Is Kelp The New Kale

There's a new green in town that may dethrone kale as the top veggie. It's seaweed and it's not only versatile and nutrient dense but also good for the planet. Eating it is good for us and good for Earth.

Melissa Clark explored this in yesterday's New York Times Food section. As seen here , the entire section was dedicated to sustainability and eating to help the planet. Kelp is one of those plants that is low impact on the climate but high impact on diets. Ms. Clark traveled to Portland, Maine where the plant is surrounded by clean seawater. (Don't try this at home, especially if your shoreline is near a big city) Eating seaweed is nothing new.Different kinds such as sweet red dulse,inky alaria and ruffled sea lettuce have fed coastal communities for thousands of years. Traditional Welsh recipes calls for frying fresh seaweed in bacon fat while the Irish cook it with potatoes The Scots even bake it into breads and biscuits. Indigenous Americans were not immune to its'' possibilities and cooked all manners of seaweed, from brown to green to red. Of course most Americans have had their first taste with Japanese sushi, yet it's not the same as fresh. It hasn't caught on, probably because of  seaweed salad most sushi restaurants serve. It's cloying and damp, a far cry from what is originally cooked in Japanese households and restaurants.

Will kelp fly in American home kitchens?One of its' big pluses is that the cell structure won't break done during freezing , thawing and then refreezing. This is due to it developing in constantly changing tides and temperatures. Keep in mind that its' different from nori, kombu and  dulse. These have to be prepared differently. Ms. Clark puts it smoothies, soups and saute pans with a hit of chile and garlic.  She gives three different recipes. One is roast chicken with crunchy seaweed and potatoes. This is a sheet pan meal so the seaweed is baked til it's crisp and crunchy  not unlike kale - which you can sub in for it. Then there is creamy white bean and seaweed stew with Parmesan. It's a typical Italian bean soup spiked with dried kombu which is often used in Japanese soups. If you want something a bit more briny the last recipe is a lemony pasta with anchovies and kelp. Chiles give it bite. In this, kelp is pureed but you can also use kelp smoothie cubes. Think of it as a pesto thickened with an anchovy paste flavored with lemon zest,  garlic and chile peppers.It's an interesting concept that can work with any kind of pasta, preferably a chunky kind like rigatoni.

Will it help the planet to eat kelp and its cousins? Yes. Will it help your diet? Yes. Cooking and eating seaweed is a win-win situation. Try it not just for your sake but also for the planet's.

Eat Green Eat Clean

Can changing our eating habits lessen climate change? Can our food choices deter global warming? That's what the New York Times Food Section posed today in an unusual but thoughtful section. It's a keeper section full of ideas and suggestions.

The writers at the food section teamed up with the environmental writers from the newspapers to create an interesting guide for cleaner and greener eating. Julia Moskin along with Brad Plumer wrote most of the articles. Usual contributors such as Melissa Clark and Tejal Rao delved into kelp and tomatoes. Answers to such common questions  as do what I eat have an effect on climate change and should humans stop eating meat all together. There are also answers to such questions as which foods have the largest impact and what kind of seafood should I eat. It is a good guide to bring along for green food shopping. There are also assurances to vegetarian worries and concerns, especially about switching over to a meat free diet.The section includes different charts such as the environmental impact of cow's milk as opposed to other milks such as soy,rice , oat and almond.Another chart on the percentage of various food waste is an eye opener.It will definitely change some habits. There is also a quiz on the back page that everyone should take. Home chefs may change their shopping and cooking habits after answering a few questions.

Of course there are recipes along with articles on food but with a sustainable twist.Two must reads are Kim Severson's piece on how climate change is affecting regional crops and Somini Sengupta's one on how different countries - including the US - and their eating habits affect global warming.Ms. Severson takes us around the US , from Maine where an erratic frost season is damaging the blue gems to California's year round artichoke season where warmer weather is encouraging the choke's enemy the artichoke plume moth.Ms. Sengupta's article is inspirational. She has been to different countries such as Venezuela and Viet Nam but it is Kansas that provides us with some green culinary advice. Professor Devon Mihesuah , a professor of indigenous history  and culture at the University of Kansas has a garden and diet of the original indigenous Kansans, the Choctaws. This is dandelion salad from her garden and wild onions from neighboring fields. She doesn't spray weeds, because bees need them to  pollinate.Melissa Clark gives us kelp recipes while Tejal Rao explores climate change's effects on tomatoes and how farmers are creating hardier breeds. Even Eric Asimov of  the weekly The Pour column weighs in.Wine drinkers should ask about all aspects of wine making ,from the bottle itself to mowing the cover crop and the amount of electricity used.

How we eat and drink affects the planet. Use the Times guide to help you make crucial decisions. Even a small culinary change is a change in the right direction.,

A New Discovery Seaweed

People think seaweed is just that green stuff served alongside sushi. Most discard it Most wouldn't dream of even touching it. Yet this staple has been a part of some diets for century. It;s actually not bad and if prepared right can be very tasty. Once you get used to the taste it can actually be downright addcitive.

Seaweed has been a part of many cultures for centuries. Mainly it's the Asians, namely the Japanese that have it in their diets. However it's also eaten in Europe too, namelyin the United Kingdom and Ireland. Seaweed helped save thousands of lives during the Potato Famine of 1848 and is still harvested there today. It's rich in beta carotene, chromium and zinc .Seaweed is also high in vitamins A and C along with being low in calories and fats like land grown greens. There are several different types ranging from Agar to Dulse to Irish Moss (used as food for the Irish during their famine).There is also the common kelp, Nori, Kombu , Sloke and wakame.

How do you eat seaweed? There are dried Nori sheets you can buy in packages at Chinese food stores. These are flavored usually with a light coating of wasabi mustard. You can also use seaweed as flavoring in miso soup. The greens are probably best mixed in salads. Th e flavor is the strongest when it's raw and it some have a nice crunch to them. You can cook seaweed into vegetable stews too for color and nutrients ifyou want Most use wakame for this because it resembles arugula in a way.

Seaweed is one fo the food world's most misunderstood of greens. Try it in your next salad or soup. It's high in mineral and vitamins, like any regular land grown green You may be surprised by this emerald gem of the ocean.