Inspirational recipes for your health. Included are the Rice and Vegetable Wakame Salad that uses wakame flakes for nutrition, as well as her Steamed Kale recipe. With these two dishes in your cooking repertoire, your body is sure to feel good and your palate will be pleased.
Rice and Vegetable Wakame Salad
For delicious wakame in a second, try Clearspring Instant Wakame Flakes. This is a convenient way to add the delicious taste and nutrition of wakame sea vegetable to your food.
These Wakame Flakes are delicious in miso and clear soups. You can add them at the end of cooking time to help retain their delicate flavour and appearance. They are also a great addition to stir-fries and salads, in which case they should be soaked in lukewarm water for 2-3 minutes before using.
Rice and Wakame Vegetable Salad Ingredients
- ½ cup organic basmati rice
- 2 tbsp. wakame flakes
- 1 small pack sugar snap peas
- 1 pack mixed salad greens
- 2 avocados, peeled and cut into large cubes
- 1 small bunch spring onions, thinly sliced
- 1 small cucumber, peeled and diced
- 2 tbsp sesame seeds
- ¼ cup toasted pine nuts
- ½ cup fresh sprouts
- Ume plum vinegar
Prepare the Rice
Rinse the rice well until running water is clear. Soak the rice in a small bowl for one hour. Transfer the rice to a heavy based pan and bring to a boil uncovered. Cover and simmer for 12 minutes, remove from the heat and leave covered for 15 minutes. Remove from the pan and fluff with a fork.
Soak the wakame flakes in water in lukewarm water for five minutes, drain and squeeze out any excess liquid. Blanch the sugar snap peas in boiling water for 30 seconds then rinse under cold water. Put all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Sprinkle with ume plum vinegar and serve.
Steamed Kale with Chickpeas and Creamy Almond Dressing
Leafy green kale has definitely earned its status as an incredible food– it’s delicious, versatile, and nutritious. I use it in soups, pasta, stews, and salads.
Ingredients
- 1 x bunch fresh kale
- 1 cup cooked chickpeas
- Balsamic glaze
Creamy almond dressing:
- ½ cup water
- 3 tbsp. white almond butter
- 1 tsp. tamari
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 2 tsp. rice syrup
- 1 tsp. lemon juice
- 1 tsp. ground flaxseeds
Instructions
Greens, rich in chlorophyll and minerals like calcium, strengthen the bones, help the blood to absorb oxygen, and bring energy upward in the body, leaving you feeling light and refreshed. Because greens have absorbed so much light, they are like “eating sunshine.”
Wash the greens, separate the green leaf from the tough stem by slicing carefully along each side of the stem. Slice or tear the leaves into 1-inch strips.
Using a stovetop steamer pot, bring a small amount of water to a boil. Add the steamer basket with the greens, cover, and steam for 4-5 minutes.
The greens will go from their raw colour to a very brilliant green, then a deeper green. Serve as a side dish mixed with chickpeas or with a medley of vegetables.
Make the dressing. Combine all ingredients in a blender. Blend until creamy, adding more water if required to reach desired consistency. Mix with some cooked chickpeas and fold into the cooked kale. Dress with reduced balsamic glaze.
Note: Unlike almond oil which is 100% fat, almond butter provides all of the fibre, vitamins and minerals of whole almonds, which are one of the only alkaline nuts.
In good health,
Marlene
A long-time vegan, lover of animals, nature and life and passionate about human ecology. As an eternal optimist, increasing the number of people worldwide to switch to a wholefood, plant-based diet and vegan lifestyle is her mission. Together with her husband Bill Tara, they have created The Human Ecology Project.
