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Wakame: Health & Healing from
the Sea |
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Naturally
occurring compounds called sulfated glycans such as fuicodan appear to confer
a host of health benefits: Animal studies indicate that this family of
chemicals helps prevent certain forms of cancer, interferes with a key player
in arterial blockage (i.e., retards smooth muscle cell proliferation in
artery walls), and appears to mobilize bone marrow stem cells! Since
Wakame is available in many grocery stores and on the internet, you may want
to add this to your dietary regimen now (And eat Wakame-rich dishes in tandem
with using our soon-to-be released supplement). To help facilitate this, I
have assembled recipes that use Wakame, as well as commercial sources for
this seaweed (See below). Also, I have included links to websites
that feature books, vendors, and such that emphasize the paleodiet
(Paleolithic or “Stone Age” Diet). I
have also tacked on some abstracts from the NIH’s PubMed database on various
studies involving sulfated glycans. For those who are not acquainted with
the paleodiet, it is a high-protein, complex carbohydrate diet that is
consonant with dietary patterns we are best adapted to handle (at many
levels). You can read more about it by
clicking on this link: http://14ushop.com/wizard/living-longer.html Wakame and other sulfated glycan-rich
foods and substances make “good fits” with the basic dietary thrust of the
paleodiet. |
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Wakame Also indexed as: Alaria See also: Recipes
with Sea Vegetable Traditionally added to miso soup, wakame is also good with other
vegetables or in salads, stir-fry dishes, and rice dishes. Wakame (Undaria
pinnatifida) is leafy and mild in flavor. Wakame turns green after
soaking. The browner varieties have a stronger flavor. It is common to
Japanese waters. Varieties A sea vegetable closely
related to wakame is alaria (Alaria esculenta); it is common to
Atlantic waters. Black or dark green in color, alaria is similar to wakame in
appearance, taste, and nutrition, but needs a longer cooking time than
wakame. Alaria is good in stews and grain dishes. It can also be used in miso
soup instead of the traditional wakame. Buying and storing tips Wakame and alaria are mostly
found in natural food stores or specialty markets. Dehydrated wakame should
be stored in an airtight container in a dark, dry place. Cooked wakame should
be kept under refrigeration. Availability Dehydrated wakame is
available year-round. Preparation, uses, and tips Traditionally added to miso soup,
wakame is also good with other vegetables,
or in salads, stir-fry dishes, and rice
dishes. Nutritional Highlights Alaria,
1/8 cup (2 Tbsp) Health benefits and concerns Health
benefits and concerns for vegetables Copyright © 2002 Healthnotes, Inc.
All rights Miso and Wakame Soup Ingredients: · 2 teaspoons Genmai Miso · 2 Spring Onions (use the whole onion - cutting
off only the top inch - this means that you will be using the tasty green bit
as well) · ½ Small Onion · 1 teaspoon Olive Oil for frying · Wakame Seaweed (don't be fooled into thinking
that the 'crispy seaweed' that you can buy in the supermarkets has anything
to do with seaweed - read the label some of them don't have any seaweed in
them at all). · ½ - 1 pint Water Method: Chop and fry the onion in a little oil
in a saucepan. When done, add the miso and a little water (only a few mls)
and start mixing them together into a paste with a spoon. Continue to add
water until you have enough soup for your needs. Add the chopped spring
onions and the wakame and almost bring to the boil. This is all the cooking
wakame needs. Other seaweeds such as kombu need cooking for hours. Variations: 1.
Add garlic in the frying stage. 2.
Add a little bit of thinly sliced red pepper in the
frying stage. 3.
Add a little tumeric powder. Storage: This soup is so easy to prepare that
storage usually does not become an issue. However, it may be stored in a
refrigerator and reheated (preferably in a microwave oven). Eat within a few
days.
Wakame, Bean
Thread & Cucumber Salad
Prep Time: 10 to 15
minutes 1 cup dried wakame 1. Boil bean
threads and wakame in three cups of water for three minutes. Drain bean
threads and rinse them in cold water. Cut the wakame into thin strips 2 to 3
inches long by 1/8-inch wide. 2. To make salad
dressing: Combine vinegar, soy sauce, honey and sesame oil in a small jar and
shake vigorously. 3. Toss wakame
strips, chopped onion and bean threads together with the dressing in a large
salad bowl. Let marinate 30 minutes in refrigerator. Before serving add
cucumber, carrots and red bell pepper and toss.
Simple Wakame
Salad 1 clove garlic, grated Grate the ginger and
garlic. In a small bow, mash the avocado, ginger, garlic and Bragg's
together. Break greebs and wakame up into bite size pieces. Toss
all ingredients together thoroughly. This recipe is courtesy
of San Franicisco LiFE _________________________________________________________________ Title: Wakame Onion Mushroom Soup RECIPE:
INGREDIENTS: 1 cup garbanzo flour
Mix the garbanzo
flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, curry powder, and garlic together and set aside. Wet the tofu
pieces and let them drain for a few minutes. Dredge them in the seasoned
garbanzo flour and sauté in 3 tablespoons of olive oil until lightly brown on
both sides. Arrange a bed of
lettuce on each serving plate and keep them cool until you are ready to
assemble the salad. Sauté the onion
in the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil, with the pepper, garlic, and remaining
1/2 teaspoon of salt, over medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the cucumber
and wakame and sauté for another 4 to 5 minutes. To assemble the
salad, place 1/2 cup rice or amaranth or quinoa in the center of each plate.
