NUTRITIOUS SEAWEED SALAD

Wakame Salad

In honor of the courageous people of Japan, I wanted to feature a seaweed salad. It is said that Japanese people have eaten sea vegetables for more than 10,000 years.

Most seaweed, because it comes from the ocean offers the broadest spectrum of minerals of any food. It also contain a large range of amino acids and numerous trace minerals like zinc, chromium, tin, boron, and bismuth, that are largely non-existent in today's food. They also are rich in lignans, which are known to help protect against cancer and inflammation.

This being said, seaweed is a bit of an acquired taste. My first encounter was with sushi, but when I discovered this salad, it was both amazing and a little intense. Now, I love it. I can feel the minerals being absorbed by my body as I eat it. Forget popping mineral tablets, go for the seaweed salad instead! There is nothing better than eating foods in their wholesome symbiotic natural state. No drug can ever reproduce that without messing up something else in the process! That is one of the biggest problem of Western medicine/pharmaceuticals drugs and all of their harmful side effects. That is from the patient standpoint and not so much the drug companies because they have to keep on producing more drugs to fix new problems the previous drug created! Come to think of it, is rather crafty!

INGREDIENTS:
  3/4 oz. dried wakame seaweed
  1 tbsp. sesame oil
  1 tbsp. soy sauce
  1 tsp. sugar
  1 tsp. ground white sesame seeds
  1 tsp freshly grated ginger (optional)
  Garlic (optional)

WASHING THE SEAWEED:
Dried wakame is preserved in salted water (see photo below). Because of it, it looks a little greyish. So you will need to soak the seaweed in a bowl of warm water for 10 minutes or more until it is soft. Drain, then squeeze out excess water. Wash wakame under cold water well and drain. If wakame is uncut, cut into 1/2-inch-wide strips. The thinner the better because the rehydrated seaweed will have a chewing quality to it but you don't want too much of it.

A loving thought for Japan

PUTTING IT TOGETHER
Combine all the ingredients and lowly add the sesame oil. Whisk dressing together and add  to the seaweed.Mix well and chill for an hour

NUTRITIONAL VALUE per serving:
Wakame is a good source of protein, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Vitamin K, Niacin, Pantothenic Acid and Phosphorus, and a very good source of Riboflavin, Folate, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Copper and Manganese.



Here is the breakdown:
   15.0mg Calcium
   10.7mg Magnesium
   36.0 of IU vitamin A
   19.6 mcg folate
   1.4mg choline
   18.8 mgTotal Omega-3 fatty acids 

NOTE: Because it comes from the ocean, wakame is high in sodium, so if you have high blood pressure, consume small amounts. Washing it well, will remove a good part of the salt.

Wakame package

This is what the package looks like, but there are other brands available. You can buy it at natural food store or an Asian grocery store.