Refreshing Carrot Ginger Dressing (Oil-Free)

Have you ever had that carrot-ginger-miso dressing over a fresh, crisp salad from a Japanese steakhouse restaurant? I haven't had it in years but the flavor (and awesomeness) still rings strong in my memory. I used that inspiration to create this oil-free version and am really excited about the results.

Feel free to start with the base ingredients (carrot, ginger, tamari, rice vinegar, water) then add the other flavors from there. During my many testing phases of this, I found it was a pretty forgiving & versatile recipe (so don't worry if you don't have one of the ingredients on hand.) Though for my personal preference, I found I really love the addition of all the extra flavors and the depth it brings... miso, tahini, onion, and maple syrup for a little sweetness. I think this dressing typically has sesame oil, but I opted for creamy tahini instead (which is a paste/sauce made from just ground sesame seeds.) Hope you enjoy it as much as we do and have fun playing around with the variable flavors! It instantly jazzes up even the most basic salad - I often just put this on a plain baby spinach salad and it's lovely!

Come join The Garden Grazer on Instagram 🍓and share a pic if you make or adapt this! I love seeing what you guys cook up.

Vegan, gluten-free (with tamari), oil-free
Makes about 1 1/2 cups

Ingredients
2 medium carrots (about 1 1/3 cups chopped)
1/4 cup white onion
1-inch piece ginger (or about 1 Tbsp. grated)
1 1/2 Tbsp. tamari or soy sauce
1 1/2 Tbsp. rice vinegar (or white vinegar)
1 Tbsp. tahini
1 Tbsp. maple syrup
1 Tbsp. miso, I use white
1/3 cup water

Directions
Peel and roughly chop carrots. Peel ginger.
Pulse/blend all ingredients in a food processor (or high-powered blender) until smooth.
Adjust flavors as necessary and salt to taste if desired.
Stores covered in the fridge for about 4-5 days.

Notes:
Feel free to start with the base ingredients (carrot, ginger, tamari, rice vinegar, and water) then continue with the other additions from there. I find I really enjoy all the extra flavors added but you can cut back as desired or if you don't have a certain ingredient.
This is a pretty versatile & forgiving recipe, so have fun!
Serve it on salads or as a fresh, fun veggie dip.

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