dressing

PREP SAUCE SUNDAY: VEGAN TAHINI YOGURT SAUCE /  by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

sunday greetings, and happy august!

we’re coming in hot with my forever go-to sauce, vegan tahini yogurt! it is literally the “mother sauce” in our house. over the years of making this in conjunction with a variety of recipes on my blog, i have gotten the most questions on this one. mostly about how to create a flavor and texture similar to a traditional, dairy-based tahini yogurt, what brands to use, how to store tahini, and what to use tahini yogurt for. sit tight, we’re going to talk all about it.

because there are so few ingredients in this sauce, we want to make sure each one is the very best for the ultimate flavor and texture. here are a few suggestions for making a vegan tahini yogurt sauce that’s a total knock out.

yogurt -

traditional tahini yogurt is made with thick greek (or greek-style) yogurt. plant-based yogurt tends to be inherently thinner in consistency. but we use an almond-based, greek-style yogurt that achieves a traditional thickness and texture to dairy-based greek yogurt. i’ve tried countless plant-based yogurts over the years, and this one (by far) provides the best base for this sauce.

tahini -

the other deal breaker is good tahini. when looking for tahini, we look for one that hasn’t separated (with the oil on top, and the paste on the bottom). a few of my favorites include: soom, seed and mill, al wadi, roland, and whole foods’ 365 tahini. with a little shake and stir, your tahini should be smooth and good to go. i prefer to store my tahini in the pantry, but if you live in a moist climate, then i would suggest storing it in the refrigerator.

up the ratio -

even with a plant-based yogurt that’s thicker than most, we still need to fill it out a bit more. while typically there’s a smaller ratio of tahini to yogurt, we use a 1:4 ratio of tahini to yogurt. this gives the sauce a bit more flavor and sturdier consistency.

mellow that garlic -

we mellow the garlic in the lemon juice first. this softens the garlic a bit, and takes away that punchy, spiciness that can overpower a sauce like this.

what to use tahini yogurt for -

we love this in and on everything, truly. layer it on flatbread (or pita) with fresh sliced tomatoes, olive oil drizzle, salt & pepper. you could add a good plop to a bowl, or thick toast, and shower it with roasted or fresh vegetables. serve it alongside skewered poultry or fish for a cooling drizzle. serve it in a bowl garnished with spices and olive oil as a dip for sliced vegetables and grilled bread. the options are limitless.

big hugs, and i hope you find some inspiration with this recipe! ❤️

tahini yogurt sauce | v

| makes 1 heaping cup |

print the recipe

method

  1. in a mixing bowl, combine the lemon juice and garlic. let it sit for roughly 1 minute. this makes the garlic a little less spicy and punchy.

  2. whisk in the yogurt, 3 tablespoons tahini, and salt. give it a taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary, adding an additional tablespoon of tahini, or more salt and/or lemon juice.

  3. pour the sauce into lidded jar, and store in the fridge for up to 5-6 days.

ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

  • 1 clove garlic, grated over a microplane or very finely minced

  • 1 cup unsweetened greek-style kite hill yogurt (this one)

  • 3-4 tablespoons tahini paste

  • 1 teaspoon fine sea salt

PREP SAUCE SUNDAY: A REALLY GOOD DRESSING - WITH OLIVES, SHALLOTS, GARLIC, AND BALSAMIC VINEGAR /  by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

meet your new favorite dressing (quarantine or not!). it’s a pantry/kitchen counter-friendly dressing that uses a lot of what is just sitting around in your pantry waiting to mixed together to form a super flavorful dressing that pairs with countless meals. there are a bunch of flavor makers here - first, we start with minced shallot and garlic that take a short bath in the red wine vinegar and balsamic. from there, we whisk in some good dijon and coconut aminos (you could also use tamari, or even some olive or caper brine in a pinch); then the olive oil. lastly, we stir in the chopped kalamata olives and capers which takes what would be considered a great dressing on its own, to the next brine-y delicious level.

