4 Unique Ways To Cook With Seaweed
When thinking of seaweed, nori-wrapped sushi or a seaweed salad from a Japanese restaurant probably come to mind. However, American cooking techniques call for the incorporation of seaweed in many recipes, relying on this dynamic ingredient to provide a unique flavor and texture. According to Real Foods Witch, seaweed is rich in minerals that help balance out the thyroid gland, too.
Here are four ways to incorporate seaweed into your cooking:
Enhance vegan dishes
It is often difficult to create vegan version of dishes that call for seafood, and processed meat alternatives don’t always cut it. Instead, try incorporating nori flakes – which have a natural taste of the sea – into vegan dishes. Isa Chandra Moskowitz of the Post Punk Kitchen offers two recipes that call for the addition of nori: a vegan version of clam chowder and a vegan version of bouillabaisse, classic French stew made with seafood.
As an alternative to salt
Cooking with seaweed provides valuable vitamins and minerals to your dishes, and also help you cut back on salt. Using seaweed as a seasoning will add a dynamic, unexpected flavor to any meal. Furikake seasoning calls for a blend of nori and sesame seeds, and can be used to make a dish more complex or replace some of the salt. The Kitchn provides a simple Furikake recipe made of nori, white or black sesame seeds, and a small amount of salt and sugar.
Boost the nutritional value of smoothies
Health buffs turn to juices and smoothies as a nutritional, healthy snack. One way to make a smoothie even healthier is to add seaweed in the form of spirulina to you green smoothies or fruit smoothies. Spirulina is a blue/green algae that contains high amounts of B12, vitamin A and Iron. According to the Mother Nature Network, spirulina was first used by astronauts as a dietary supplement. Adding spirulina is just one way to incorporate seaweed into your smoothies. Any kind of seaweed that suits your tastes will work.
Create crispy snacks
Another way to enjoy seaweed is to create crispy snacks using nori. Nori can be blended into homemade granola bars, crackers or eaten on its own as nori chips. The Kitchn shares a recipe for wasabi-toasted nori chips, which calls for just a handful of simple ingredients: water, powdered horseradish wasabi, nori and salt.
