Like the best dressings, this is good on so much more than greens: Drizzle it on roasted sweet potatoes, brush it onto broiled eggplant, or toss it with cold soba or udon noodles. Use it to marinate mushrooms before grilling them to make Juicy Bella . Look for miso paste in the refrigerated section of natural food stores and Asian markets. If you can find South River brand, made in Massachusetts, snap it up; it's the best I've tasted outside Japan.

　　

Ingredients

Makes about 1 cup

　　1 tablespoon sesame seeds

　　2 tablespoons white miso

　　2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

　　1/2 cup rice vinegar, preferably unseasoned

　　6 tablespoons neutral vegetable oil, such as canola

　　2 to 3 teaspoons honey

　　Sea salt

　　

Step 1

Sprinkle the sesame seeds into a small skillet over medium heat. Cook, shaking the pan frequently, until the sesame seeds have darkened and become fragrant, just a few minutes. Immediately transfer them to a plate to cool; if you leave them to cool in the pan, they can burn.

　　

Step 2

Use a fork to whisk the miso and sesame oil in a small jar fitted with a lid until smooth. Add the vinegar, vegetable oil, sesame seeds, and honey, close the lid tightly, and vigorously shake to emulsify the dressing. Taste and add more honey if desired, plus salt, and shake again. Store it in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

　　Tip

　　Tip To measure the honey with less mess, first dip the teaspoon into sesame oil, and let the excess drip off. The honey will then slide out easily.

　　Reprinted with permission from Eat Your Vegetables: Bold Recipes for the Single Cook by Joe Yonan, © 2013 Ten Speed PressJOE YONAN is the food and travel editor for The Washington Post, where he writes regular features, including the "Weeknight Vegetarian" column. He is the author of Eat Your Vegetables and Serve Yourself, which Serious Eats called "truly thoughtful, useful, and incredibly delicious." Yonan has won awards for writing and editing from the James Beard Foundation, the Association of Food Journalists, and the Society of American Travel Writers, and his work has been featured three times in the Best Food Writing anthology.