figure out why I was getting sore and red gums after using that particular kind but not with the natural toothpastes I had.. then I realized.. it had carrageenan in it. I had never even thought to look in my toothpaste for it and i was shocked that it caused me issues without even ingesting it. Close-Up Toothpaste is free from carrageenan if you want a less expensive alternative to natural toothpaste.

It may not affect everyone but if you’ve ever had any sort of stomach or intestinal pain, you may want to start avoiding it to see if it could be why you have issues.

It's rather difficult to avoid if you eat processed foods and dairy products. I no longer eat dairy, but when I did .. I know that Daisy sour cream is free of it and I did find one regional cottage cheese that didn’t have it in there but it’s difficult to find products without it. For me, I’ve found I can use small amounts (say a splash of soy milk on cereal or if it's in a non-liquid product) but if I drink a soy milk with it in there, say in a smoothie, I get really sick.

There are a few nut based milks that do not have it, but most do. It can also be found in infant formula so if your baby is having issues, please check for it.

The symptoms of a carrageenan allergy or sensitivity:

• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Abdominal bloating
• Abdominal cramps
• Diarrhea

Carrageenan is a seaweed derivative that is used in MANY foods and products… here are just a few things you’ll find it in:

• Dairy products: chocolate milk, eggnog, condensed milk, evaporated (canned) milk, milk powder, cheeses (such as cottage cheese, cream cheese), yogurts, spreads, whipping cream substitutes, puddings, whey
• Dried nuts and seeds, nut spreads
• Fat spreads and fat-based desserts
• Custard (frozen)
• Sherbets, sorbets, ice creams
• Dessert gels, fruit jellies
• Processed fruits, jams, pie filling
• Dried mushrooms, seaweeds
• Soybean products, such as soy milk
• Nut milks, such as almond milk
• Canned vegetables, legumes, fruits, meats and fish
• Pimento olive stuffing
• Processed meats, edible sausage casings
• Confectionery: chocolate
• Ready-to-eat cereals
• Pre-cooked pasta, soups
• Rice pudding, rice cake, tapioca pudding
• Pizza
• Savouries
• Batters
• Processed egg products
• Vinegar, mustards, sauces (like barbecue), salad dressings, relishes and other condiments
• Dietetic foods for weight loss
• Infant formulas
• Dietary supplements
• Non-alcoholic drinks: energy and sport drinks, syrups
• Alcoholic drinks: apple cider, perry (from fermented pears), mead, beer, distilled beverages, aromatized alcoholic drinks
• Pills and syrups (like cough syrup)
• Toothpastes
• Laxatives
• Air freshener gels
• Cosmetic products
• Dog foods and other pet foods
• Lubricants
• Paints (water-based)
• Pesticides
• Shoe polish

Carrageenan is also used to de-ice airplanes and in the Alien movies as saliva.

Here are a couple articles to read as well and the internet has lots more…

• Stomach Aches caused by Carrageenan by Not Milk.com
• Dr. Weil Talks About Carrageenan

What Going Vegan Has Taught Me - People Are Completely Unaware.

This blog post is for all the meat eating, dairy tossing, unhealthy 
lifestyle folks. You need to make a change.

I don't eat that much meat.
I don't eat that much dairy.
I don't eat that many eggs.
I don't eat that much sugar.
I don't eat that many processed foods.
I don't drink that much coffee.
I don't drink that much alcohol.
I don't consume that much high fructose corn syrup.
I don't smoke that many cigarettes.
I don't eat that much fast food.
I don't eat that many cookies.
I don't drink that much soda.
I don't eat out that much.
I don't have that much money to spend on healthy food.


I'd love for you to spend one week paying attention to what you consume... perhaps keep a food journal. Food journals can open your eyes to your reality. They can help you pinpoint what areas need attention. 


I'm not saying change what you consume.. just become aware. Be honest. Write it all down.


I can't tell you how many times I've heard people utter one (or many) of the statements above. Often times, they utter those statements right after or as they are consuming those very items. Open your eyes. Open your brain..... learn.


Think about your daily life.... how many meals do you have some sort of meat? some dairy? what products have eggs in them? do you read labels and know how many grams of sugar is in the food you eat? do you know the maximum number of grams of sugar you should have in a day? how many of the things you eat on a daily basis have more than a few ingredients? do you know what those ingredients actually are? can you tell me which foods in your house have high fructose corn syrup in them? how many grams of protein should you consume each day? which fruits and veggies should you buy organic? how many beers or glasses of wine do you have in a week? how many cigarettes do you smoke each day? when you have cookies, do you have a serving of 2 or do you eat 5? how many cans of soda do you have in a day, a week a month? how much do bananas cost per pound? how many Triscuits are in a serving? how much does a pound of brown rice cost? how about a pound of beans?


Start reading labels. Start paying attention to ingredients and portion sizes. Start measuring and counting things. Start looking at the prices on the food you buy .. or the food you avoid buying. 


