Creamy Balsamic Almond Dressing

I have a favorite creamy dressing that I make all the time, tahini with lemon.  Last night I was going to whip up a batch to serve on my salad, but I discovered I had no lemons!  No tahini either...hmmm, well I have a creamy peanut butter dressing I make as well, but it is more Asian flavored which I wasn't in the mood for.  So, I decided to come up with a new one using almond butter!  I wanted it to have the same sort of pop that the lemon gave the other dressing, so I decided that balsamic vinegar would do the trick.  I added some garlic and thyme for flavor, whazzed it all up in the blender and tasted it on a bit of lettuce.  It was wonderful!  It reminded me of fall, because it tasted like something that would go well on roasted fall veggies or squash.  Silky smooth, nutty from the almonds, a little tangy from the balsamic and savory from the addition of garlic and thyme...it paired really well with a salad of greens and mushrooms with almonds I made for dinner.  You should try it out as well, and like I said it would go well on any autumn veggie...or maybe warmed slightly and served as a silky sauce over tofu...

Balsamic Almond Dressing

Makes about 1 1/2 cups

2/3 cup almond butter
2/3 cup water
3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 garlic cloves
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp sea salt
freshly ground pepper

Place all ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth.  Serve over salad, tofu, or whatever your heart desires!  Store extra in the fridge in a tightly lidded container for up to 2 weeks.