I created this salad dressing because I needed a plant based caesar dressing that was healthier than the ones sold where I shop and tastier than the recipes I found online. Though I'm not the first person to come up with the idea of using water based artichoke heart brine to make plant based caesar dressing, I think my recipe is special because the capers and nori really magnify the flavor. Green olive brine works as a substitute for artichoke brine. In fact, I think I prefer the flavor of green olive brine, but the green olive brine I tried made the dressing very salty.

• ⅔ cup raw unsalted cashews (whole or pieces)
• ¾ cup artichoke brine from a can (water-based, no oil)
• 4 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 to 3 garlic cloves (think 2 to 3 teaspoons worth)
• 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
• ⅛ to ¼ tsp black pepper
• ¼ tsp ground turmeric (for color)
• ¼ tsp salt (optional because there's already salt from the artichoke brine and capers)
• 1 Tbsp capers
• 2 tsp nori flakes

Pre-Soak Cashews

• Place raw cashews in a small bowl, cover with boiling water and let soak for at least 20 minutes if using whole cashes or at least 15 minutes if using pieces. Cashews can also be soaked in cold water for at least 2 hours or overnight. Read more about soaking cashews in the main recipe text.
• Strain soaked cashews discarding the water used for soaking.

Blitzing Phase 1

• Place strained cashews, artichoke brine, lemon juice, garlic cloves, Dijon mustard, black pepper, ground turmeric and salt (if using) in the bowl of a high speed blender. (You can hold off on adding the salt until after you taste the finished dressing and decide if you need it.)
• Process until smooth and creamy.

Blitzing Phase 2

• Add the capers and nori flakes to the creamy mixture in the blender.
• Pulse 3 or 4 quick times until the capers become small specs. Be careful not to over pulse.

Serve or Store

• Serve immediately or store in a sealed refrigerated container for up to 5 days.
• To keep things healthy I top my plant based caesar salads with a crunchy homemade seed and nut topping instead of store-bought vegan 'parmesan.'
• Note that this dressing gets thicker (in a good way) after it's been refrigerated for several hours.

Full post: https://maximalistvegan.com/savory/vegan-caesar-dressing/