COOK: Jee Levine, professional food stylist
TOOL: Mandoline slicer
RECIPE: Asian Vegetables with Sesame Dipping Sauce

Whether on a food photography shoot or cooking for company, Jee wants beautiful food fast. She says her mandoline is such a big part of her cooking because it is precise and quick at slicing and shaping vegetables and fruits. For her pretty Asian vegetable platter, she makes waffle shapes, julienne sticks, and thin slices with the different blades that fit into her mandoline.

ASIAN VEGETABLES WITH SESAME DIPPING SAUCE
Jee Levin's quick dip-made in the food processor-adds great flavor to her Asian-inspired crudités platter.

Prep: 15 minutes   Chill: several hours

11–12 garlic cloves, peeled
1 cup packed fresh cilantro leaves
3/4 cup tahini (sesame-seed paste)
2/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup sweet rice wine (mirin)
1/4 cup sesame oil
3 Tbsp. rice vinegar
3 Tbsp. honey
1 Tbsp. hot chili oil
Assorted vegetables, such as sliced carrots, waffle-cut daikon, sliced lotus root, julienne cucumber sticks, sliced red sweet pepper, and zucchini and summer squash strips tied with thin carrot strips.

1. Place all ingredients except vegetables in a food processor. Cover; process until smooth. Transfer mixture to a medium bowl. Cover and chill several hours before serving.

2. Serve as a dipping sauce for assorted vegetables. Any remaining sauce can be transferred to a storage container and chilled for up to 1 week. Stir before using. Makes 2 1/2 cups dip (about 20 servings).

Per serving dip: 116 cal., 8 g fat (1 g sat. fat), 0 mg chol., 501 mg sodium, 8 g carbo., 1 g fiber, 3 g pro.