Put 3/4 cup cucumber mixture around the rice/amaranth/quinoa. Arrange three
pieces of tofu on each plate. Place a small amount of Curry-Flavored
Mayonnaise on each plate and garnish the salad with the shredded radish. Cynthia's Hearty
Vegetable-Miso Soup (Reprinted with permission from Bastyr faculty
member Cynthia Lair's book, Feeding the Whole Family) · 5-inch
piece of wakame · 6 cups
water · 1 potato,
diced · 1 carrot,
chopped · 1 cup
chopped greens (watercress, kale, collards, or bok choy) · 4
tablespoons light or mellow miso · ¼ - ½ pound
firm tofu, cut in small cubes Garnish ·
2 scallions, thinly sliced Place wakame in a small bowl of cold water and soak
for 5 minutes. Put water, potato and carrot in a 3-quart pot; bring to boil.
Remove wakame from water and chop into small pieces, removing the spine. Add
chopped wakame to soup. Lower heat, cover pot and let soup simmer 15-20
minutes, until vegetables are tender. Near the end of cooking time, add chopped
greens and tofu cubes and let them simmer for 2 or 3 minutes. Ladle about ¼
cup of broth from the soup into each soup bowl. Dissolve 1 tablespoon of miso
into the broth in each bowl. Add more broth with plenty of vegetables to each
bowl and stir gently. Garnish with scallions. __________________________________________________________________ Carrots, leeks
and turnips with Wakame Seaweed
Heat a tablespoon of oil in a skillet and sautee the
leek for a few minutes. Add the carrots and turnips. Cut the wakame in small
pieces and add together with the soaking water. Cook on medium flame till the
water dries up and add tamari to season. Garnish with chopped parsley. WAKAME: Wakame helps to reduce high blood
pressure. Seaweeds are specially rich in minerals. TAMARI This natural soya sauce that has
undergone a natural process of fermentation helps in our digestion. It is
preferable to use tamari that has been at least fermented for 18 months or
more. It balances the acid and alkaline elements in our bodies. NOTE:
All the ingredients found in the different recipes are found in health
stores. WAKAME SEA SALAD
WITH GINGER SESAME DRESSING Shrimp tempura is served with the tail attached for
an attractive presentation; however, the end of the tail contains water that
can make the oil spatter during frying. Cut off the very end of the tail,
about one-thirdof an inch. 1 ounce dried wakame 1/4 cup rice vinegar 2 tablespoons mirin 1 tablespoon soy sauce (Use a lite version if on a
salt-restricted diet) 2 teaspoons sugar (Alternatives: Stevia, honey) 2 teaspoons grated ginger root 1/2 teaspoon sesame seed oil 1/4 teaspoon salt, optional 2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds Place the wakame in a large bowl of warm water. Soak
for 20 minutes or according to package directions until it expands six or
seven times and is tender. Trim off any tough parts; cut into smaller pieces.
Rinse well and pat dry throughly. In a small bowl, combine the rice vinegar,
mirin, soy sauce, sugar, ginger root, sesame seed oil, salt and sesame seeds.
Pour over the wakame; mix well. Serve chilled. Makes 4 servings. From "Japanese Cooking for
the American Table" by Susan Fuller Slack (HP Books, $15) Tested by Susan Selasky for the Free Press Test
Kitchen 46 calories
(26% from fat),1 gram fat (0 grams sat. fat), 6 grams carbohydrate,
1 gram protein, 242 mg sodium, 0 mg cholesterol, 11
mg calcium, 0 grams fiber. Wakame and
Cucumber Salad 1 cup cucumber, sliced as thinly as
possible into rounds Sprinkle
cucumber slices with salt. When they soften, lightly squeeze the water out of
them. Soak wakame 10 minutes in water to soften, and then cut into 1-inch
lengths. Make dressing by mixing vinegar, water, sugar, and soy sauce. Stir
cucumbers and wakame into dressing. SERVES 4
1. Soak wakame in warm, filtered water until soft (about 5 minutes).
Drain well and cut into strips, removing tough center stem. Misoshiru Miso Soup 1 medium onion, chopped 1/2 daikon, diced (or a turnip) 2 to 3 carrots, diced 1/2 head cabbage, shredded 2 tb wakame (seaweed), soaked in boiling water &
chopped 4 tb barley miso 1-1/2 tb basil 1 tsp marjoram Put everything together in a large pot except miso. Cook
until the vegetables are tender, Take a small amount of hot liquid from
the pot and gradually stir into the miso. then add to the pot. Warm gently
without boiling and serving. Note: If you are unable to find wakame, you can also
use hijiki (spelling?), kombu, or arame. You should be able to find one of
these in your local NFS or Oriental grocery. Clear Soup with
Wakame Serves 4 Hot Vegetarian Ingredients 8-inch piece of Wakame Seaweed 32fl.oz. Dashi Stock 1 tbsp Sake 2 teaspoon Lite Soy Sauce Instructions 1. Soak the wakame in cold water for 10 minutes. 2. Meanwhile, place the dashi in a large saucepan
and bring slowly to the boil. 3. Add the sake and soy sauce to the dashi and mix
well. 4. Rinse the soaked wakame, drain well and cut into
2.5cm/1-inch pieces. 5. Add the wakame to the saucepan and simmer for 1
minute only. Serve immediately. Cubes of tofu can also be added to the soup at the
same time as the wakame.
Seaweed and Cucumber Salad Serving Size : 4 1/2 Cucumber -- for Dressing: 4 tablespoons soy sauce Wash cucumber and slice thinly. Saute in sesame oil
over medium heat for 2 minutes. Boil bean sprouts until crisp and tender,
about 1 minute. Drain and rinse under cold water. Wash salt off fresh wakame seaweed and soak for
about 5 minutes. Chop into 1-inch pieces. If you use dried seaweed, soak it
in water for about 20 minutes, remove the hard parts, and chop into 1-inch
pieces. Arrange cucumber, seaweed, and bean sprouts on a
platter. Combine dressing ingredients and mix well. Toss with
salad just before serving. Garnish with chopped ginger.
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