February 13, 2012: Shojin Dressing

I honestly never thought to top my Goma-Dare dressing recipe, and while similar in taste, I think I like this Shojin Dressing even better. The addition of silken tofu makes for a creamier and even more healthy mixture. This is so delicious on salads or as a dip for fresh vegetables.

The term “Shojin” follows an ancient Zen-Buddhist food preparation. Not only vegetarian, but also vegan and macrobiotic, you would think that Shojin cooking might be a tad on the bland side, but not so! This dressing is full of the fresh tastes of peanut, garlic, lemon, and chili, all in a creamy base.

Shojin Dressing:

• 1 Block of Silken Tofu (if you can get the tofu out in one piece and lay on a few sheets of paper towel to remove excess H2O, this helps reduce moisture in the dressing, but silken tofu is like custard and is very fragile.)
• 1 Clove Garlic (I used 1/2 Clove Elephant Garlic) chopped fine
• 1 Tsp. Fresh Chili Peppers, chopped fine
• 2 Tblsp. Smooth Peanut Butter
• 2 Tblsp. Lemon Juice
• 2 Tblsp. Olive Oil
• 2 Tblsp. Mirin
• 2 Tblsp. Shoyu

Add all ingredients to a food processor and blend well. I piped the dressing onto a salad of baby greens, grape tomatoes, baby zucchini, grated cabbage and carrot sticks. I topped with a dash of paprika (for color) and toasted sesame seeds. Refrigerate any leftover dressing.

Wow. Fast. Very healthy, and so very tasty. I may never buy bottled dressing ever again!

03.05.12 Update: I made this for Teja and the girls this weekend. Teja said that he had something like this before in Japan, but it wasn’t quite as hot as mine. I like my addition of hot peppers to this recipe, but the kids didn’t like the heat. Readers should be aware that for a more traditional dish, omit the peppers.

Advertisements