Carrot Miso Dressing
My friend Mary seems to be giving me lots of culinary inspiration lately!
Last week, you guys saw firsthand that Mary knows how to concoct a good salad. This week, she serves as the inspiration for what is fast becoming a new favorite dressing: raw carrot miso dressing.
See, there’s this dressing Mary loves. It’s the carrot miso dressing from Candle 79, and I can see why: the stuff is delicious, neutral for food combining, and oil free (for those of you who have a reason to be seeking out lower fat dressing options). Mary loves this dressing so much that when I recently visited her at the Jersey Shore, I witnessed her whip out a bottle of it from a lunch cooler she had packed in the middle of a restaurant lunch. Clearly, Mary won’t settle for mediocre restaurant dressings.
A girl after my own heart.
In honor of Mary, I decided to take a stab at my own quick version of the dressing at home. Full disclaimer: my dressing isn’t *quite* as scrumptious as the real thing. But it is pretty darn tasty, it’s nearly oil free, and it doubles as a great dip for salads and veggies. It’ll remind you of a slightly less salty version of the house carrot dressing you get in Japanese restaurants — only you’ll have the satisfaction of knowing that you made it yourself! Behold, the recipe:
Carrot Miso Dressing (makes 3 cups, or so)
3-4 very large carrots (or 7-8 small — size varies dramatically from carrot to carrot, so estimate accordingly), chopped
1 cup water
3 tbsps mellow white miso
1 tbsp nama shoyu
1 tbsp lemon juice
3 large, pitted medjool dates
1 inch ginger, peeled
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
Blend all ingredients save the sesame oil in a Vitamix. You’ll have to start on low and work the speed up; your machine will sound a little angry, but once it gets blending, it’ll simmer down! When you have a creamy, even mix, turn the speed to high and drizzle the sesame oil in. Check the texture: if you’d like it thicker, add some more chopped carrots! Otherwise, serve on top of a salad or as a dip for some veggie snacking (as I did), and enjoy!
Now, I know what you guys are thinking: will a regular blender work? The answer is no, it won’t, not with raw carrots. Don’t try. But if you want to make a raw-ish version of this yummy dressing, you could use steamed carrots in a normal blender. Just wait until they cool off before you make the dressing. You could also use carrot juice in lieu of carrots and water and follow the rest of the recipe, but in this case you’ll want to reduce the liquid to 3/4 cup and prepare yourself for a thinner consistency.
Hope you give one of these options a try at home. A big thank you to Mary for being my culinary muse this week!
I’ll be back before the weekend with a very special Choosing Raw interview. Then it’s off to the New York Capital Region Vegetarian Expo, where I’ll be an exhibitor this weekend! That’s right, I’ll be in Saratoga Springs, NY, hocking my wares and spreading a little bit of raw love. I’ll be back next week with a full recap of the event and my mini-vacation upstate!
And I’d like to close by sharing this link, which my buddies Heather and Diana sent to me not long ago. Look familiar?
Hey, at least raw soft serve is getting the popularity it deserves.
But I’ll pass on the cow’s milk, thanks 
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Juicer (average $50.00 - $500.00)If you’re like me, and juicing is a crucial part of your lifestyle, then the cost of a juicer will absolutely be worth it! It will buy itself back again and again and again. The juicer I recommend is the Breville Two-Speed Juice Fountain Plus. It’s the only juicer I’ve ever owned, and it has never let me down. I recommend you invest in a juicer that has at least this level of performance in order to juice leafy greens.
Some of you have asked me whether it’s wiser to buy a juicer or a Vitamix.
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I’d be happy to sue Rachael Ray on your behalf
The dressing looks banging, I just can’t partake due to some of the food intolerance issues I have
And I agree with Sarah’s comment…girl, get yourself some P.R. and go tell the world that YOU were the nanna softserve pioneer! Not Rach. Enjoy being an exhibitor, that is so cool! I am thinking about going to the Raw Spirit Fest in Prescott, AZ next weekend…it’s a bit of a drive but do-able. Anyway, have fun spreadin the raw love and we’ll talk next week! 
OMG, I’m totally kicking Rachael Ray’s a$$! I’ve always hated her…
I wish I wasn’t swearing off orange foods right now, the dressing looks so good! I just want to save the orange until fall when it gets intense!
Haha, Shel, I love your spunk. I’ll join you. We’re little, but we’re tough.
What a fantastic dressing. I really enjoy the miso dressing at the Japanese restaraunts but realize its probably loaded with unwanted sodium and sugar. This one seems to refreshing, clean and wonderfully tasty.
Hope you are having a magnificant week Gena!
Mary’s got superb taste, yet again – thank you for sharing the dressing recipe!!
AHHHHH i totally forgot to share that Rachael Ray link with you yesterday – thank goodness Diana and Heather didn’t forget though, haha
Your recipe is OBVIOUSLY better, so it’s all good.
GOOD LUCK AT THE EXPO THIS WEEKEND!!! So exciting!!!
Rachel Ray strikes again! I would pass on the milk too — it is much better without it. You are right, it is a good thing that raw soft serve is getting some attention.
That dressing looks delicious!
oh cool! I went to college in Saratoga Springs. Enjoy the autumn foliage!
