Meat Free Monday

by

Carrot and sea spaghetti salad

For Irish TV viewers there was  an interesting programme on TG4 recently – Garrai Glas -a show about growing your own food in traditional and organic ways.

One of the episodes which I found most watchable explored ways of  harvesting and cooking with seaweed from the Irish Atlantic shores.

Prannie Rhatigan is a medical doctor who has been harvesting and cooking with seaweed, and gardening organically, since childhood and today’s recipe one in which she combines willowy sea spaghetti and delicate carrot strips  with a sweet garlicky dressing to create a salad as delightful to look at as it is to eat.

The wonderfully nutritious fresh tasting sea spaghetti is an Irish seaweed which is high in minerals and protein including all essential amino acids. If you cannot get it fresh off the Irish Atlantic then it is available dried in stores and online.

Prannie’s Carrot and Sea Spaghetti Salad

15g ( 1/2 oz) sea spaghetti, dried or a handful of fresh sea spaghetti
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon wine vinegar
4 – 5 carrots, washed well, not peeled, and sliced into long, fine lengths with a potato peeler

DRESSING
3 tablespoons good quality olive oil
11/2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon coarse whole grain mustard
and honey
1 tablespoon mixed seaweed
2 cloves garlic, crushed
A pinch of cayenne pepper
A pinch of grey sea salt

To prepare the sea spaghetti
1 Rinse the dried sea spaghetti and soak in warm water for 1 hour or briefly steam until al dente. If using fresh sea spaghetti, rinse well and steam for 10 minutes until al dente.

2 Rinse the seaweed again and then marinate in lemon juice and wine vinegar for a few hours or overnight.

3 Some can be left full length to decorate – chop the remainder into 2.5 – 5cm (1 – 2 inch) pieces.

To prepare the salad
1 Combine the dressing ingredients in a small jug or bowl.

2 Pour the dressing over the carrots and sea spaghetti and allow to marinate for at least an hour.

Category : Healthy Recipes, Lifestyle
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