CAVA Inspired Creamy Garlic Sauce & Salad Dressing Recipe (5 Ingredients, 10 Minutes) by Donna John

Salads have always been a favorite of mine, even as a small child. When people complain about having to eat salads, I always (inwardly) roll my eyes. Have to eat a salad? I go out of my way to find and make delicious salads!

One of my favorite places to get a salad is CAVA. On my last trip, I tried their creamy garlic dressing on my greens and lentil-based salad bowl. Wow! The garlic-forward dressing or sauce was not lacking in the flavorful department. I could not stop eating it. That very night I researched and recreated the garlic sauce in my own kitchen – successfully!

This creamy, garlicy sauce, dip or salad dressing is inspired by toum, a Lebanese garlic sauce that is often served with chicken. Though creamy, the sauce is actually vegan because you use aquafaba. Aquafaba is the liquid chickpeas are in when you open the can, or the liquid created when they are cooked. Vegans often use aquafaba as an egg substitute.

If you're a garlic lover, I highly recommend you try this sauce recipe. All you need is fresh garlic (check out the health benefits of garlic), lemons for juicing, aquafaba (I could a can of chickpeas), salt and canola or vegetable oil. The ingredients are whirled in a blender until smooth and creamy.

Pro Tip: If you don't cook your own chickpeas, simply buy a can of chickpeas and there's your aquafaba. Pour the leftover into an airtight container and refrigerate for later use. Next time I will add a little black pepper to the blender before blending. Black pepper has health benefits, too!

My was spooned generously on my sheet-pan chicken wraps (recipe coming soon). The remaining sauce will be drizzled over lettuce salads and grain salads. This sauce would be right at home on a grilled chicken breast, as a sandwich spread, in a pita or wrap, or used as a dip for fresh vegetables or fried appetizers (falafel!). How will you use it?

Cuisine: American / Lebanese
Prep Time: 10 minutes (if you peel the garlic)
Cook Time: 0 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes 
Servings: 12

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup fresh garlic cloves, peeled
• 3 - 4 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/4 cup aquafaba (juice from chickpeas)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup canola oil or vegetable oil

Here's how to make it: 

1. Put the garlic, lemon juice, aquafaba and salt into a blender. (To save time, you can buy pre-peeled garlic cloves in most grocery stores. I used about 3 tablespoons of lemon juice in my sauce. If you like things more lemony, add the full 1/4 cup. If you don't have a regular blender, you can use an immersion blender. )
   
2. Blend until aquafaba becomes foamy, about 30 seconds.
   
3. Add the canola oil. Blend about 10 to 20 seconds more. Taste and adjust seasonings. (You could also use avocado or grapeseed oil instead of canola or vegetable oil. Just use a neutral oil, not olive oil, which has a strong flavor and could take over the flavor of the sauce. If the sauce is too thick, add a little more aquafaba.)
   
4. Pour into a salad dressing cruet, airtight container or mason jar. Use immediately or store in the fridge until ready to use.
   
5. Store the garlic dressing in an airtight container, salad dressing cruet or mason jar in the fridge.
   

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