Sea Vegetable Noodle Salad, Naked or Wrapped

The noodles in this salad are made from wakame, a seaweed, or sea vegetable that has been transformed into a noodle.  These noodles have the texture of a rice noodle and absorb the flavours of the dressing nicely.  They are good, promise.  Sea vegetables are rich in iodine, which nourishes the thyroid.  They are also a super source of all major and trace minerals, most notably calcium.  Kelp noodles would also be a good replacement here and while they don't look green, they are.

To give a new texture and green up this salad even more, you can wrap it up in a collard leaf.  Collard leaves are from the brassica family of vegetables and are often available in very large flat leaves which makes them the perfect vehicle to wrap up this naked salad if you wish.

Dressing:

3 tbsp almond butter

1 tbsp extra virgin olive

1 tbsp sesame oil (toasted or raw, toasted has a stronger flavour)

2 tbsp lemon or lime juice

1 – 2 tsp unpasteurized honey

1 tbsp tamari

1 – 2 tsp ginger root, grated (the more you use, the more spice and flavour)

1 – 3 tbsp hot water

Hot sauce or a little cayenne to taste

Salad:

1 package (16 oz.) seaweed noodles (wakame or kelp), you can substitute buckwheat noodles here as well

2 leaves kale, finely chopped

½ cup red pepper, diced

1 carrot, julienned

1 scallion, julienned

2 tbsp sesame seeds (preferably black because black foods are very nourishing to our kidneys and can increase our energy and overall well-being, white will also work well)

Blend or hand-whisk the dressing ingredients together adding the hot water to the dressing 1 tablespoon at a time until the desired consistency is reached.  Rinse the noodles and let them sit until water is drained.  Place vegetables and noodles into a bowl.  Pour most of the dressing over the noodle and veg mix, stir until well-combined and adjust the flavours if desired.  Use the rest of the dressing to dip your wrap if you are wrapping it up, or refrigerate.

To wrap:

Wash and pat dry a large collard leaf.  Cut the thick part of the stem out.  Wrap up as you would if you were using a tortilla shell.  You can pack this in a lunch and the leaf stays sturdy without getting soggy.

Recipe courtesy of Angela Bewick.  Angela is a Holistic Nutritionist and works in the Amaranth Wellness Department in Arbour Lake.  Ms Bewick  also  brought us the Pumpkin Chaga Latte.  Thanks, Ang!

We used Sea Snax Wakame noodles, check with your local Amaranth store for availability:

Best of luck with your greens!

Posted by Amy Buckman.