Make a list of the foods you throw out each week.


Next time you go shopping... divide the junk from the healthy stuff in your cart and then add up the cost of the junk you place in your cart. Compare the price of the whole wheat bread to the processed white bread. Go and look at the prices of the foods you tell me you can't afford to buy. 


Look at how much money you'd save if you stopped buying alcohol, cigarettes, chips, cookies, meat, dairy, fancy coffee drinks, fast food and processed foods.


Did you know ... a salad dressing serving is one to two tablespoons?  one serving of Girl Scouts cookies is usually 2 cookies? a serving of cheese is 1 oz? a serving of meat is 3 oz? a 20 ounce bottle of soda is 2.5 servings? a standard container of oatmeal has 30 servings in it? a serving of most boxed cereal is 3/4 of a cup? a serving of ice cream is 1/2 cup.


It's time.

Got Excuses?

I could never give up cheese.


I can't bake without butter and eggs.


I can't afford healthy foods.


I don't have time to cook.



If you want to stop eating cheese, you can and you will. You choose to eat it. You control what you put into your mouth.

If you want to learn to bake without cow milk, cow butter and chicken eggs, there are thousands of recipes out there waiting for you and suitable ingredient alternatives. People have already done the work for you and created recipes.. you just have to click 'print' or open the cookbook.

If you stopped buying cigarettes, alcohol, designer purses, and shitty, processed, fast, unhealthy and junky food .. you'd have plenty of money for vegetables, fruits, grains and nuts.  If you started eating right you'd probably get off the medications you're spending money on every month too.

You choose not to make the time to cook. There are very few people that don't have the time to cook. I know people that have full-time jobs, have kids, go to college, have second jobs, volunteer, and have hobbies and they all manage to work in cooking if they choose to. It's a priority and a choice that you aren't making. Taking a few hours to prep food for the week is a choice you need to make.

If you want to do something.. you will.  If you don't want to do something then own that... say 'I don't want to do it' instead of making an excuse why you can't. But.. if you decide to make those choices then you need to accept that you may never have what you want.

Myths Debunked!

Sigh. 

I very often have the same conversation with different people.

Myths abound with a plant based lifestyle. It's like alien abduction.

Cows will take over the world! 

Yes.. with machine guns.

I'd suggest that you read this blog posting that answers many of the common questions I get.

Here are some insane comments I'd like to address:

Livestock will take over the world!

um, no.. they won't. The only way we'd have excess livestock is if everyone went vegan overnight and that will never happen. If people shifted to a plant based diet, it would take years.. people would eat less and then less and less livestock would be bred for slaughter so the numbers would go down gradually until there were a normal number. We are not over run by lions or bears or rats or even cockroaches. There is a natural order that is naturally kept in balance.

Everyone will starve!

Quite the opposite. We'd be able to feed more people if people ate a plant based diet. Almost all of the corn grown today is fed to cows. Cows aren't even meant to eat corn. They are meant to eat grass. The reason cows get sick and need antibiotics is because humans force them to eat corn. If we stopped breeding cows for slaughter and started using the land for other crops, we'd be able to feed every hungry person on earth. On average, it takes 16 pounds of grains/corn to make 1 pound of edible flesh. Think about how many people you could feed with 16 pounds of grains!

Humans are supposed to eat meat!

There is no health reason to eat meat. We need plant foods to live, not animals. Humans choose to eat animals and consume animal products, just like they choose to eat junk food and candy and just like they choose not to eat fellow humans or their dog. There are lots of alternatives to eating the muscles and drinking the secretions of other species. It's a choice.

 

It's difficult to get enough protein and calcium on a plant based diet!

No, it isn't. I've talked about these things on other blog posts so I won't go into too much detail here. All foods have protein (except sugars and oils) so it's actually kind of hard to not get the protein you need if you are eating sufficient calories of whole foods each day. The average person needs 45 to 55 grams of protein a day. The average meat eater gets 3 times that. Excess protein is really bad for your body.

Lots of foods have calcium as well, like beans, nuts and greens. In fact, it's been shown that animal proteins actually remove the calcium from your bones and cause osteoporosis.

You need meat to get B12!

B12 is a bacteria. It used to be that you'd get B12 via soil on your veggies, but our society is so germaphobic that we wash everything so much that it's hard to get it naturally now. Animal based foods contain B12 only due to bacterial contamination. You can get the B12 you need via fortified foods or a multivitamin.


It's too expensive to eat healthy and plant based foods!

No, it isn't. I've covered this - click here.

Tips for Going Plant Based - EAT!

I love food, truly.

Just look at the photo! It's slices of Tofurky roast, stuffing and gravy with potatoes and carrots. YUM.

