japanese sunshine salad with carrot + ginger dressing

According to the Chinese calendar, it is the year of the horse.

My husband is a horse (I am a monkey) and apparently, you are not allowed to dig anything for the whole year. That’s right, absolutely no digging. This information comes to us via Sfoglia’s sous chef, by way of his very superstitious Chinese grandmother. She insists that all horses must refrain from digging in 2014. It will bring bad luck.

Cue the snow storm.

I used the fruit to make a Japanese-style salad with carrot + ginger dressing.

This dressing is high up there on my list of favorites, and often times I can be found eating it straight from the jar. It’s similar to what they serve at Japanese restaurants. The secret is to add white miso paste to bind it all together and to make it extra creamy. Combined with crunchy greens and tropical fruit, it makes for a delicious and unique salad. I add avocado slices and edamame too.

You can serve this on its own, or alongside a protein of your choice to make it more substantial. It happens to be great with grilled salmon. No matter what you do with it, this dressing is good on just about anything.

Allow me to fill you in on what has happened since all of that fateful digging:

• The screen on our brand new TV cracked
• Jake swallowed a penny
• 3 essential keys on my laptop just stopped working for no apparent reason
• My Nook broke
• Then the restaurant caught on fire- yes, fire. Thankfully, it was put out quickly and no one was hurt. Only the bathroom was damaged.
• And then my husband got a flat tire.

OK?! How’s that for some bad luck? I’m sorry, I’m not usually a superstitious person but this is not normal. So, to all of my unlucky horses shoveling snow out there, I offer you sympathy and compassion with hopes that a little sunshine will come your way. Fingers crossed- no more snow!

Curious about your Chinese zodiac sign? I had fun playing around on this site. Check it out!

japanese sunshine salad with carrot + ginger dressing

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• Author: The Clever Carrot
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Total Time: 30 mins
• Yield: 4

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Ingredients

Salad

• 4 large handfuls of mixed greens
• 1/2 c. strawberries, sliced
• 1/2 c. pineapple, thinly sliced
• 1 orange, cut into segments
• 1 c. shelled edamame
• 2 haas avocados, sliced

Carrot + ginger dressing

• 3 tbsp. white miso*
• 1 small carrot, peeled + sliced
• 1 heaped tsp. grated ginger
• 1/4 garlic clove
• 1 tbsp. honey
• 2 tbsp. mirin
• 2 tbsp. rice wine vinegar (not seasoned)
• 1/2 tsp. toasted sesame oil
• 1/4 c. vegetable or mild olive oil
• 2 tbsp. water + more as needed

Garnish

• sesame seeds

* This salad is meant for adaptations. Feel free to add more or less fruit to suite your taste.

*To make this gluten-free, be sure to look for brown-rice based white miso. Gluten-free brands include Eden Foods & South River Miso.

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Instructions

1. To make the salad dressing, add all of the ingredients to a blender. Process until smooth and creamy (make sure that the carrot, ginger and garlic are broken down). If the dressing is too thick, add a splash of water to loosen it up. Pour into a container and set aside. This dressing will keep for up to 1 week in the fridge.
2. Add the mixed greens, strawberries, pineapple, orange slices and edamame to a large bowl. Toss well to combine.
3. Right before serving, cut the avocado into slices and sprinkle with rice wine vinegar to prevent them from turning brown.
4. Top the salad with the avocado and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
5. Serve right away with the carrot + ginger dressing on the side.

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