Welcome to the world of flavors, health, and the pleasures of your taste buds. At the heart of this gastronomic adventure is a delicious creation – this Heart Pumping Creamy Black Garlic Dressing.
Black garlic blended into a sweet, creamy dressing is not only scrumptious but offers your heart some love. Let’s discover what makes this whole black garlic dressing so special and how each secret ingredient contributes to both your taste experience and your cardiovascular well-being.
So, if you're ready to embark on a delightful journey where health meets flavor, keep reading. You'll not only have a delectable salad dressing but also a wealth of knowledge on how these ingredients can benefit your heart and enhance your overall health all by pumping up your salad. Let's get started!
What Is This Heart Pumping Black Garlic Dressing Made Of?
This heart-healthy and gluten-free dressing is crafted from a fusion of wholesome ingredients. The star of the show is black garlic, renowned for its rich flavor and cardiovascular benefits. To complement this, the dressing contains creamy raw sesame tahini, offering a luscious texture and a healthy dose of plant-based fats.Â
A zesty twist comes from freshly squeezed lemon juice, adding a burst of flavor while contributing vitamin C, essential for heart health. Kelp powder provides a hint of oceanic umami and loads of minerals while a touch of sea salt rounds out the taste to perfection.
How Do You Make Heart Pumping Black Garlic Dressing?
Crafting this blissful delight is a culinary journey that's both simple and heart-healthy. The process starts with a harmonious blend of some extraordinary ingredients: black garlic, raw sesame tahini, freshly squeezed lemon juice, a sprinkle of kelp powder, and a dash of sea salt.Â
When these ingredients unite in your blender, the result is nothing short of magic: a creamy, savory dressing that delights your taste buds while quietly nourishing your heart.Â
Black garlic, the superstar in this sauce, is packed with antioxidants that promote heart health. Enjoy this delightful dressing on your salads and dishes to infuse both flavor and heart-healthy goodness into your meals.
You can customize this nut-free, low-carb salad dressing recipe by adding some hemp seeds for extra creaminess and added protein or with a touch of olive oil and black pepper for that perfect mouthfeel and spiciness. If you have trouble finding black garlic, you can make your own or substitute some raw garlic, you just may want to use 1 less clove. Regular garlic is a bit stronger in taste than black garlic.
You can store this delicious sauce in a jar with a tight-fitting lid in the fridge for 3-5 days, but I bet it won't last that long after you realize how delicious it is drizzled over your favorite salad, green beans, or veggies.
How Do These Ingredients Help With Hormone Balancing And Cardiac Health?
Black garlic contains antioxidants that help reduce the risk of heart disease by protecting your blood vessels from damage. Tahini, sourced from sesame seeds, is packed with plant-based compounds that can support hormone balance. Lemon juice provides vitamin C, known for its potential in promoting cardiovascular health. Kelp powder contributes essential minerals that are beneficial for hormonal and cardiac well-being. This wholesome Black Garlic Dressing creates a dressing that's as good for your heart as it is for your taste buds.
Black Garlic
High in Antioxidants
Black garlic is rich in antioxidants, with a specific compound called S-allyl cysteine (SAC). These antioxidants can help combat oxidative stress and inflammation, which, when left unchecked, can disrupt hormonal balance. Additionally, black garlic contains allicin, a bioactive compound found in garlic, which is a potent antioxidant that may influence hormone levels.
Blood Pressure Regulation
Black garlic has the potential to improve blood vessel function and reduce inflammation, making it a significant player in cardiovascular health. This superfood's role is particularly noteworthy when it comes to hormones like aldosterone and angiotensin, which can significantly influence blood pressure levels. By regulating these hormones, black garlic contributes to maintaining healthy blood pressure levels and preventing hypertension, a substantial risk factor for heart disease.
Cholesterol Management
Compounds in black garlic, including SAC, have been associated with lowering total cholesterol and LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol, often referred to as “bad” cholesterol. It may also help increase HDL (high-density lipoprotein) cholesterol, considered “good” cholesterol. Furthermore, the anti-inflammatory and antioxidative properties of black garlic are beneficial in preventing atherosclerosis, a condition characterized by the buildup of cholesterol in arteries, which can lead to cardiovascular problems.
Reduction Of Inflammation
Black garlic, with its anti-inflammatory properties, addresses the issue of chronic inflammation, a significant driver of hormonal imbalances that are often linked to cardiovascular diseases. By mitigating the chronic inflammatory response and reducing the influence of pro-inflammatory hormones such as cytokines, black garlic plays a role in balancing hormones, thereby contributing to overall cardiovascular health.
Enhanced Endothelial Function
Black garlic, with its capability to enhance endothelial function, directly influences hormonal regulation critical to cardiovascular health. The endothelium's proper functioning, the inner lining of blood vessels, is pivotal for preventing various cardiovascular issues. Black garlic's role in promoting endothelial health supports the balanced secretion of hormones responsible for vascular well-being.
