Well It Tastes Like Sushi

If you think sushi is easy to make think again. I was excited about making my first vegan California rolls. I bought the mat, the seaweed, and the precooked Japanese rice. I watched the videos , studying the exact way to slice up an avocado. Did it work out? Well, the end result did taste like a California roll.

It does start with the rice and seaweed sheets. I used Shirakiku precooked rice straight from the container. Big mistake there.I should have microwaved it first. Then there was the seaweed, Hagoromo's split sheets of nori. I think this was my second mistake.It should have been a solid sheet. This was not easy to roll up on the new sushi mat

This is the mat drying now.

I was proud of the avocado slicing along with the cucumber peeling

I bought shredded baby carrots.

These are the three essential ingredients in a vegan California roll. It's a matter of flattening the rice with the sushi mat and then flipping it. There has to be knack to it. I did manage to roll the veggies into the rice and nori.

However ......

It looked like Godzilla stomped on it  Yet it did taste like the Cali roll I get at Sarku.It just needed a little soy sauce and it was a delicious treat.  I now know to use whole sheets of nori and microwave the precooked rice for more malleability. I won't give up. 

The perfect California roll is out there.It's just going to take more practice along with the right ingredients to make the ones I love. From there, it's on to other tastier sushi rolls.

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.

Swimming In Seaweed

Seaweed isn't usually on the top of everyone's grocery list.Yet, it is not only tasty but high in nutrition.It's also a perfect departure from everyday ingredients too. even holiday parties and meals can be made more interesting just by adding it to the menu.

This veggie from the sea is a good addition to any diet , especially now in the cooler months. Eat a gram of it and get your daily dose of iodine. Seaweed is also high in Vitamin C and the arame kind is rich in potassium..It is also loaded with Vitamin B12 and taurine.Calorie wise it's only 30 per helping which makes it a nice alternative to land lettuce.It also helps in burning calories as well, perfect for those wanting to fit into those slinky holiday party dresses and pants.Seaweed has a slightly fishy, slightly briny and slightly leafy flavor.It becomes addictive once you get used to it. Start off the with dried  and salted chips to become acclimated with it.

Any kind of seaweed is highly versatile. The most used is the nori variety, which makes for the outer layer of all sushi.However you can also use the nori in a seafood risotto dish .Another way is in a light miso soup where  it adds both color and flavor.Seaweed makes for interesting salads. You can just serve it with a rice wine vinaigrette or add cucumber and grape tomatoes for a refreshing change of pace.Another super salad is mixing the different types with kale . This will give you not only a tasty lunch or side but a dish packed with Vitamin C and loaded with potassium too.

Add seaweed not just to add color and punch but also for its' nutritional value. It;s a great way of getting all those vitamins and and a good helping of  minerals too . Get away from the land lettuce and discover what the sea can give us.

Edamame Snacks

Snacking is always fun, Unfortunately it's not always healthy which is a pain. That problem can be solved by making those yummy soy beans or edamame. These beans are not only fun but good for you. They make a great treat for movie night or during football games.

The beans were the subject of Mark Bittman's column How To Cook Anything in yesterday's New York Times Dining section. Edamame is an excellent snack along with any other bean as Mr. Bittman points out, He seems like an avid vegetable gardener as he describes the variety of his homegrown legumes from black beans to scarlet runners. Any bean can be turned into a snack, All you do is just boil them, drain them and then sprinkle them, preferably with coarse sea salt. They're an excellent source of protein which are rich in proteins and good carbohydrates.They're also devoid of all that fat and transfat most snacks have.

Now here's th e fun part. Use spices and sauces to jazz up them and any other bean. Most people like edamame just with a sprinkle of sea salt and maybe dipping the pods in a rich dark soy sauce. However , there are other dips that work just as well, Try rice vinegar or lemon juice for a tart variation.Toast sesame seeds til they pop and sprinkle them onto the shelled beans. You could also add a few chiles for some bite.Toast nori or Japanese seaweed and crumble on top. You can also toss the shelled beans with curry or chili powder for some fun fire,. Another idea is to  sweat some garlic or ginger in peanut oil. Drizzle this over the edamame.

Edamame is a good and healthy snack. Have them plain or with a variety of sauces for a different kind of nibble. They're fun and unusual , but better than the usual fare.