Sara's Guajillo Chile Pepper Dressing

My SIL Sara is gifted at crafting healthy recipes and incorporating ingredients others might shy away from like nutritional yeast or any of the many alternative flours or milks on the market. If I had to pick, I’d say she’s an expert in the salad department, and she has an arsenal of dreamy dressings.

One of my favorites is this spicy number. I’m sure you’ve walked right past the dried peppers in the produce department—usually by the onions and garlic (you can also find them packaged on the international aisle alongside other Mexican spices).

Pick up a handful next time you’re there, and you’ll thank me later. Typically, it’s not too spicy (but don’t forget to try it, as you never know when a real spicy pepper might end up in your batch. This scenario happened to me when I made this dressing as a gift for a new mom. Whoops!)

It’s great on salads, but it’s also fantastic on meat or veggies.

Thanks for always inspiring me with your inventive recipes, Sara!

INGREDIENTS:

½ cup + 3 tablespoons olive oil
3ish cloves garlic
Handful of guajillo chile peppers (maybe 5 or 6 peppers), tops and seeds removed
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
Salt & pepper

INSTRUCTIONS:

In a small pan over medium high heat, drizzle about 3 tablespoons of oil. Add the peppers and the garlic, and watch closely. Remove from heat as soon as they brown, and allow to cool.

In a cup fitted for your immersion blender, pour the peppers, garlic, and oil. Add the additional ½ cup olive oil, balsamic, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Blend until smooth.

You can add more olive oil to thin out the dressing, if the flavor is too strong. I use the first batch and continue to add more olive oil to stretch the dressing over several salads.