Japanese Edamame and Arame Salad

Rob was really nice about getting me a new laptop to replace my dying desktop computer. The only problem was the new device had less storage than my old computer.  I used to keep my all food photos on my hard drive, but now they are harder to locate on an external device. Please excuse my blog absentia as I work through this.

While I am not into New Year’s resolutions, I thought it would be nice to try to fit in some different foods into my menus. First up: seaweed. I am no stranger to seaweed but I haven’t cooked it in a while. Some of favourites are this Sea Weeds and Green Salad, this Sushi Bowl with Shredded Nori and this Macro Bowl with Wakame.

In general, seaweed is high in calcium, iodine and even protein once you account for all the fiber. It is also a very sustainable crop. As the New Yorker put it, while asking “Is Kelp the New Kale?”:

Seaweed, which requires neither fresh water nor fertilizer, is one of the world’s most sustainable and nutritious crops. It absorbs dissolved nitrogen, phosphorous, and carbon dioxide directly from the sea—its footprint is negative—and proliferates at a terrific rate.

Arame can be a bit difficult to track down but you should be able to find it in a well-stocked health food store. Here, I used Ricki’s recipe to combine it in a Japanese-inspired salad with edamame and a sesame dressing. Enjoy!

 

PS. I am sharing this Eat Your Greens, Meat Free Mondays, this month’s Extra Veg, No Croutons Required.

Japanese Edamame and Arame Salad
Adapted from Ricki Heller

1 cups (15-20g) loosely packed dry arame
2 cups (3/4 lb) shelled edamame [I used frozen]
1.5 tbsp rice vinegar
1.5 tbsp tamari or soy sauce
3 tbsp lightly toasted sesame seeds
1/2 tsp agave nectar, or choice of sweetener, to taste
2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1.5 tbsp toasted sesame oil
1/4-1/2 tsp fine sea salt, or to taste

1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook edamame for 5-10 minutes, until al dente but before they turn to mush. Turn off heat. Do not drain the water; remove edamame and set aside to cool to room temperature.

2. In the boiling water, add the dry arame; allow to sit 5-15 minutes, until the arame is soft and about double in bulk (the longer it soaks, the less it retains a “fishy” taste).

3. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the rice vinegar, tamari, sesame seeds, agave, garlic, olive oil, sesame oil and salt. Add the drained arame, edamame and stir to coat.  Allow to sit at least 15 minutes, preferably overnight, in the refrigerator, prior to serving.

Serves 3-4 large portions.