Hampton Creek Salad Dressings

I have been a fan of Hampton Creek's Just Mayo since I was able to try a sample of their mayonnaise-like products last fall. A big fan. So much of a fan that I asked Hampton Creek if they would send me some of their new products to try, and they did!

I love, love, love these products! I love everything about Hampton Creek. All of the new dressings you see here are top-8 allergen-free and gluten-free. Like the original Just Mayo, these new products are based on pea protein. The ingredients lists are longer than the "mayo" products, so be sure to check the entire list before trying them.

Also, please note that these new products should be kept refrigerated (in contrast to the Just Mayo which should be refrigerated after opening). I usually find Just Mayo in the condiments aisle, I expect I will find these (when available in my local store) in the refrigerated section.

Now, for the real test, will my husband be able to tell that these are not traditional salad dressings? I served him a side salad topped with Just Thousand and he loved it.

Next up, we tried Just Ranch. I made a "whatever we had leftover in the fridge" dinner salad and topped it with this creamy ranch dressing:

It was just delicious!

These dressings are dead ringers for the traditional versions -- in most cases better, because they have less sugar than your standard off-the-shelf dressing.


A special note: Hampton Creek has also recently introduced cookies and cookie dough. Please be aware that these products contain wheat and gluten.

Disclaimer: Hampton Creek sent me complementary products to review.

The New Milks -- Cookbook Review

So many cookbooks, so little time.

I love cookbooks, and I love that the cookbooks coming out lately are so unique and compelling. Here is a selection of cookbooks that I have been sent review copies of, sitting on my shelf, waiting for me to have the time to do a proper review. I will get to them all.

But today I am writing about The New Milks; 100-Plus recipes for Making and Cooking with Soy, Nut, Seed, Grain, and Coconut Milks.

To be sure, this book has recipes that use nuts and soy. Coconut, as we all know, is not really a nut. And yes, author Dina Cheney actually makes her own coconut milk from whole coconuts (in contract to my cheating version). The author does seem to have a preference for soy, almond, and cashew milks, but there is absolutely no reason why you can't substitute your own favorite non-dairy milk in most of the recipes. I know that I will be choosing hemp milk and coconut milk in most cases.

Many of the recipes are gluten-free (and some can be easily adapted). Some recipes use eggs (including some egg dishes).

All disclaimers aside, there are some delightful recipes in this books that I will be trying. Shepherd's Pie with Beef, Mushrooms, and Butternut Squash sounds yummy and reminds me of a dish I had recently in Dublin. Dina's version uses almond milk, I will substitute hemp.

The book covers recipes for breakfast, entrees, sweets, dressings, and smoothies. One of my favorite parts of the book is the introduction where it covers how to make all types of milks and has a chart of flavor profiles and uses. Even I (having been making my own milks and cooking and baking dairy-free for years) learned a few things. Did you know you could make milk from tigernuts? Right about now I am wishing I still had some samples of tigernuts (not a nut) from Fablogcon!

For me this book is largely inspiration as it does use ingredients that are off-limits, but it is a lovely book and chock-full of great ideas!