Seaweed Rocks My Taste Buds

I think I deserve a party or some type of fete, because I've discovered something that takes a lifetime to achieve: the ultimate, make-at-home seaweed.

I know what you're thinking - 'She's crazy!'- but I thought we had already established that. Seaweed, for those of us who love it and can't get enough of it, is a tricky food to buy and prepare yourself. Sure, you can go into any Japanese restaurant or market and order a seaweed salad, but a. that's annoying b. it's expensive and c. they always taste the same. About 90% of the seaweed salads that you can buy are only made with wakame seaweed, and, on top of that, they tend to be drenched in sesame oil and sometimes even contain jellyfish pieces called kurage.
That said, being able to make your own seaweed at home is the ultimate accomplishment. For a long time I was making my seaweed salads and soups with Eden Foods Wakame Seaweed. It did the trick, as I bought it time and again, but it was better suited for soups than salads because of its uber slimy texture. Plus, if you don't like the spines on the seaweed leaf, or if you don't like chewing through foot long, lasagna noodle-sized pieces of sea vegetable, then it's a bit of a nuisance to cut and slice up.
Given the annoying, slimy, and short shelf-life of this seaweed, you can understand why I am so incredibly elated to have found its exact opposite. I discovered my dream seaweed when I was in New York City a few weeks ago. My friend Katlin had just moved to the city from Oahu and so I simply had to take her to Pearl River Mart on Broadway, one of my favorite quirky stores. Of course, before we shopped, we stopped at Dean and Deluca for some coconut water and fresh tangerine juice.
Shopping details aside, when we were perusing the snack and tea section of the store, walking down memory lane remembering all of the Asian foods and candies we used to eat in Hawaii, she pointed out a package of Shirakiku Cut Dried Wakame Seaweed, exclaiming that it was the exact seaweed her mom buys and cooks at home. Because she was so enthusiastic about it, I got a bit curious, hoping that maybe I had found 'the one.' So I quizzed her. How do you prepare it? You just soak it in water for five minutes. How salty is it? Not the least. Can you eat it plain, like a salad? Yes, most definitely. I was a bit skeptical, but I bought two bags.

A few days later when I returned to Connecticut, I decided to try it out. Here's what I encountered...

1. First I poured half of the bag's contents into a small bowl.

2. Then I poured in enough cold water to cover the top of the seaweed.

                                                                    
                                                              

I left the bowl sitting on the counter and although I only needed to wait five minutes for the seaweed to be ready, I went upstairs and watched a full episode of Weeds.

3. 30 minutes later I returned to the kitchen and lo and behold.....! The seaweed had grown at least 2 1/2 times its original size! It was like the Incredible Hulk of seaweed right there on my kitchen counter!

And then it was time for the taste test..... Believe it or not, (as I didn't at first! I kept waiting for a bad bite), it did not taste salty or sea-ish in the least! Incredible! For those who are as obsessed with seaweed as I am, you will understand what a feat this is. Not only is seaweed a naturally salty food, but generally when it is dried, it is preserved with salt. 

I ended up eating the entire bowl, even though I planned to only eat half at first, it was that good. Because it was not slimy or salty, it was easy to season and only required minimal sprucing up. I added some shoyu and two cloves of minced garlic. For added crunch, I chopped up celery and mixed it in as well. 

For anyone who is eager to try to seaweed, I highly recommend this brand of seaweed and am even considering ordering packages of it over the Internet, I'm that committed!

Bon appetite!

'A' is for 'Addiction'

It seems like I've been talking about addiction quite a lot lately. I don't really consider myself as one who has an addictive personality, but I suppose I am prone to extreme enthusiasm and intense short-term interests.

Mulling over the fact that I've been drinking at least two raw juices a day for the last week or so, I realized that my fridge had become frighteningly full and quite green in content. I suppose I am a bit proud about this fact as my fridge, although normally quite green in selection, is even more green than usual. In fact it's almost as if spring has arrived inside my fridge as well.

I took a photograph of the interior of my fridge this morning because super healthy food content caught my eye as I reached for my SIGG water bottle.

Not only is my fridge overflowing with fruits and vegetables for juicing-- zucchini, cilantro,broccoli, cucumber, apple, carrot, kale, pepper, celery, and ginger-- but it's full of other health-packed foods. Some foods to highlight (and recommend to others) are: coconut water, soy milk, goji berry juice, a pitcher of iced oolong tea, and Vegenaise.

I love psycho-analyzing the interiors of fridges (as if they were cognitive beings!) to see what they reveal about the food preferences and even personalities of their owners.

I'd love to see what YOU have in your fridge as well, so please email me or comment on and post pictures and descriptions of the interiors of your fridges and what your favorite foods are!

I'm excited to see what (or if) you send in!

Peace!

Juicin' Like A Fiend

Apparently, I just can't get enough juice these days as I've been drinking at least two juices a day! As my friend Katlin so wisely commented, my Breville centrifugal juicer has indeed become my new favorite toy!

Because it's so fun (and yummy), I thought I'd do a post about some of the juices I've drank in the last two days. They might look a bit nasty, but they taste great. In a few days I'll do a post on the benefits of juicing and why it is better than blending your fruits and veggies. But for now, humor me and enjoy the pictures cataloguing my newest obsession.

Power Juice:

-3 stalks celery

-1 carrot

-1 green apple

-1 broccoli stalk

-1 zucchini

-lemon juice

Comment:

What a powerfully rich and healthy juice! Zucchini, a sadly unappreciated, oft ignored vegetable, is super high in potassium, Vitamin B and C, and calcium. It's also a great thirst quencher and its juice has been drunk for this purpose in tons of cultures worldwide for centuries. Carrots are high in antioxidants and Vitamin A as is celery (which is also high in Vitamin B). Apples are great sources of antioxidants and flavenoids which are important for a healthy heart and heart disease prevention. And lastly, broccoli. Broccoli, which is sometimes called a 'miracle food', is high in Vitamin C, folic acid, potassium, and is known to prevent a number of diseases such as lung cancer, diabetes, tumors, Alzheimer's, stomach and colon cancer, heart disease, and arthritis.

'S' is for 'Saturday' and 'Sinister Juice Bar'

I've been on a juicing binge lately, and, for the past three or so weeks it has been my habit to drink a tall glass of cold, live juice after my bikram class. Today, however, I thought I'd change things up a bit and alter routine...quite a lot.

Instead of heading to Bikram Yoga in Glastonbury for the noon class today, I decided to try out a new yoga studio, West Hartford Yoga, and to take a hot vinyasa class-- my first vinyasa (non-Birkam) yoga class in almost three months!!!

Stepping into the soothing, female empowering confines of the studio, I remembered why I used to love going to vinyasa yoga so much, but during class and after class, I remembered why I switched over to Bikram: I simply get a better workout that stretches, works, challenges, and detoxes my body far better than any other form of yoga. I also have to admit that it's hard to love something that you aren't good at. Although I have been practicing yoga for years, taking a three month hiatus on ashtanga/vinyasa style yoga has really taken its toll on my practice. It's quite bizarre when your body is so fit and competent at one form of excercise and yet completely inept at another.

After class, I decided to drive to a nearby raw food cafe and juice bar that I had read about on the internet rather than drive the 25 minutes home to juice, shower, and do homework. Let's just say, it was a bad decision.