Make Ahead

Seaweed (Wakame) Colorful Confetti Salad with Sweet Black Sesame Dressing

by:
May  3, 2015
5
1 Ratings
Seaweed (Wakame) Colorful Confetti Salad with Sweet Black Sesame Dressing
  • Serves 4-6
Author Notes

Seaweed (Wakame) is an excellent source of magnesium, iodine, calcium, iron, Vitamins (A, C, D, E, K, B2), folate, and lignans, which helps not only support our bodies and aids in preventing certain types of cancers, particularly breast cancer. Having a busy lifestyle of my full-time work and teaching yoga has made wakame and seaweed, in general, one of my go-to ingredients from my pantry because all I need to do is rehydrate with water and in about 10 minutes VOILA! Add them to soups, make miso soup, or drain and mix in salads. You can find dried seaweed in any Japanese supermarket (IE Mitsuwa, Nijiya), and possibly your local supermarket as I have been seeing more and more Asian ingredients become more readily available to the public. The dressing was inspired by a black sesame dressing I had at a local vegan restaurant in my neighborhood. Had to replicate the flavors, and it was too addicting not to share! Can't find black sesame powder or the seeds? No problem, use regular tahini or any other nut/seed butter as you see fit :) I hope you all try this recipe out for yourselves! —Stacy

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • Seaweed (Wakame) Salad
  • 2 cups Dried Seaweed (Wakame) see note
  • 1 large organic carrot, rinsed and peeled
  • 2 stalks organic celery, and leaves
  • 1/4 cup purple cabbage
  • 1/2 organic cucumber, rinsed and peeled
  • 1/4 lime
  • 1/4 cup raw (or toasted) sunflower seeds
  • Optional: 4 brussels sprouts, shredded
  • Black Sesame Dressing
  • 3-4 tablespoons ground black sesame (homemade or freshly ground)
  • 2 teaspoons raw organic honey or Stevia equivalent
  • 1/2 teaspoon organic sesame oil
  • 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
  • splash of tamari or low-sodium soy sauce
  • water for thinning (optional)
  • Topping: Toasted sesame seeds or hemp seeds
Directions
  1. SALAD: Place dried seaweed (wakame) in a deep bowl. Cover fully with water and let it sit on the counter top for at least 10 minutes while you prep the rest of the dish. It will absorb the liquid very fast. If needed, add more water until you're ready to prepare.
  2. Place carrots, celery, purple cabbage, and brussels sprouts (if using) into a food processor until diced to equal size. This is the colorful "confetti." Place in a large prep bowl.
  3. Add cucumber, separately, into the food processor and dice. Place in the same prep bowl. Set bowl aside while preparing the dressing.
  4. DRESSING: Whisk (or blend) all ingredients together. Thin with water or add more honey for a creamier consistency.
  5. Optional: Have also added a little bit of tahini as well for a milder black sesame dressing.
  6. TO ASSEMBLE: Drain seaweed (wakame) until majority of the liquid has been released. (You don't want a watery salad). Start with half of the seaweed and place into the prep bowl with the rest of the vegetables. Add more or less as you wish.
  7. Dress the salad by gradually drizzling the black sesame dressing. Toss to combine. Taste for added salt (if needed).
  8. Top with sesame seeds or hemp seeds.
  9. Great to mix up with whatever leftover vegetables you have in the fridge for a quick and easy dinner or light snack. Easily feeds 4 as a large salad or smaller portions for a side dish amongst 6 or 8.
  10. MAKE AHEAD: Place in sealed containers and place in fridge, undressed, until ready to serve.
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