I’m currently living along the Mendocino Coast where lots of seaweed is locally caught and sold. I’ve been craving a seaweed salad and was thinking a lot of about sea cucumber kale salad I had at Cafe Gratitude. I wanted to try something else, when I was at the grocery store I saw a package of Sea Palm by Rising Tide Sea Vegetables and noticed a delicious looking recipe on the back. For the most part these ingredients are easy to find and the most expensive thing might be the sesame oil needed.

You can find this recipe along with some others on Living Light’s website. Below is the recipe and information straight from Chef Soria’s website. On YouTube you can also watch a video of Chef Cherie Soria making this dish, I recommend checking this out if you are not familiar with how to remove the seeds and julienne a cucumber. She has some very helpful recommendations and moves at an easy pace.

Sea Vegetable and Cucumber Salad

recipe by Cherie Soria

Yield: 1 1/2 cups/370 mL (2-3 servings)

Sea vegetables are a valuable asset to any diet due to their rich mineral content. There are many kinds of sea vegetables, just as there are land vegetables, so don’t give up if you don’t like one or two varieties, since each has its own unique flavor and texture. A favorite is the exotic sea palm, which grows abundantly on the Mendocino coast of northern California where the Living Light Institute is located, but you may use many types of sea vegetables for this delicious dish. Fortunately, many sea vegetables, including sea palm, can be purchased dehydrated in specialty markets or online. Just soak them in water and watch them expand to many times their dried volume. This delightful salad combines tender sea vegetables with crispy cucumber and carrot and the pungent flavors of ginger, garlic, and chile-all of which add to the balance of this distinctive dish.

1/2 ounce (14 g) dried sea vegetables of your choice (such as arame, hijiki, sea palm, wakame), soaked in 1 cup (250 mL) purified water for 1 hour (depending on the sea weed you use more or less time may be needed!)
1 carrot, shredded
1/2 cucumber, seeded and finely julienned
1/2 green onion, sliced
1 tablespoon (15 mL) raw sesame oil
1 tablespoon (15 mL) freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon (15 mL) tamari (I used coconut aminos)
1 1/2 teaspoons (7 mL) ginger juice (or ground ginger, to taste) (on my package from the sea palm is says to use 2 tsp. finely minced ginger/grated ginger)
1 1/2 teaspoons (7 mL) sesame seeds
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1/2 teaspoon (2 mL) garlic powder (I did not end up needing this, but that’s me 😉 )
pinch of cayenne (on my package it says to use hot red pepper or cayenne, I used 1/4 teaspoon cayenne)
1/4 teaspoon (1 mL) toasted sesame oil (I did not use this)

1. Drain the sea vegetables (reserve the water for plants or discard), rinse, and drain well again. Dry the sea vegetables between clean dish towels or paper towels. Cut into 1/2-inch (1-cm) pieces.
2. Transfer the sea vegetables to a medium bowl and add all of the remaining ingredients. Stir well until evenly combined.
3. Stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, Sea Vegetable and Cucumber Salad will keep for up to 2 days.

I think the most preparation needed for this recipe is soaking and drying the sea palm as well as getting my cucumbers seeded, julienned, and at an even length. This recipe does not require much skill besides patience. It is very important to pay attention to the cutting lengths and styles noted in the recipe. For example, I think if the cucumber wasn’t julienned big crunchy pieces would ruin the texture and flavor. Since it is sliced so thin it absorbs the liquids nicely and slightly mimics the feeling of sea palm when chewed. Here is a photo of how my Sesame Sea Palm and Cucumber Salad came out 😀

This recipe makes two to three servings! So fight the power to consume it all at once, I know it was difficult for me. But I did make my favorite Sweet & Spicy Baby Bok Choy Salad to accompany the Sesame Sea Palm and Cucumber Salad. What I love about this Sesame Sea Palm and Cucumber Salad is that it is light and filling. Light vegetables are used, and the oils are not heavy either. The appearance is lovely as well, the colors all compliment each other nicely and the texture is amazing. If you aren’t use to eating much seaweed I highly recommend giving a salad like this a chance. The dressing in this reminded me of an oily version of the seaweed kale salad I had at Cafe Gratitude. Their recipe does use tahini, so it has more of a thickness to it. But if that salad interests you may be this will please your taste buds too 😉

Seaweed only smells fishy when it is soaking, once it is dried with towels it does not have much of a smell really. My friends ask me all the time how can I handle eating seaweed when the smell of seafood bothers me so much 😛

Just a few health benefits of seaweed if you still aren’t convinced:

Seaweed is extremely low in calories, most seaweeds are rich in essential amino acids, that are valuable sources of vegetable protein. Look at that another way to answer that, “How do you get your protein?” question that we all are so tired of hearing haha. Also, seaweeds contain vitamins A and C. Seaweeds are rich in; calcium, potassium, iron, iodine and magnesium because these minerals are concentrated in sea water. They are also one of the few vegetable sources of vitamin B-12. This is a vitamin many vegetarians and vegans lack and it is crucial to brain function and mood.

Thank you all so much for taking the time to visit my website and sharing this rawmazing food experience with me. Have an amazing weekend, eat lots of yummy live foods and I hope you stop by again soon! Much love & raw power ❤

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