Wonderful recipe miss Gena!! I have a similar recipe from a favorite japanese restaurant, and it has a small piece of ginger in it as well…maybe that’s what is missing? Have a great Thursday!
Thanks for the recipe and thanks to Mary for being such a great muse!
Enjoy the expo! Sounds like fun!
I feel like it is such BS that Rachael Ray just took that from you. Wasn’t raw banana soft serve your creation? I saw that yesterday and was really annoyed hahaha.
I had a similar thing happen to me where one of my EXACT recipes showed up in Self Magazine two months later. It took me a few months to perfect the recipe, and it really frustrated me that it was just taken from me. Then again, it is my fault for posting it, and I should be happy that people have a healthier version of that dish now!
I am so wanting to try some of these desserts but since going raw I’ve put on a few pounds. How can I incorporate dates and bananas– I think my weight gain has come from the fact that even with my smoothies I’m still hungry–i’m trying not to eat after 7 since my bedtime is 10. Don’t want to go back to my 5 small cooked meals per day but I’m losing my drive:(
Hi Brandi —
I’m not quite sure of your question. Do you mean is it OK to have any banana or date if you’re attempting weight loss? I’d have to know much more about your diet and health, I fear, to say what will and will not allow you to release weight. But I can say that most people can have fruits and dates in small amounts and still lose weight, if they’re eating a certain kind of diet.
gena
This is totally on my list for the next raw day! I love the idea of dipping romaine leaves! And the tortilla soup from the last post also looks freakin’ amazing!
Hi Gena. Averie pointed out to me that you mentioned Rachael Ray’s banana mock ice cream, too. I was so shock when I saw it. Just like green smoothies, raw foodies have been whipping this stuff up for as long as I can remember, and now that some nonraw celeb has introduced it to the masses, everyone is going to be doing it as if it is a new invention or something. Too funny.
By the way, she also make a fresh squeezed citrus-aid using agave on Monday, and put together a raw heirloom tomato and watermelon salad on Wednesday. Too bad she served it with chicken.
This looks awesome! I’m eating Mary’s Salad right now as we speak, and it is delicious! I’ll be sure to try this dip soon!
And I totally saw the RR show with the banana soft serve and I was totally mad! At least give credit where credit is due, RR!
That sounds very interesting. Although I’d be worried it would be too sweet with carrots and dates. What did you think?
Hey Alison!
I have a sweet tooth, so this was cool with me. But you should always adjust my recipes to suit your palate!
Gena
Yeah, stick it to Ray-Ray and her toxic recipes! Why the milk addition, anyway? Obviously not patient enough with her food processor. A friend of mine made me her Thai Chicken Pizza one time and the “pizza sauce” was an entire bottle of duck sauce spread on pre-made Pillsbury dough! I didn’t think much of it at the time (in more ways than one), but remembering that as one of the only RR recipes I’ve had….EEW!
Thanks for the dressing recipe – it sounds KILLER. I do have oh, like 5 lbs of carrots for some reason. I should probably get to using ‘em somehow.
oooo lala! I love miso!I love carrots! I bet I’d love this dressinggggggg!!
Thanks Gena!!!
doh! i need a vitamix…
Thanks for the recipe, Gena! I am always looking for fun ways to use carrots, and also new dressing recipes since oil+vinegar tends to get boring. I’m going to try this in the food processor since I won’t be getting a VitaMix for awhile.
Gena thanks for the great recipe. I love my raw carrots and excited about trying this recipe out! Thanks for sharing the RR link and her recipe idea, I had no idea she was getting into that. Though, your recipes are so much better! But I guess if more people incorporate raw foods into their lifestyle the better! Good luck at the expo! Look forward in hearing about your adventure!
UGH THAT IS SO ANNOYING! But good for you for being so cool about it. Hmpf.
I love you so much for posting this recipe. It’s one of my favorite dresses, and I’m going to make it as soon as I get back from Maryland! You’ve made me a happy girl, miss Gena.
Yay! I’m glad.
Looks delicious Gena!
I love trying out new dressings and actually have not tried anything with miso yet (aside from the typical soup dish) – so thank you
I am a big carrot fan in pretty much any form, so I bet this would be an awesome salad dressing. I can think of a ton of things it would be good on actually – even as a pasta sauce (since I’m not a fan of tomatoes). I bet if you just shredded the carrot, you could get away with a less poweful blender/food processor
Oh that looks GLORIOUS my dear! I love dressings that are thick and reamy like that! Thanks
Hi,
This dressing looks like exactly what i’ve been searching for. My only question is – where do i buy the miso? (I live in the city) And also, are those a certain kind of date or does it not really matter??
Thanks!
Love your blog… honestly my absolute favorite of all raw food bloggers out there
AND I was just looking for a low fat dressing and found exactly what I was looking for… always do on your site! 
Have a beautiful weekend and have fun at your expo!
I reckon this could be done in a food processor? Mine definitely turns root veg to pulp, I learned this by accident when I let it run too long just trying to finely chop carrot and celery. Must try it (I don’t have a Vitamix, just a fairly ok blender attachment on my Kenwood food processor).
Hey, I can’t have dates and I was wondering if there was something else I can substitute. Are they just for added sweetness or do they make a significant difference in the texture?
Thanks!
Meghan
Delicious dressing.
I used a normal blender and it worked fine