Thousand Island Salad Dressing

Creamy, tangy and full of savory flavor, this Thousand Island Salad Dressing starts with homemade Sunny-Not mayo rather than an egg-based mayonnaise. Green olives, pickle relish, pimiento, onion and capers bring a lively combination of flavors, while a little tomato paste adds color and depth.

From page 39 of the Black Hills Health Retreat Wellness Cookbook, the recipe is a straightforward blender preparation once the mayo base is ready. Unlike chunky versions of Thousand Island dressing, the original direction here is to blend everything until smooth. Follow that method for the cookbook version, or clearly label a chunkier preparation as your own variation.

Jump to Recipe ⬇

🌿 The Healing Ingredients

• Sunny-Not Mayo (1 cup): The creamy, sunflower-seed foundation. Prepare the mayo first, then measure one cup for this dressing; do not add an entire batch. The cookbook's printed page reference does not match the mayo's position in this PDF, so use the direct recipe link instead. → Make Mayo (Sunny-Not): Sunflower Seed Mayo
• Green Olives (¼ cup, diced): Add a savory, briny note. Use pitted olives and check for stray pits before chopping or blending. The original measure is a quarter cup of diced olives, not a whole can. → Shop Olives, Green, Pitted
• Pickle Relish (¼ cup): Contributes tang and texture before blending. The cookbook does not specify sweet or dill relish, so choose deliberately and record your preference. Sweet relish and dill relish will produce different flavor balances at the same volume.
• Pimiento (1 small jar, chopped): Brings color and a sweet-pepper note. The source does not state jar size or drained weight. Keep the original measure visible rather than presenting an invented exact quantity. If removing excess packing liquid before chopping, note that as your preparation choice.
• White or Yellow Onion (2 Tbsp., chopped): Gives a fresh savory edge. Measure after chopping, and use one of the two varieties named in the cookbook. Raw onion can be assertive, especially in a freshly blended sauce.
• Capers (1–2 tsp., chopped): Add another layer of briny flavor. The range is part of the original recipe. Start with one teaspoon if you prefer a gentler result, then taste before using the upper end.
• Tomato Paste (1 tsp.): A small but concentrated addition. Use paste rather than substituting an equal amount of a thinner tomato sauce if following the original formula.
• Salt (¼ tsp.): The stated cookbook quantity. Olives, relish, capers and the mayo may contribute additional salt. If adapting the amount to your needs, make that change deliberately rather than describing the original dressing as low in sodium.

📖 The Smooth Blender Method

Begin with prepared Sunny-Not mayo. Dice the olives and chop the pimiento, onion and capers as listed, then place all the measured ingredients in your blender. Follow the appliance manufacturer's loading instructions and maximum fill limit.

Blend until smooth, stopping the machine before scraping the sides or checking the texture. The source provides no blending duration. The dressing's consistency will depend partly on the mayo base and the moisture in the relish and pimiento, so assess the actual result rather than expecting a fixed commercial texture.

Taste a little with a salad leaf or vegetable. A concentrated spoonful can seem more strongly seasoned than the dressing spread across a bowl of food. Any changes beyond the listed caper range are personal adaptations rather than the cookbook's original formula.

📋 The Recipe

Finished yield and pimiento jar size are not specified in the cookbook.

Ingredients

• 1 cup Sunny-Not mayo
• ¼ cup green olives, diced
• ¼ cup pickle relish
• 1 small jar pimiento, chopped
• 2 tablespoons white or yellow onion, chopped
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1–2 teaspoons capers, chopped
• 1 teaspoon tomato paste

Directions

1. Blend all ingredients until smooth.

Source note: Ingredient quantities, the caper range and the blending instruction are preserved from page 39 of the Wellness Cookbook. The type of relish and size of the pimiento jar are not supplied.

💡 Tips & Serving Ideas

Spoon a little over romaine, cucumber and tomato, or serve alongside a plant-based burger and baked potato wedges. The combination of olives, relish and capers brings plenty of character, so keep the rest of the plate simply seasoned at first.

If your batch is thick enough, use a small amount inside a vegetable sandwich or wrap. A more pourable batch can be tossed through chopped greens. Add gradually so the dressing complements the vegetables instead of pooling at the bottom of the bowl.

For a chunkier variation, reserve a little of the chopped ingredients and stir them in after blending the base. This is an optional departure from the cookbook's smooth method, not an extra original step.

Freshness and Dietary Notes

Transfer promptly to a clean, covered container and refrigerate. Keep chilled until serving and use clean utensils. Adding relish and other ingredients does not extend the freshness of the homemade mayo. The cookbook supplies no storage duration for this dressing.

The Sunny-Not base contains sunflower seeds. Check the labels on packaged olives, relish, capers and pimiento for ingredients and allergens relevant to your guests. A vegan recipe is not automatically suitable for every dietary restriction.

Related Articles

Prepare the base with Mayo (Sunny-Not), or explore Ranch-Style Dressing, Tahini Dressing and Pimiento Salad Dressing for more homemade options.

Part of The Healing Kitchen series at Black Hills Health Retreat.

Ingredient notes are for everyday cooking education, not medical treatment advice.