Japanese Burrito

Tuna prepared with mayo, salad mix, sheets of nori and hot sauce: combine and eat!

I love nori, it’s a really versatile sea vegetable that makes a great wrap for sandwich fillings.  You can use any of your favorite cold sandwich fillings rolled up in a sheet of crunchy, mild tasting nori.  Today I grabbed a bag of baby salad greens, my favorite hot sauce and a couple of cans of tuna.  I prepared the tuna with mayo and onion, some spicy Dijon mustard, a splash of balsamic, salt and pepper and the juice of 1/2 a lemon.

Layer mixed salad greens, prepared tuna and some hot sauce, then roll it up!

A healthy wrap is a green wrap!

Nori is considered to be a “super food” because it is packed full of vitamins, nutrients and even some rare trace elements. Nori is very high in protein, iron and vitamin C. It is also a great source of vitamin A, vitamin B2, iodine, potassium and magnesium. Nori seaweed has been shown to moisturize dry skin, improve circulation and detoxify the skin.  SeaSnax is a company that makes roasted, lightly oiled and flavored nori sheets.  Their snacks are crunchy and salty and satisfy like potato chips with the added benefit of  being highly nutritious!

Pack A Power Lunch

Lacinato kale from the garden

Need a make ahead, balanced meal to take to work?  This one dish salad has lots of protein with hearty greens and some carrots and onions for good measure.  This recipe makes a large amount so there is plenty to share or save the leftovers for the next day!  It’s important to really work the olive oil into the kale.  The oil helps to break down the cell walls of the plant making it possible for your body to get the vital nutrition inside.  It also makes it much easier to digest.  Not all canned tuna is created equal, wild caught tuna from Crown Prince is a sustainable company with a high quality product.  I always get the no salt added so I can give the water from the can to my kitties!

Yoshi and Ms. Kitty Rickets

This raw salad is easy to assemble once you’ve prepped all the veggies.  I like to stack the kale up once I’ve removed the stems and slice the all the leaves together into thin ribbons.

Ingredients:

2 large bunches of kale, center stalk removed, sliced into ribbons

1/3 of a medium onion, sliced in very thin half moons

1 large carrot, grated

enough olive oil to coat the kale, about 1-2 Tablespoons

2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

4 Tablespoons mayo

3 tablespoons mustard, I like Trader Joe’s Spicy Dijon

salt and pepper to taste

2 cans of tuna, drained

Combine the veggies in a large bowl with a few dashes of salt, the balsamic and olive oil to coat.  Massage the oil in with your hands or using a broad flat wooden spoon.

In a separate bowl, combine the tuna with the mayo and mustard, add salt and pepper to taste.

Add the tuna to the kale and mix well to combine.  This makes about 4 generous servings and is a well-balanced, make ahead, take along meal.  The leftovers will still be good the following day.  And, if you have nori sheets, this salad makes an excellent filling.

Go Go Gomasio!

Gomasio is a salty and savory condiment. Steam some greens, toss with oil and top with gomasio, done! And delicious.

Gomasio is a traditional Japanese condiment that aids digestion and adds flavor and nutrients to your food.  Use it like you use salt and you’ll get more flavor and nutrition.  A quick breakdown of the ingredients: Black sesame seeds are known to support kidney and adrenal function.  They also provide fiber, essential fatty acids, vitamins and minerals.  Seaweed, which ever kind you choose, is a cooling food rich in iodine and trace elements.  Nori, Dulse or Kelp all work well in this recipe. I used half kelp and half nori for the super bonus thyroid support.  For a more mellow sea flavor go with dulse or a combination of the three.  Nettles support lung health, especially helpful for asthma sufferers and they also support proper thyroid function (hello metabolism!).  Any dried herbs you add will have their own health benefits adding extra flavor, vitamins and minerals.  When making food choices it’s important to think about how you can get the maximum nutrition out of each meal you eat.  Using healthy condiments like gomasio is a great way to do just that!

