Scrumptious Sesame-Orange Salad Dressing
Quick Reminder: Food Should Taste Good Gourmet Chip Giveaway Still Going on. Enter between now and Tuesday!
Yes, another salad dressing. It is summer after all, aaaaand they are just too easy and delicious not to share! Besides, fitting in that big bowl of greens is so much tastier when you have so many wonderful and healthy salad dressings to experiment with.
I discovered this fabulously flavorful dressing in the latest issue of Cooking Light. Their version seemed a bit too firey for our tastes, so I toned it down a bit, added some green onions (which melded nicely), thickened the dressing slightly, and doubled the recipe overall …
Sesame-Orange Salad Dressing
Recipe adapted from Cooking Light, June 2009
This recipe is Low Fat, Vegan, Dairy-Free, Egg-Free, Nut-Free, Soy Protein-Free and optionally Gluten-Free
- 2/3 Cup Orange Juice (fresh squeezed if you’ve got them – about 2 to 3 medium oranges)
- 2 Tablespoons Rice Vinegar
- 4 Teaspoons Soy Sauce or Wheat-Free Tamari (for gluten-free)
- 1 Tablespoon Sesame Oil (the good, dark kind if you have it)
- 2 Teaspoons Packed Brown Sugar
- 1 Teaspoon Hot Chile Sauce (such as Sriracha)
- 2 Tablespoons Flax Meal / Ground Flaxseeds
- 1 to 2 Green Onions, minced (optional)
- Lightly Toasted Sesame Seeds
Whisk everything but the sesame seeds together and allow the dressing to sit for ten to fifteen minutes while you make the rest of your salad. After dousing your salads in this yummy dressing, sprinkle each salad with 1/2 teaspoon of the sesame seeds.
Yields about 1 cup dressing or 6 to 8 servings
Ideas for Serving:
Vegan / Vegetarian: The salad in Cooking Light sounded awesome, but I was lacking in the ingredients. They lightly sauteed some red bell pepper strips, carrot slices, and snap peas with a bit of orange rind and salt. Once cooled, they added the vegetable mixture to fresh baby spinach leaves and generously cut green onions.
Omnivorous: To prepare a large Asian-Style Orange-Sesame Chicken Salad, I coated 12 ounces of chicken (8 to 10 would be ideal for two people) with 1 Tablespoon cornstarch, 1 Tablespoon sherry, 3/8 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. I then sauteed the meat over medium-high heat in about 2 teaspoons of refined sesame oil. To prepare two salads, I chopped up one large romaine heart, topped the lettuce base with store-bought coleslaw cabbage mix for some crunch, sprinkled on a thinly sliced carrot, followed by the cooked chicken, the dressing, and finally the sesame seeds.
As a Marinade: I love orange marinades for large shrimp, and I think this one would be perfect. Use your imagination otherwise, chicken, tofu, etc. However, if using this as a marinade, omit the flaxseed.
Bloggy Events: I am submitting this recipe to Magazine Mondays hosted by Cream Puffs in Venice and Souper Sundays hosted by Kahakai Kitchen.
17 thoughts on “Scrumptious Sesame-Orange Salad Dressing”
Looks delicious! Great way to incorporate flax into a dressing. Does it add thickness?
Oh this sounds so light and refreshing – I love the idea of a salad topped with this! 🙂
Looks super yummy! Thanks for sharing – I plan to make this soon 🙂
That dressing does sound wonderful! How did I miss it in the mag??
This chicken salad looks awesome! Perfect for easy, light summer supper.
yummm! that salad looks all summery
and delicious.
YUM! that looks delicious. Your plate is really pretty too =)
I think I am going to give that dressing a go this week!
I could use a fruity dressing.
that salad looks good too!
Oh this salad looks wonderful! My sister was just telling me how she devours salads at resturaunts, but she hates eating them at home because she hates all dressings. We are definitely going to have to give this one a try!
I love the idea of thickening with flax seeds. Sounds delicious!
Sounds yummy! I agree, I can’t get enough salads this time of year either. I am bookmarking this one as I love trying new dressings. Thanks for sharing!
Wow, that looks terrific, Alisa! Love that bowl, too. 🙂
Shirley
Such a gorgeous salad and the dressing sounds delicious. Just posted the Souper Sunday round-up. Thanks for joining in!
Alisa,
It looks incredible! So bright and fresh!
Yum! I would have kept all the spice in my version – even so, a tsp. of sriracha goes a long way!
I’ll have to give this one a try.
I went to a French restaurant and the salad they served was so good and it had walnuts, dried apricots diced small and salad greens with something like this orange dressing. It was excellent!!!!
Comments are closed.