Veggie flair

A Japanese approach presents healthy alternatives to fatty salad dressings

EAT YOUR VEGGIES is one of the mantras for good health. But salads drenched in calorie-laden dressings and cooked vegetables drizzled in butter can turn eating your veggies into a health hazard.

It's time for a few new ways to dress vegetables in a healthy but tasty way.

On a recent culinary visit to Japan, I learned how to use tofu and sesame seeds to make flavorful and healthy dressings for vegetables without added fat. These are not fat-free dressings by any means, but the nutritional benefits are clearly on the plus side.

Sesame seeds are especially high in calcium and a good source of trace minerals. Tofu provides high-quality protein, omega-3 fatty acids and B vitamins and is recognized for its disease-fighting properties. Combine good-for-you-veggies with sesame and tofu and you can be on the road to good health.

The three simple dressings presented here do require a few unique ingredients that you'll have to search out. Try Marukai, Shirokiya or other markets where Japanese food items are sold.

WONDERFUL on greens beans or asparagus, this visually interesting black sesame seed dressing is simply delicious, so delicious that you'll lick the bowl it's made in. The flavor of sesame seeds complements the vegetables in a delicate but pronounced way. It takes just a few minutes to prepare and you can opt to use white sesame seeds, though the contrast of black on green is profoundly better.

To make this dressing in an authentic way, use a suribachi, the grooved mortar of the Japanese kitchen that -- along with a surikogi, or pestle -- crushes the warm toasted sesame seeds easily and efficiently. Not only does the suribachi perform the task well, it also serves as mixing bowl and serving bowl for the dish.

To use the suribachi, place it on a damp towel or other non-skid surface, or have someone hold it steady on the counter. Grasp the pestle near the bottom with one hand and place the other hand on the top. Beginning at the center of the bowl, make small circles up the sides of the bowl using the bottom hand, while the top hand presses down. The grinding is done by the bottom hand.

Once the sesame seeds are crushed to the point that a bit of oil is released, add the other ingredients and blend them well, then toss with vegetables.

Another consideration in making this dish is choice of soy sauce. Usukuchi soy, or light-colored soy sauce, is preferred, adding sufficient salt without the intense color of regular soy sauce.

Black Sesame Dressing with Green Beans

Adapted from "Washoku" by Elizabeth Andoh (Ten Speed Press)

1 pound green beans or thin asparagus
3 tablespoons black sesame seeds
1 tablespoon mirin (sweet cooking wine)
1 tablespoon usukuchi shoyu (light soy sauce)
2 to 3 teaspoons dashi (stock) or water, if needed

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Trim stems from green beans or bottoms from asparagus. Cut into 1-inch lengths, on the diagonal or straight across. When water is boiling, add beans or asparagus and cook about 2 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain; allow to cool. The beans or asparagus will continue to cook as they cool; if you want to stop the cooking, place in a bowl of ice water.

Toast sesame seeds in a small skillet or sesame seed toaster. Black sesame seeds will not change color noticeably, so keep an eye on them and listen for their popping sound. Remove them from heat and place in suribachi (Japanese mortar). Crush seeds until a little oil shows. Add mirin and soy sauce, a little at a time and blend together. The sauce should be thick like honey; add a little dashi or water if needed. Add green beans or asparagus to suribachi and toss well to coat. Serve in individual portions or family style.

Approximate nutritional analysis, per serving: 80 calories, 3.5 g fat, no saturated fat or cholesterol, 240 mg sodium, 11 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber, 4 g sugar, 3 g protein.

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USING TOFU as a creamy base for vegetable dressings is a healthy and delicious thought. Soft or silken tofu, processed in a food processor, turns into a creamy, silky paste whose bland flavor can be enhanced by a number of ingredients. In this recipe, just a little sweet, creamy miso does the flavor trick.

Saikyo miso from the Kyoto area is especially nice in this recipe, a miso with sweet rather than salty overtones. Using this miso for soup produces a creamy soup that will not be salty, despite the quantity used.

This dressing enhances blanched and well-drained spinach or chard, or use it as a dip for raw vegetables.

Creamy Tofu Sauce

Adapted from "Washoku" by Elizabeth Andoh (Ten Speed Press)

1/2 block (10 ounces) soft tofu
1 tablespoon sweet, light miso, preferably Saikyo miso
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon mirin

Place tofu in a double layer of fine cheesecloth and squeeze out excess water. You should have a heaping half cup of tofu. Place in food processor and pulse until smooth. Add miso and pulse again. Add salt and mirin and pulse until creamy. Mix with blanched vegetables or store in covered jar up to 3 days.

Approximate nutritional analysis, per serving: 80 calories, 3.5 g fat, no saturated fat or cholesterol, 240 mg sodium, 11 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber, 4 g sugar, 3 g protein.

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Goma, or sesame seeds, add a distinctive flavor to salad dressings. What's even more intriguing is shiro neri goma, or white sesame seed paste. Made from roasted sesame seeds, this smooth and creamy paste is more flavorful than its Middle Eastern counterpart, tahini, made from unroasted sesame.

Combining sesame seed paste with tofu makes for a nutty and flavorful dressing that can be used with spinach, chard, broccoli, carrots, green beans or asparagus -- or as a dip.

Tofu Goma Dressing

Adapted from a recipe by Masa Fujiwara of Kyoto, Japan

1/2 block (10 ounces) soft tofu
1 tablespoon goma paste (roasted sesame seed paste)
2 teaspoons usukuchi shoyu (light soy sauce)
Pinch salt
1 teaspoon mirin
1 teaspoon sake
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Place tofu in a double layer of cheesecloth and squeeze out excess water. You should have a heaping half cup of tofu. Transfer to food processor and process until creamy. Add remaining ingredients and pulse again until fluffy. Use to dress blanched vegetables or as a dip.

Approximate nutritional analysis, per 2 tablespoons: 35 calories, 2 g fat, no saturated fat or cholesterol, 90 mg sodium, 1 g carbohydrate, no fiber or sugar, 3 g protein.

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