Spinach & Shaved Fennel Salad w/ Red Pepper Dressing

Roasting one little red pepper for this dressing sounds like a lot of work, but its really not.  Especially if you're preparing something else time consuming for dinner.  You could just do what you have to and forget about the pepper.  If that doesn't convince you, you can always buy them pre-roasted.  Just make sure to use a whole pepper, not one thats fallen apart, and rinse off the liquid its contained in.

6 oz. Spinach
1 small Fennel Bulb, shaved on the mandoline (or very thinly sliced)
1/4 c. Fresh Basil, torn
1 recipe for Red Pepper Dressing (below)

Toss spinach and basil with red pepper dressing and top with shaved fennel.


RED PEPPER DRESSING
1 Red  Bell Pepper, roasted
1/4 c. Silken Tofu
1 tsp. Lemon Juice
1 tsp. Olive Oil
1 tbsp. Balsamic Vinegar
1 small clove Garlic
1/4-1/2 tsp. Salt
1/8-1/4 tsp. Pepper
1 tbsp. Basil, chopped

Pre-heat the oven to 375.  Remove the stem and seeds from the pepper.  Rub with olive oil and roast on a baking sheet lined with foil for 40-45 minutes, turning halfway through.  Transfer the pepper to a paper bag and close to let the heat from the pepper steam off the the skin for 15-20 minutes.  By this time, the skin should easily be peeled away from the meat of the pepper.

Combine all of the ingredients, aside from the basil, in a food processor and process until completely smooth. Then add in the basil and process another 20-30 seconds until it has been chopped smaller and integrated with the rest of the ingredients.