Have you ever heard of the tonic herb Ashitaba? Neither had I before, my friends over at Sun Potion kindly sent me a jar of this beautiful green powder. I later learned, Ashitaba has been used in Japanese culture for years as a beauty and longevity supplement. It’s a great source of B12, contains Chalcones which stimulate the Nerve Growth Hormone, it inspires longevity and is considered a Shen-Spirit Tonic, beneficial to the wellbeing of the heart.

To put it simple it’s great for you but how do you use it? Personally, whenever I am working with a new ingredient, I have to smell and taste it in it’s raw from. When it comes to a powder often times the taste isn’t all that helpful, but the smell tells me a lot. I think Ashitaba smells very similar to a light matcha powder. As I developed this recipe, I kept matcha in the back of my head for inspiration as I was looking to make something crisp and fresh. In my mind, there is nothing more crisp and refreshing than a lightly dressed crunchy salad.

I ultimately came up with a Creamy Vegan Ashitaba Ranch Dress. This dressing can go on just about anything, if you wind up with extra it also keeps well in a mason jar or tupperware. I hope you enjoy.

Ingredients:

4 Tbls Safflower Oil

3 Tbls Lemon Juice

2 Tbls Agave

2 Tbls Dijon Mustard

2 Tbls Hemp Seeds

1 Tsp Ashitaba

1/2 Tsp Salt

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a deep cup or bowl
2. Emulsify with an immersion blender
3. Depending on how creamy you would like your dressing add more oil and or water little bits at a time to thin out or thicken dressing
4. Taste and tweak based on preference
5. Construct your salad and toss with dressing
6. Enjoy!