I had a lot of miso paste leftover from making miso soup (recipe here), so I made a miso salad dressing for a Japanese restaurant style salad.  Note that you could omit the carrot and use the rest of the ingredients (adjusted to your taste) to make a simpler miso salad dressing.  I served this with miso soup and chicken teriyaki with a stir fried bean sprout medley (recipe here).

Carrot and Miso Salad Dressing Recipe

makes enough dressing for 2 to 4 salads

Note:  In Japanese restaurants, the salad dressings are usually strongly flavoured and sharply acidic.  I prefer a subtler dressing, so adjust the vinegar, sesame oil, and salt (miso paste) to your taste.  If your carrots are not sweet enough, or if the vinegar is too sharp for you, add a pinch of granulated white sugar.

1 small carrot, peeled and chopped into a few pieces

1 1/2 tsp finely grated fresh ginger

1 tbsp white miso paste

3/4 to 1 tbsp rice vinegar

3/4 to 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil

3 tbsp oil (ie. canola, grapeseed, sunflower, or peanut oil)

In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade, process the carrot until very finely chopped.  Then add the ginger, miso, rice vinegar, sesame oil and process until well combined.  With the machine on, add the oil in a steady, thin stream and process until well combined.  Adjust the flavours to taste.  Then process in water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until you achieve the desired consistency.  Chill through in the refrigerator prior to serving.  Enjoy on salad.  In Japanese restaurants, the salads usually consist of iceberg lettuce and finely julienned carrots and red cabbage.  Sometimes the salads have thinly sliced radish as well.