THE MYSTERIOUS ORANGE DRESSING
Ya know that dressing that you've had at either a Japanese steakhouse or your favorite little neighborhood Asian dive? It typically comes piled on a bowl of iceberg lettuce, bright orange and a little questionable/sketchy? This is until you take a bite, and realize that it's the best iceberg lettuce that you've ever had? Full disclosure: it's the dressing, not the iceberg (no offense to our crunchy lettuce friend). The flavors of this orange dressing dance in your mouth as the texture plays with the sweet, sour, umami, and gingery goodness that you just can't get enough of. Well, without further adieu...this is the dressing. The Yum Yum Carrot-Ginger Dressing, as I sometimes like to call it. It's amazing. You should make it, very soon.
Makes about 1 cup of Dressing (ie. you may want to quadruple this recipe :-)
YUM YUM CARROT-GINGER DRESSING
2 large carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
1 large shallot, peeled and roughly chopped
3 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh ginger*
1 t. ground turmeric (or more if you're a turmeric fiend..aren't we all?)
2 T. sweet white miso
4 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoon toasted sesame seed oil
1/2 cup grapeseed oil (olive oil, or avocado oil would also work)
4 tablespoons water
-Pulse the carrot, shallot and ginger in a blender until finely chopped. Scrape down the sides; add the turmeric, miso, vinegar and sesame seed oil and whiz together. While the blender is going, slowly drizzle in the grapeseed oil and the water, adding more water for a thinner consistency. Now, you are ready to drizzle this deliciousness on pretty much anything.
*Note: This dressing is one of the most versatile that i've found, and goes WAY beyond mixed greens. Try this on many savory dishes...salads, roasted chicken, on a burger with avocado, as a dipping sauce for anything...endless possibilities.
*Ginger Tip: The best way to peel ginger is with the back of a spoon. This technique scrapes off the thin layer of ginger skin, leaving the peeled root to utilize completely. Yay to ginger spoons!
