This Ginger Sesame Oil-free dressing is an Asian inspired mixture that is fantastic as a dressing for salad (see my Recipe for Chopped Asian Salad), a marinade for tofu or mushrooms or other vegetables, or a sauce for noodles (see my  Spicy Asian Noodle Salad Recipe), or on almost anything that calls for some spicy Asian flair! I absolutely love it on a cold crunchy cabbage and vegetable salad and also on warm steamed vegetables. It is really easy to eat your daily quota of fresh vegetables when you add such a task dressing! I often have this dressing on vegetables for breakfast (see my Health post on Vegetables for breakfast– http://table-karma.com/weight-loss-vegetables-breakfast/) A healthy and delicious way to kick start your day!

The recipe is very simple and easy to make in just a couple of minutes! Asian dressings typically use sesame oil for the distinctive flavor. For my sauces and dressings, I do not want to use any added oil at all. I used sesame-based tahini instead. I think it makes a great substitute for the sesame oil and adds a lot of flavor. Please be aware that tahini , being basically sesame seeds, itself is a calorie dense food, because seeds and nuts inherently have fat content. Instead of the usual white sugar, I used maple syrup as a sweetener. If you want to avoid sweeteners altogether, you could omit the syrup, or use one or more whole blended dates instead. The proportions can be varied to your taste, depending on how salty, sour, sweet and spicy you like it–very flexible!

Here is the Recipe–I use all organic ingredients if available:

Stir together:

1/2 cup rice vinegar

1/3 cup tamari or soy sauce–or to taste

2 tbsp tahini 

2 tbsp minced ginger (I used minced ginger from a jar, but fresh is great)

1 tbsp chili paste–or to taste 

1 tbsp maple syrup

So Easy!

Enjoy!