I find it both frustrating and sad that people think I suffer and eat less than amazing food because I'm vegan. Meat eaters think I spend  my life eating food that is gross, boring, unsatisfying or fake faux replacements for their 'real' counterparts (which makes no sense whatsoever) and that couldn't be further from the truth. The food I eat is delicious and nourishing. I eat all the foods I love and I don't eat anything that causes me any sort of guilt (either because it's cruel or it's fattening) or makes me feel yucky physically  - just those sugary desserts I try to only have once in awhile! Sugar is so evil.. but.. man, I like it.

I often get asked 'what do you eat?' or 'how many times a day do you eat?' I've noticed that meat eaters think that you should only eat three times a day and that whatever you eat should keep you full until you eat again. I don't live like that. I eat every 3 hours and I love that. I eat small meals and snacks. My body is never over full. Eating 6 times a day means I get a variety of foods and I am always satisfied.

When you follow a whole food, plant based diet you are eating foods that are healthy and nurturing for your body so you can eat as much as you want. As long as you eat a variety of foods and eat enough each day you won't need to wonder about how much protein you'll get - you'll meet those needs easily! You'll also get the fiber you need along with the vitamins and minerals! Whole plant based foods are naturally low in fat too!

Skip the processed crap and you can eat all day long and enjoy it!

I try and eat a variety of fruits and veggies. Of course, it depends on what is in season, what is on sale and what I'm in the mood for. In the summer I eat more snap peas and green beans because I can find those at farmer's markets but not always at the grocery store. The month that rainier cherries are available, I eat them like an insane person. I love them. We do a garden so in the summer I'm eating more tomatoes, zucchini and strawberries during that time. It's good to have favorites but you should also buy unfamiliar things to eat too. I like to rotate my greens. Some weeks I'll be into romaine lettuce and some weeks I want mixed greens.

Listen to your body. If you're at the grocery store and the spinach is calling your name.. answer the call!

Like most people, I have many non-produce things that I eat on a regular basis. Brown rice, whole wheat pasta, lentils, beans, oats, whole grain cereals, tortillas, soups, re fried beans, pizza, pancakes and nut cheeses are all in rotation!

On the weekends, I don't always follow my main eating schedule since my husband is home.. sometimes I'll wake him up to have pancakes and then we'll both go back to bed or we might go out for dinner with friends. We tend to graze a lot on weekends so I try and have things available that are easy to grab and heat up - like black bean burgers, dips, spreads, and salad fixings. I try and do at least one structured meal each weekend day if I can. We like to watch movies or catch up on TV shows and my husband has computer games he plays while I nap. We tend to veg out at home on the weekends.

Here are some examples of my daily meals:

1st breakfast (4am to 7am)
I always have a big glass of ice water with barley grass powder and spirulina mixed in. Then, I usually have fresh fruit since fruit is best on an empty stomach. I'll have a red grapefruit, a kiwi and a handful of berries. Other times I may not be that hungry so I'll have my water and some miso soup to kick start my digestion and then have fruit an hour later. Once in awhile I wake up wanting something specific and if that happens I will have whatever it is my body wants as long as it's healthy.... if it's fried rice or a salad or soup or a big plate of roasted veggies. I don't care that it's 5am.. I take my cravings seriously and I feed them.

2nd breakfast: (7am to 10am)
I almost always have old fashioned oats here as I try and get a serving of oats in everyday. I'll mix in a diced banana (depending on my hunger level, it will be a whole or half banana .. if I use half, I'll freeze the other half for a smoothie), walnuts and cinnamon. The banana is sweet enough that I never add any sugar or anything.

1st lunch: (11:30- ish)
My husband usually comes home for lunch around 11:30 so I try and eat at the same time. Lunch can be anything from fried rice, rice & beans, tacos, soup, salad, veggie burgers, panini, veggies.. honestly, I just never know. I try to make it easier and quick recipes that I can have ready at that specific time.

2nd lunch: (1pm to 2pm)
This is based on hunger. If I'm really hungry I'll have a tortilla with some re fried beans in it, soup, salad or a protein shake (homemade almond milk, protein powder, frozen fruit, cacao, maca

Afternoon snack: (3pm to 4pm)
I usually need something around this time just to get me thru until we eat dinner. Most often it's just a handful of veggies or nuts, maybe fruit or something else that is quick. I might make some guacamole or have half an english muffin with nut butter on it. I might have a Tofurky deli slice sandwich.

Dinner: (5:30)
Most nights I try and have dinner ready at 5:30 when my husband gets home from work. I may use a recipe that takes a little more effort here since there isn't a huge time issue. Dinner is most often the biggest meal of the day for us. I'll usually have a side salad, a cooked veggie, a grain (brown rice, whole wheat pasta, quinoa) and a protein (beans, lentils, seitan, soy)

Evening Snack: (7pm to 9pm)
I don't always have this snack. If I feel hungry then I might have popcorn with nutritional yeast on it, a spoonful of nut butter, a serving of fruit, veggies with hummus, chips and salsa or a side salad. I just go with what my body needs.