Ingredients:

1 cup brown or black sesame seeds

1 cup white sesame seeds

1/2 to 3/4 cup ground seaweed like Dulse, Nori and/or Kelp (Kelp has the strongest flavor, just fyi)

1/4 Nettles powder

1 tablespoon Sea Salt

You can also add any dried herbs that you love: basil, thyme, rosemary, oregano, sage, tarragon, celery seeds, ect.

Mixing the seeds in a dry cast iron skillet over medium heat.

Lightly dry roast the sesame seeds in a cast iron skillet over medium heat.  Shake or stir so they toast evenly.  The light seeds will turn light brown and will start to make crackling sounds when done.  About 10-15 minutes.

Flippin' seeds! Toasting was a serious arm and ab workout, that skillet is heavy. I had Dana help me!

Grind the seeds in a coffee grinder or Cuisinart along with the salt so that you have about half ground seeds and half whole.

Lightly dry roast the seaweed (if is isn’t already) in the oven until crispy.  Grind in a coffee grinder or Cuisinart.

Broken pieces of kelp in the coffee grinder.....

....and after, cool smoky effects!

Mix everything together and store in an air tight container.  Add to soups, salads and other foods the same way you would use salt.

All mixed up, cooled down and ready to eat.

Afternoon Crack: Nori Never Tasted So Good

Crispy, crunchy nori snack!

I think I’m addicted! Crunchy and salty, this toasted seaweed snack rules.  My love of this recipe may have something to do with my thyroid.  Seaweed has a lot of iodine in it and iodine supports normal thyroid function.   When I am under stress or feeling a little out of balance sometimes I crave nori or kelp, I know the craving is my thyroid asking for some support.  I used to have Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis but that got annoying so I gave it up.  Who wants to take Synthroid everyday anyway?  Why not make something delicious instead, I’ll have my medicine and eat it too!  I found this on The Kitchn and the link that follows is for their recipe, which I tried and then modified, of course.

Not just for sushi, you can eat it as is, crumble over salads or use as a wrap!

Ingredients for Wasabi Toasted Nori:

3 Tablespoons water and 1 Tablespoon sesame oil (or olive oil)
2 Tablespoons powdered horseradish wasabi
5 sheets nori
salt

This recipe is easily doubled, if you decide you really like it!

You should be able to pick up some Nori and wasabi powder the next time you find yourself in that aisle of the grocery store where they keep all of the interesting ingredients.

The international aisle, white people welcome....

Heat oven to 250°F.  Or, if for some reason you oven is not functioning you can use your toaster oven.  This snack is dorm room friendly!

Combine 2 tablespoons water and 1 tablespoon wasabi in a small bowl and whisk with a fork until the wasabi is dissolved. The wasabi tends to settle to the bottom, so you may need to re-whisk between batches.

Combine the sesame oil, 1 tablespoon wasabi and 1 tablespoon water in another bowl.  It will be like a thick paste.

The bowl on the left has wasabi and water, the bowl on the right has wasabi, sesame oil and water.

Take one sheet of nori and fold it in half. Unfold it and lightly paint half the sheet with the wasabi water using a pastry brush. Sprinkle the inside with salt and press it closed. Lightly brush the top with the wasabi sesame oil and water mixture.

Using a pair of kitchen scissors, cut the nori into 5 or 6 strips and transfer them to a baking sheet.

Using kitchen scissors to cut strips of wasabi basted nori.

Repeat this process with each sheet of nori until you have filled the baking sheet. Strips can be close to each other, but should be in a single layer without touching.

Nori, ready to get baked!

Bake for 10-13 minutes, until darkened, dry to the touch, and brittle. Transfer the nori crisps to a cooling rack to finish crisping. Repeat with any remaining sheets of nori.

If you do happen to have any leftovers, I didn’t, store them in an airtight container. They will stale a bit with time, but should still stay crispy for a few days.