What you’re looking at today is one of my latest attempts at fancy plating. I made some seaweed salad and I guess I was feeling a little, well, fancy. There’s really no other word for it. Please don’t laugh too hard. Oh, and see the tan-colored swooshes bordering the plate? Well that, my friends, is miso tahini dressing. It’s salty, tangy, and creamy, and it improves pretty much anything it touches.

Miso tahini dressing is great on any sort of salad — today I paired it with seaweed garnished with avocado, cilantro, and thinly sliced cucumbers. You can also mix it into any green salad of your choosing. It goes well with dark greens too, delicious alongside cold, steamed spinach or worked into a massaged kale salad. Once you make a batch, let me know if you find any other great uses for it!

Seaweed Salad

serves 4

1 oz. dried seaweed salad mix

3 Tbsp. rice vinegar

2 Tbsp. tamari

2 Tbsp. toasted sesame oil

1 Tbsp. organic cane sugar

1 tsp. microplaned fresh ginger

1. In a medium mixing bowl, cover the seaweed with cold water and let sit for five minutes to reconstitute.

2. Drain the seaweed well, squeezing out the excess water. Set aside.

3. In a small bowl, combine the rice vinegar, tamari, sesame oil, sugar, and ginger, stirring until the sugar is dissolved.

4. Add the mixture from the small bowl to the seaweed. Let marinate in the refrigerator for at least two hours before serving, or up to overnight.

5. Squeeze out the excess marinade before serving.

Tahini Miso Dressing

makes about 2/3 C.

4 Tbsp. tahini

3 Tbsp. rice vinegar

2 Tbsp. white miso paste

1 Tbsp. agave syrup

2 tsp. microplaned ginger

1. Combine all ingredients in a small bowl, stirring until evenly mixed.

2. Let the mixture sit for a few minutes, allow it to thicken up slightly before serving.