Cooking With Kelp
Seaweed has been a staple of many coastal and maritime people for thousands of years
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Cooking With Kelp
Seaweed has been a staple of many coastal and maritime people and especially in Asian cuisine for thousands of years and they're of increasing importance to health conscious diets everywhere around the world today. Kelp in particular is an excellent source of up to 50 different minerals and micro-nutrients, especially iodine and potassium. Kelp also yields important ingredients used in several prepared foods, nutritional supplements and herbal remedies.
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Traditional Medicine
Seaweed has been used in traditional medicine for millennia, and is also being investigated by modern western medicine for its potential use in treating cancer, stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes and other ailments.
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Large Variety Of Uses
They can be used in many different soups, stir-fry, salads, baked dishes, stews and chowders and for marinades and wraps.
Sea Vegetables can be roasted and crumbled into flakes and used in place of salt as a table condiment or finely grounded and blended with flour and they can also be deep fried and even made into a tea. -
Nutrient Rich Marine Environment
The nutrient rich cold-water marine environment on the west coast of Tasmania is amongst the most unpolluted and unspoiled on Earth.
Kelp Recipes
Pickling Brine For Kelp
Prep Time: 20 min
20 mins
5 mins
Pickling brine for kelp
2 cups white vinegar
2/3 cup water
1 cup granulated sugar
4 tablespoons pickling spices Pickles
1 long firm fresh bull kelp
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, minced (1 clove per jar)
1 teaspoon lemon juice (1 tsp per jar)
Directions:
1. Go beach combing locally and find a freshly-beached bull kelp, making sure it's firm and fresh. Get 1 or 2 glass jars with lids and make sure they're well washed.
2. Cut off the hollow portion of the kelp (discarding the bulb) and wash it well in fresh water, making sure to remove any/all sand and detritus.
3. Cut it into 1/2-inch rings and rinse in fresh water again, draining it in a colander.
4. Combine the brine ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Let boil for one minute, then remove from heat.
5. Place the kelp rings into glass jars and add slices of onion, a minced clove of garlic, and 1 teaspoon of lemon juice per jar.
6. Add the hot brine to the jar(s) then refrigerate for at least 48 hours before serving.
Kelp Chicken Delight
Ingredients:
¾ cup minced fresh storm-cast bull kelp
¼ teaspoon salt
1 onion (diced)
1 head garlic (peeled & sliced)
2 tablespoons olive oil
500 mL water
1 tablespoon vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
Spices of your choice. We use:
¾ tablespoon chicken stock powder
2 bay leaves
pinch curry powder
small pinch pepper
2 cups cooked diced boneless chicken
1 egg
½ cup grated tasty cheese
¼ cup chopped spring onions
Directions:
1. Heat oil in frypan, add onion & garlic and heat until clear.
2. Add the kelp & salt and stir while heating.
The colour of the kelp will change from brown to bright green.
3. Continue stirring. The cooking mass will develop long sticky strands that adhere to the spoon when it is lifted from the pot.
4. Continue stirring while adding the water, vinegar, soy sauce & spices.
5. Continue heating until the liquid is reduced to a point where it is almost gone, stirring occasionally (approximately 20-30 minutes).
6. Add chicken and stir through until warm.
Remove bay leaves.
7. Finally add the egg, cheese & spring onions, and stir through until the eggs are cooked.
Serves 2
Great kelp recipe and the health benefits of kelp!
Kelp Energy Bars
Ingredients:
So, how do you make these delicious, healthy concoctions?
Well, you will need:
½ oz. of kelp fronds
2 cups of almonds
hazelnuts or sesame seeds
½ cup of maple (or birch) syrup to make this kelp recipe.
Directions:
1. The first step is to powder the kelp fronds in a blender. Then add your nuts or seeds and grind them together with the kelp. You'll end up with a nicely mixed, coarsely ground blend, which you then pour into a bowl.
2. Next, add the syrup and stir it into the nut mixture.
3. Spread the mixture onto an oiled cookie sheet, pressing it out until it is about 1/4" thick.
4. Bake at 325 degrees for 20 minutes. Cut into squares while still slightly warm.
5. Cool completely and then just try and stop eating them
*Helpful Tips
(One tip from an experimental cook: I tried this kelp recipe with honey and though the bars were still tasty, they spread over the whole cookie sheet, and so were very thin. With syrup they hold together much better.)
And, just in case you need more of a reason than their delectable taste to eat these little energy bars, let me tell you a little bit about what I've been learning about the benefits of integrating kelp into your diet.
Eating just a small amount of kelp daily helps to nullify many of our body systems. It is good for overall heart health, physical, emotional, and inspirational.
It can help heal heart and circulation related problems. Daily use also provides optimum nourishment for our hormonal, lymphatic, urinary and nervous systems.
It also enhances response time and strength of our immune system, and helps loosen stiff joints.
It also helps the digestive system, soothing and nourishing distressed surfaces and helping maintain a healthy balance of digestive yeasts and bacteria.
It's good for intestinal ills and can help regulate cholesterols. It also helps with elimination of radiation, pollutants, and heavy metals if eaten regularly.
Wow! I was blown away by this list of benefits, and this is the short version!
Eating just a little (say five grams) every day can help your body in all of these ways. Personally, this knowledge has inspired me to make it a habit. I hope you make good use of this kelp recipe and find many more!
