Nobu meets child salad

Author Notes

Everyone knows it is hard to get kids to eat salad. Many kids pick around lettuce to get to the stuff they will eat plain, like cucumbers or carrots. I like to put a salad on the dinner table that everyone can eat, mixed properly with dressing, and like many parents, I don't like my kids picking stuff out of it and leaving the rest to look sad and pathetic on the plate. Many years ago, before I had children, I didn't know it, but I met my kid's favorite salad dressing. It just so happens, it became an adult favorite too. The recipe was published in the New York Times in an article about Nobu Matsuhisa. It was probably in the late 90's, when it was impossible to get a reservation at Nobu, and the man was just starting to be known throughout the world, revealing to many Americans that using miso in marinades is a no brainer, and that there's a citrus out there called yuzu that makes soy sauce better than ever. Well, turns out the salad dressing recipe published in that article is something that made my own children not only into salad eaters, but salad lovers. They call it "weekday salad" because we have it every night. It's great because it grows with your children. As toddlers, my kids ate a version that was only lettuce and cucumbers. Now, we can add lots of vegetables and it is still adored. So, if you are looking for a way to get your kids to eat their salad while you can enjoy it too, here it is. The vegetables listed below are just a combination we happen to like but you can use your imagination and run with what you are in the mood for, or what your kids like. The dressing is good on pretty much everything. Thanks to Nobu Matsuhisa for making my kids into salad eaters! —navahfrost