lime cilantro dressing

so this is a rather popular dressing i make.  i even got a letter from some of the counselors last summer telling me that it was "sent from the gods."  i started playing around with making my own salad dressings last year not only to make salads more exciting for the kids, but just to add a bit a variety in the everyday life of camp.  i use a submersion blender to make this, but you can make it in the blender.

what you need:
4 limes (1 lime produces about 2 tablespoons, so if using lime juice, then 1/2 cup, but i urge you to use fresh lime juice)
4 tsp sunflower seeds (i believe the ones i use are salted and roasted, but you can use the plain kind, just add a dash more salt)

1 tbsp chopped garlic (if you buy chopped garlic in oil or water that comes in a jar, add 1 tbsp of its juice, if not, add about 1/2 tbsp more of garlic)

salt and pepper

1/4 cup + 2 tbsp white vinegar

2 1/4 cups oil (olive or olive/canola blend, at camp i use a 75% canola, 25% olive oil blend)
2-4 bushels of cilantro (depending on how much you love cilantro, i go heavy on it and would use 1/4 lb on this size batch)

in the blender, puree lime juice, sunflower seeds, garlic, a dash of salt and pepper, and vinegar until the smooth.  add the oil and cilantro and blend until cilantro is broken down.  i put the whole thing in, stem and leaf, the stems break up really well, but the leaf will still be in little chunks.  this should produce about 4 cups of dressing, and lasts a long time.

lime cilantro dressing drizzled on spinach leaves

not just for salads, it goes well with chicken or turkey dishes, pasta dishes, and potato dishes.

tofu and zucchini stir-fry with dressing  as marinade