This Pickled Jalapeno Cilantro Sauce is everything you could ever want in a flavorful Southwestern dressing. Ultra creamy, refreshing, and zesty with a hint of jalapeno heat makes this healthy dressing utterly delicious! A finger lickin’ good sauce for this week’s Whip It Up Wednesday recipe. Whole Food Plant Based recipe, no oil, no sugar, no highly processed ingredients and gluten free.
Ameera here!
This week’s Whip It Up Wednesday is our Pickled Jalapeno Cilantro Sauce. We fell in love with the first bite! It is so gosh darn good. If you have never tried pickled jalapeno peppers, then you simply MUST! Those pickled jalapenos really take this dressing over the top!
(Bowl above: Cornmeal Crusted Baked Potatoes with roasted corn, black beans, and peppers over greens with tomatoes, sprouts, and jalapeños)
Taste Testers
We test drove this recipe with Chris, Katie, and their 2-year old daughter, Charlotte. Chris added some Pickled Jalapeno Cilantro Dressing over top of some steamed rice for Charlotte. To say she loved it was an understatement lol. She wanted just some of the dressing all by itself, which Chris then put a small amount on the side of her plate. She dug her spoon into the dressing and ate it all by itself as we chuckled while watching a 2-year old devour the dressing and kept wanting more!
Chris and Katie also loved this dressing. They both put it on their Sweet Potato Black Bean Taquitos and Cornmeal Crusted Baked Potato bowls that we made for them. Stay tuned for those yummy recipes coming to the blog soon. They are so freakin’ delicious! We were doing a happy dance. Chris said he wanted to eat them all, but was sad because he was too full! lol
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Whip it up Wednesday
As you already know, every Wednesday, we feature a quick and easy recipe that can be “whipped up” in 20 minutes or less. This recipe can be made in about 20 minutes which really helps speed things up in the kitchen. If you soak your cashews overnight, then you can make it in about one minute.
Our Pickled Jalapeno Cilantro Sauce can be paired with so many delicious dishes. We have several awesome recipes lined up to pair with it, so stay tuned.
We hope you enjoy our new Whip It Up Wednesday quick and easy ideas!
Products Used:
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Pickled Jalapeno Cilantro Sauce
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 1 cup 1x
- Category: Sauce, Dressing
- Cuisine: Southwestern
Description
This Pickled Jalapeno Cilantro Dressing is everything you could ever want in a flavorful Southwestern dressing. Ultra creamy, refreshing, and zesty with a hint of jalapeno heat makes this healthy dressing utterly delicious! A finger lickin’ good sauce for this week’s Whip It Up Wednesday recipe. Whole Food Plant Based recipe, no oil, no sugar, no highly processed ingredients and gluten free.
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup raw cashews
- ¼ cup + 1/8 cup pickled jalapenos *
- ½ cup cilantro (lightly packed)
- 1 Tablespoon lime juice
- 3 Tablespoons unsweetened plain plant yogurt
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon sea salt (+/- to taste) *
- 1/3 cup water
Instructions
- In a small bowl, cover the raw cashews in boiling water, set aside to soak for 20 minutes.
- In the meantime, measure out all your remaining ingredients and set aside.
- After 20 minutes, drain the cashews and discard the water, then add the cashews and all the remaining dressing ingredients into a high-speed blender, blend and emulsify until smooth, approximately 1 to 2 minutes.
- Taste test the dressing and add more seasoning, if needed.
Notes
*Pickled Jalapeños: We used Mezzetta Deli-Sliced Tamed Jalapeno Peppers.
*Sea Salt: Please adjust the sea salt based upon your family’s sea salt preferences and/or based upon dietary needs.
*Serving: Makes approximately 1 cup of dressing.
*Storage: Refrigerate and use within 5 days.
Storage: Refrigerate and use within 5 days.
This post contains affiliate links, and we may receive a very small commission if you purchase through those links at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting Monkey and Me Kitchen Adventures! For more information, see our disclosures here.
I am food sensitive to cashews. What nut could I use to substitute?
Hi there Sherri 🙂
You could try using walnuts, almonds, or even tofu as a substitute; however, we have not tried it with these substitutes. Happy cooking!
-Ameera and Robin 🙂
What is the purpose of the cashews? What would happen if I just left out the nuts?
Hi there Nicki 🙂
The cashews create a thick and creamy base for the sauce. We aren’t sure what the flavor would be without the cashews. You may need to adjust other spices or replace the cashews with a substitute, possible something like silken tofu.
-Ameera and Robin 🙂
This sauce is AMAZING! even my little kids gobble it up.
Hi there MarjAnn 🙂
Yaaaay!!! We are so thrilled to hear that you and your kids enjoyed this recipe. We appreciate you sharing your awesome feedback and for taking the time to write.
-Ameera and Robin 🙂
what kind of plant based yogurt do you prefer?
Hi there Jane 🙂
Thank you so much for reaching out to us. We use So Delicious Plant Based Coconut Yogurt Unsweetened Plain.
-Ameera and Robin 🙂
This sauce is out of this world. Used it for your Cornmeal Crusted Baked Potato’s. But the possibilities are endless. Thank you for the recipe
Hi there Diane,
YAYYYYY!!! We are so happy that you enjoyed this recipe. Thank you so much for leaving us a fantastic review. We sincerely appreciate it.
-Ameera and Robin