Spinach Salad with Carrot and Ginger Dressing for One

This dressing is nice cold on spinach salad, or warmed by boiling the carrots before blending them up with the other ingredients and then served over steamed veggies and rice. It’s that zing of ginger that will make your feet launch into the happy dance all by themselves.

For the Dressing:

1 carrot, chopped into ½-inch pieces

1 teaspoon minced ginger

2 TBLSP vinegar (red wine is nice, or try rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar)

2 TBLSP water

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 small clove garlic, minced

2 teaspoons sesame oil (peanut oil works nicely too, or it can all be olive oil)

½ teaspoon brown rice syrup (or maple syrup)

¾ teaspoon soy sauce

For the Salad:

I large handful of raw spinach (washed, and chopped, if you like)

½ carrot, sliced into coins or diced

2 green onions, chopped

2 mushrooms, sliced thinly

1/3 avocado, sliced or diced

1 tangerine, peeled and sectioned

Peanuts for the top

Ground black pepper, to taste

Make the Dressing:

1. Place all the ingredients into a blender or food processor and whirl until it’s all smooth and silky.
2. If you want it even smoother, steam the carrots for 5-6 minutes until they’re easily pierced with a fork.
3. If you like it thinner, add more water or vinegar, depending on your tartness quotient.

Make the Salad:

1. Settle the spinach into the bottom of your serving bowl.
2. Sprinkle the carrots, green onion, and mushrooms on top of the spinach.
3. Nestle the tangerine comfortably on top of your veggie confetti. Intersperse the avocado pieces among the tangerine sections.
4. Dress the salad and top with peanuts, and ground black pepper, if you like.

Variations:

• I like this as a salad dressing, but it could go nicely on your steamed veggies, as a dipping sauce for sushi or spring rolls, and in its thick form, it makes a nice bright pizza sauce. You could marinate your tofu in it before stir frying, too. Yummmm.