Salad with Carrot-Ginger Dressing
From: Ian Seddon's Cookbook
🥘 Ingredients
- or carrot 2 piece
- medium shallot 1
- fresh ginger 1 ½ inch
- or large orange 1 piece
- rice vinegar ¼ cup
- soy sauce or tamari 1 tbsp
- white miso 1 tbsp
- toasted sesame oil 1 tsp
- neutral-flavored oil ¼ cup
- Kosher
- organic cane sugar or pure maple syrup or more 0.12 tsp
- medium carrot 1
- celery 1-2 rib
- mixed salad greens 6 oz
- mandarins or clementine 2
- roasted sesame seeds 1-2 tbsp
- Kosher
Carrot-Ginger Dressing
I use a neutral-flavored oil so the carrot-ginger flavor can shine, but you can use olive oil if you don't mind its more prominent flavor. If you have a small-capacity or cup-style blender, it will yield a smoother consistency than a food processor.
I prefer this salad with a combo of spring mix and a crunchy lettuce, like Little Gem or romaine. Have leftover Carrot-Ginger Dressing? Use in rice bowls, as a dipping sauce for summer rolls or raw veggies, or pair with other salads during the week. It's also great spooned over roasted or steamed broccoli and garnished with sesame seeds. If your sesame seeds are raw, toast them for the best flavor. To toast sesame seeds, heat a dry frying pan over medium heat. After a minute or two, add the sesame seeds and toast for 2 to 4 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally, until golden brown. Or, add to a rimmed sheet pan and toast in a 350ºF / 175ºC oven for 6 to 8 minutes. Storage: This salad is best fresh; only make as much as you can eat. The dressing may not taste as bright after the first 4 days, so revive it with an extra squeeze of orange juice (and/or lime or lemon juice if you have it). Nutrition boost: For more veggies, add thinly sliced red or napa cabbage, shaved asparagus (use a Y-shaped peeler to shave it), or very finely chopped raw broccoli. For a protein boost, shower on hemp seeds, roasted & salted almonds/cashews, or edamame. Shortcut: If you didn’t make the Carrot-Ginger Dressing during meal prep, simply dress the salad with your best-quality extra virgin olive oil and vinegar. Shortcut: Skip the optional carrots and celery.
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1Prepare: or carrot , medium shallot , fresh ginger , or large orange , rice vinegar , soy sauce or tamari , white miso , toasted sesame oil , neutral-flavored oil , Kosher salt, organic cane sugar or pure maple syrup or more .
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2In a food processor (or small-capacity blender) (see Note 2), combine the roughly chopped carrots, shallot, and ginger, along with 1/4 cup orange juice, the rice vinegar, soy sauce, miso if using, sesame oil, neutral oil, and a pinch of salt. Blend until the mixture is relatively smooth, 1 to 2 minutes (there will be a bit of texture remaining). Scrape down the sides as needed. If too thick for your liking, add in 1 tbsp of water at a time and blend again.
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3Taste, adding salt as needed. If you’d like it sweeter, add 1/8 tsp of sugar, mix, and taste. Add more sugar in 1/8 tsp increments until it tastes right to you.
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4Label and store in a sealed jar in the fridge for up to 1 week.
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5Gather: medium carrot , celery , mixed salad greens , mandarins or clementine , 5/16-3/8 cup Carrot-Ginger Dressing (from meal prep) (see Note 2), roasted sesame seeds , Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper.
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6Optional: If using the carrot, grate or shred using a box grater, julienne peeler, or mandoline. Or, peel into wide ribbons using a Y-shaped peeler. If using the celery, slice it very thinly on a bias.
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7Add the salad greens to a bowl. Add in the prepped carrots and celery (if using), and the citrus pieces.
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8Dress the salad with 5 tbsp of Carrot-Ginger Dressing and toss to coat.
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9Add the roasted sesame seeds, and toss again. Taste, adding more dressing and salt/pepper as needed.