Lemon-Tahini Chia Dressing + Food Prep Tips

Whether you are an entrepreneur like me with an unpredictable schedule, a freelancer hustling at home, or someone at an office job, eating healthy meals during the weekday can be challenging. Nothing is worse than also buying a ton of fresh produce in good faith, not use them because of a particularly busy week, and then feel like you’re repeating the same cycle over and over again, right? In a weird twist of fate, it oddly helps having my autoimmune disease remind me if I’m not nourishing my body properly with home-cooked meals full of enough veggies and protein.

My relationship to cooking has evolved over the years for sure, but I feel like I’ve been in a pretty solid rhythm the past year or so with my grocery shopping and food prep. I usually don’t love calling it food prep, since I don’t do the pre-portioned meals in tupperware— it works for some people, but for me, I tire of it easily. So instead, I treat my groceries kind of like prepping a salad bar. I wash and cook a bunch of different veggies with minimal flavoring or seasonings, have bases of greens washed and healthy grains cooked, and make sauces + dressings to flavor things up; this way, I can create different combinations of ingredients night to night and season it however I’m in the mood for that day, so that things don’t get so boring.

*My food prep video is on my (NEW!) YouTube channel and right below here, but now let’s get to that recipe for what will soon be your most favoritest grammarly-correct Lemon Tahini Chia Dressing!*

First thing you should know about this dressing is that it doubles as a dip / sauce! The recipe I laid out below for you guys makes it the perfect dip / topping consistency, which makes it perfect for a cracker dip, topping for a grain bowl, to spread in a sandwich, and to slather over things like tofu or chicken. OR, you can thin it out with a splash of water to make it the perfect salad dressing consistency to lovingly toss your greens in.

It is the perfect balance of tangy from the ACV and fresh lemon juice, with that amazingly creamy nuttiness of tahini. It’s also so nutritionally dense, with the good fats from tahini, olive oil, and omegas from the chia seeds that I got inspired to put in as a binder but also reminiscent of a lemon-poppyseed dressing. The maple syrup is entirely optional if you want to skip sugars, but I love it as a taste-balancer.

Let’s get to that recipe!

Lemon Tahini Chia Dressing

*makes 8 oz of dressing
GF, Vegan, Nut-free

Ingredients

1/3 cup Tahini
1/4 cup Lemon Juice
1/4 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
1 tbsp Olive Oil
1 tbsp Maple Syrup (optional)
3 tsp Black Chia seeds
Pinch of Himalayan Pink Salt
Filtered water as needed to dilute

Recipe

1. Add lemon juice, maple syrup, and apple cider vinegar to a small mixing bowl, and use a fork or whisk to combine thoroughly until smooth. Add tahini and mix well. Slowly drizzle in olive oil, while simultaneously continuing to rapidly whisk dressing.

2. Add chia seeds and Himalayan Pink Salt to dressing, and stir to combine.

3. Scoop dressing into an airtight container (a mason jar is ideal), seal, and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks. If already diluted with water, shake before use.