while this could be used as a salad dressing (although i would recommend using it for a heartier green, like kale), don’t stop there! dress lentils, or even a chickpea salad. slather it over your bread to take your sandwich up a notch. or add it to pasta for an epic hot or cold pasta salad. currently, we’ve been toasting sourdough, spreading a good amount of dressing over the toast, then broiling burrata and/or vegan mozzarella over top for a perfect little tartine snack situation. sky’s the limit, friends!

i hope this little recipe finds you well ❤️

olive, shallot, garlic & balsamic vinaigrette | gf & v

recipe adapted from ina garten

| makes roughly 3/4 cup dressing |

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method

  1. in medium-sized bowl, whisk together the shallots, garlic, vinegars, dijon, and coconut aminos (or tamari). drizzle in the olive oil whisking briskly until emulsified. stir in the olives and capers, and season with salt & pepper.

  2. pour the dressing into a lidded jar and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. take dressing out 30 minutes prior to using.

ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons minced shallot (roughly 1 large shallot)

  • 1 large garlic clove, grated over a microplane (or minced)

  • 1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

  • 1 tablespoon good balsamic vinegar

  • 2 teaspoons dijon mustard

  • 2 teaspoons coconut aminos (or 1 teaspoon gluten-free tamari)

  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

  • 1/4 cup chopped kalamata olives

  • 1 tablespoon drained capers

  • fine salt & fresh ground pepper

WHIPPED TAHINI SAUCE /  by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

i’ve been waiting quite a while to post this recipe. i was most familiar with tahini as an ingredient in hummus. my mom would buy it at the health food store a few times a year when she would whip up hummus. but aside from that, we never used tahini in our house. until i went dairy free years ago. since then, it’s been an all-time favorite ingredient of mine (if you do a quick search on my site, a plethora of recipes will pop up!). it’s that kind of pantry staple that lends depth, flavor, and creaminess in just about any and every dish you could imagine. be it salad dressings, soups, drizzled on your favorite mains and salads, tahini is a rich and satisfying partner to whatever it is you’re preparing regardless of whether you’re whipping it or not.

add that tahini with a few other basic ingredients to a food processor, and you’ve got yourself the smoothest and frothiest sauce to spread, drizzle, and add to all the things. you can serve this dip/sauce immediately after you make it, which will be a bit on the warm side from the motor of your food processor. or, you could store it in your fridge and serve it within 5-7 days. this obviously will result with a colder sauce/dip, and will have seized a bit and have a thicker consistency. this is completely normal and great to serve as a dip. but, if you would like it to be thinner and more on the drizzling side of spectrum, just whisk a bit of water in a little at a time to get your desired consistency - don’t forget to taste it after and season the tahini if need be, the water can dilute it, especially if you add enough.

this is the kind of sauce that elevates any dish really - it turns bland grilled chicken is completely different meal. it magically makes roasted veggies more appealing, or a salad more creamy and exciting. whatever random (or non random) meals or ingredients you have in your fridge, whipped tahini will 100% make them more satisfying - promise!

also! we’ve started a hashtag! if you make any of the sauces from this sunday series, you can hashtag them on instagram with: #prepsaucesunday so we can all share in the fun, and hopefully get even more ideas on how we’re using these sauces throughout the week!

xo!!

whipped tahini sauce

| makes roughly 2 cups |

print the recipe

method

  1. place the tahini, 2 cloves garlic, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, and salt into the container of a food processor fitted with a metal “s” blade. with the engine running, drizzle in the cold water 1/3 cup at a time until you have reached your desired consistency. for me, this usually takes about 1 cup of water to achieve a frothy, light sauce. if you want it on the thicker side, do not add as much water.

  2. taste and adjust seasonings, adding more garlic, lemon juice, and/or salt. store whipped tahini sauce in an airtight jar or container in your refrigerator for up to 7-10 days.

ingredients

  • 1 cup tahini paste

  • 2-3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed

  • 2-3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

  • 3/4 teaspoon salt

  • 2/3 cup - 1 cup cold water