Stress Reduction
Black garlic, with its capacity to reduce oxidative stress and inflammation, has the potential to mitigate the effects of chronic stress on hormonal balance, which is crucial for cardiovascular health. By alleviating stress levels, black garlic indirectly regulates the release of hormones such as cortisol, promoting overall hormonal equilibrium.
Raw Tahini
Rich In Phytoestrogens
Tahini, ground sesame seeds, are rich in phytoestrogens, including lignans and phytosterols. These plant-based compounds share a similar chemical structure with estrogen and can interact with estrogen receptors in the body.
Incorporating sesame seeds into foods in your diet may support the balance of hormonal activity, which holds particular significance for women entering menopause, a period marked by declining estrogen levels that can influence heart health. These phytoestrogens, present in tahini, offer a natural approach to help mitigate the potential cardiovascular risks associated with menopause.
Cardiovascular Benefits
Tahini, with its abundance of phytoestrogens, plays a role in preserving hormonal equilibrium, a factor that can significantly influence heart health, especially in women. The phytoestrogens found in tahini promote the maintenance of optimal blood vessel function and lipid profiles.
Heart-Healthy Fats
Tahini is also a good source of heart-healthy fats, primarily monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. These fats can help improve lipid profiles by reducing levels of harmful LDL cholesterol and increasing beneficial HDL cholesterol, which is crucial for heart health. A balanced hormonal environment, supported by the phytoestrogens in tahini, can contribute to these heart-healthy effects.
Antioxidant Properties
Sesame seeds are rich in antioxidants, including vitamin E. Antioxidants help combat oxidative stress and inflammation, which are linked to cardiovascular diseases. By reducing oxidative damage in blood vessels, tahini can promote heart health.
Magnesium Content
Sesame seeds are a good source of magnesium, a mineral that plays a vital role in heart health. Magnesium helps maintain proper heart rhythm, relax blood vessels, and lower blood pressure, all of which contribute to cardiovascular well-being.
Lemon Juice
Lemon juice, beyond its tangy flavor, offers hormone-balancing effects that positively impact heart health. While not traditionally viewed as a hormonal regulator, the key components within lemon juice, such as citric acid, potassium, vitamin C, and flavonoids like eriocitrin and hesperidin, have the potential to influence the intricate hormonal processes that govern cardiovascular function.
The vasodilatory properties of lemon juice, likely attributed to citric acid, can relax blood vessels, aiding in the maintenance of balanced hormonal responses that impact heart health. This natural citrus elixir, rich in heart-healthy nutrients, underscores the importance of dietary choices in fostering overall hormonal equilibrium and cardiovascular well-being.
Kelp
Kelp is rich in essential nutrients like iodine, which plays a key role in thyroid hormone production and regulation. An efficiently functioning thyroid is crucial for maintaining a balanced cardiovascular system, as it helps to regulate heart rate and blood pressure. By ensuring optimal thyroid function through its iodine content, kelp supports heart health.
Additionally, kelp contains other bioactive compounds, such as alginates, fucoidan, and fucosterols, which have been associated with reduced cholesterol levels, improved blood pressure, and anti-inflammatory effects. These factors collectively contribute to kelp's potential to promote hormonal equilibrium and, subsequently, cardiovascular well-being.
Experience a delightful fusion of flavors and a powerful boost to your heart health by crafting this extraordinary Heart Pumping Creamy Black Garlic Dressing. This superfood elixir combines the rich, savory notes of black garlic with a symphony of wholesome ingredients to create a dressing that not only tantalizes your taste buds but also supports your cardiovascular well-being.
With its unique blend of raw sesame tahini and black garlic, it's a recipe that will elevate your salad, and steamed and raw vegetables to a whole new level of deliciousness. Don't wait any longer; seize this opportunity to enhance your culinary adventures and nourish your heart. Whip up this dressing now and let your taste buds and your health thank you!
Black Garlic Dressing
Equipment
- 1 blender
Ingredients
- 2-3 cloves black garlic peeled
- 1/2 cup raw sesame tahini a.k.a. sesame butter
- 1 lemon juiced
- 1 cup water
- 1/4 teaspoon kelp powder
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt or to taste
Instructions
- Put all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth and creamy.
- Add extra water, if needed.
- This dressing can be kept for 3 – 5 days in a sealed container.
Nutrition
 Top your favorite rainbow salad or steamed vegetables with this delicious sauce. You could even drizzle some on Garlicky Greens for even more garlicky flavor or this Rainbow Crunch Bowl . For even more dressing options, check out Easy Oil-Free Salad Dressing for Energy and Delight.
Where Can You Find This And Other Nutritious And Delicious Recipes Like It?
This delightful recipe is adapted from Dr. Ritamarie’s Plant-Powered Keto for the Holidays, A Treasure Trove Of Low Glycemic, Plant-based, Keto-friendly Holiday Recipes designed to be enjoyed year after year.Â
For more healthful and delectable recipes perfect for the holiday season, be sure to explore “Healthy Holiday Traditions,” available at our Body Freedom Nutrition Lab. These recipes not only tantalize your taste buds but also prioritize your health and well-being. So, with this fantastic dressing recipe in hand, get ready to savor the foods of the holiday season while taking care of your heart and overall health.
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