Avocado salad with carrot-ginger dressing (vegan)

Since spring is finally here I thought I'd best start posting some healthier stuff, and since salads are the go-to when it comes to predictably healthy stuff, I went with one. But the choice was not only laziness-backed, as you'll see this is no mere salad as soon as you get a first taste of that awesome dressing.

What makes this salad's topping a really special dressing is the fact that it's so full of flavor you can hardly believe it. We actually used it as a dip for tortilla chips afterwards and it worked beautifully as a dip too. :) 
The salad underneath said lovely dressing is not to be ignored either: though it might sound rather plain, the combination between avocados and green leaves is not to be underestimated, especially when accompanied by such a lovely dressing.
The only thing that stands between this salad and a raw vegan version of it is the toasted sesame oil, but I would highly encourage you not to replace it with cold-pressed sesame oil because much of this salad's flavor and personality will be lost with it.
Recipe source: the lovely Smitten Kitchen. 

Last year: Tandoori oven-baked chicken (Indian).
Two years ago: Chicken and broccoli stir-fry with oyster sauce, Gougeres (French cheese puffs), Hazelnut and coffee chip cookies and Surimi and asparagus noodle salad.




Ingredients (serves 2-3, with dressing to spare):

• 1 small/medium head of lettuce
• 1 avocado
• 1/4 of a red onion

For the dressing:

• 1 large carrot
• 1 small shallot
• 2 tablespoons roughly chopped ginger
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons sweet white miso
• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
• 30-40 ml grape-seed oil (or some other neutral tasting oil)
• 2 tablespoons water

First of all, make the dressing. Put the peeled carrot, ginger and shallot in a blender or a food processor.

Blend away, gradually pouring the liquid ingredients as well.

To make the salad, peel and chop the avocado, separate the onion into thin strips and shred the lettuce. Mix them all and arrange them in serving plates:

Pour some of the dressing on top of each serving and it's done, dig in! :)

P.S: As I already mentioned, we used the remaining dressing as a dip for tortilla chips. It was wonderful :)