Utah Farm to Utah Table: Light Carrot-Ginger Salad Dressing

 

"De-licious! Nu-tritious! It makes me feel ambitious!"

That's a saying my older sister has chanted since our teenage years. I have no idea where it came from but it always comes to mind when I make healthy food choices, especially when they are some of my favorite foods. The saying is nothing but truth. Don't we feel so good after we give our bodies nutritious food? I, for one, feel like I can conquer the world.

I found myself chanting this phrase when I picked up my second CSA share at La Nay Ferme. Each and every bit of produce was beautiful and ready to be enjoyed. Participating in La Nay Ferme CSA has been a great experience so far.

 

Our second week's share brought us mixed greens, carrots, strawberries, radishes, broccoli microgreens and edible pansies and pea leaves. I crave exposure to new foods and my La Nay Ferme CSA share gives me the exposure. I had never tried broccoli microgreens before this week's share.  I loved them. I'm always blown away with microgreens--such tiny beings can pack so much flavor.

 

Each week La Nay Ferme includes a salad dressing from a local business or restaurants. This time around we received a small sampling of an Asian dressing from SORA Asian Dining in Provo. I've never been to SORA, but after trying this dressing I plan to go for dinner.

 

The dressing was deep and flavorful, but still light even with a hint of smokiness. The first time I tried it I just had it on mixed greens, then for dinner I made a side salad with the broccoli microgreens and radishes. Everything complimented each other. 

 

The edible pea leaves and pansies were gorgeous. I attempted to sugar the edible flowers to use as a garnish for some devil's food cupcakes I made. They turned out okay, but not what I was hoping.  I wished I would have just kept them fresh. Hence, no pictures. I'll give it another try. Don't worry. I think this is nature's way of telling me to leave these beauties alone.

 

The bulk of our share was enjoyed as salads, sliced into sandwiches and simply eaten as snacks. I did manage to make a fun new recipe to share: Carrot-Ginger Salad Dressing. 

 

This dressing is nothing short of zippy, zingy, bright, mouth-awakening fun. I was inspired by this Light Carrot-Ginger Dressing from Food Network Magazine. In their recipe, they cook down carrot, but I wanted to use it raw and didn't want to turn on the stove. I simply blended all the ingredients up in my Blendtec blender.

 

I also subbed a local honey for the initial brown sugar called for in the recipe. The recipe truly is light and very thin. It was perfect over a salad of greens, cauliflower and chickpeas. I'm also ready to use it on salmon! If you love ginger, this salad dressing is for you. Be prepared to taste the ginger more than the carrot. But know that you are getting all those wonderful nutrients from freshly picked La Nay Ferme produce.

 

Light Carrot-Ginger Salad Dressing

lightly adapted from Food Network Magazine

Ingredients 

1 medium carrot, roughly chopped

2 tablespoons chopped peeled ginger

1/2 cup water

1 teaspoon honey

2 tablespoons rice vinegar (not seasoned)

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons soy sauce

2 teaspoons sesame oil

Kosher salt

Directions:

Place all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth and emulsified. I used the Blendtec "dressing" setting twice.

Per serving (2 tablespoons): Calories 17; Fat 1 g (Saturated 0 g); Cholesterol 0 mg; Sodium 86 mg; Carbohydrate 2 g; Fiber 0 g; Protein 0 g
(Nutritional values based off of original recipe.)

Other recipes you may like:
Bleu Cheese, Radish and Pea Shoot Crostini
Three Green Lettuce Salad with White Turnips
Mandarin Orange and Almond Salad from The Melting Pot
The Best Dill Potato Salad Recipe
La Nay Ferme: A New CSA in Provo, Utah


**I'm a happy member of La Nay Ferme CSA. Each week I receive freshly picked produce grown in the town where I live. it's worth every penny. It's delicious.