Kelp: it’s what’s for dinner!

by

KELP!

KELP!

Ive talked ad nauseum about how Ive been gluten free for close to two decades (insert awkward joke here about “how can that be since Im only 24!?”).

Ive also prattled on about how I dont “do” replacement foods.

I dont use gluten free pasta/bread entirely because they werent around when I made the switch & I never bothered to add them in later.

Im an intuitive eater and ever since I realized gluten was the trigger for my symptoms Ive NOT intuitively craved any of that stuff.

Ive also yammered at you about how Im not a foodie.

My foods tend toward the super basic (life-long. my poor mother was baffled by my tastes as a child) & since I cant stand rarely indulge in sauces etc. I strive to be food-adventurous in *other* ways.

I know my best chance for raising a Tornado who loves a wide variety of healthy foods is to practice and not preach.

I juice.

I chia.

I flax.

I self-sneak.

I Kombucha.

I hemp.

I shirataki.

And without fail, whenever I do any of the things listed above, the Tornado *asks* to be involved & taste what Im sampling.

My new obsession with manipulating KELP into a noodle’y substitute was no different.*

First, of course, I brought my query to the Book of the Face.

I knew I wanted to try kelp. I had no idea what one did with the kelp. I was certain you’d have my answers.

And you did.

You gave me tips. You told me it was, indeed, possible to make these CRUNCHY STRANDS more chewy noodle like. You completed me when you know to what I was referring when I said:

Kelp. Kelp Kelp. Words lost all meaning.

Our kitchen adventure was born.

The first thing that struck me with the kelp was it, unlike the shirataki, did NOT need to be refrigerated (until after opening).

We snagged it from the cupboard and ripped.right.in!

It emerged in one big clump.

It emerged in one big clump.

Being who we are the child and I IMMEDIATELY had to smell the kelp.

Although Id read repeatedly it had no odor (unlike the shirataki) we were skeptical.

We sniffed (no odor!). We examined the package (lottsa scentless liquid in the bottom). We rinsed the kelp (even though we’d not seen anywhere stating you had to).

our kelp post-bathing.

our kelp post-bathing.

After we dried our kelp we plopped it in a bowl.

Without missing a beat the Tornado announced:

It looks like a bowl full of hair!!

hairbowl.

hairbowl.

Interestingly (thankfully?) it didnt feel like hair. It felt more like al dente pasta!

noodle'y

she claimed it felt like plastic.

 

Look Mama! Rapunzel hair!

Look Mama! Rapunzel hair!

And then the fun began.

Our (finger quote) recipe (unFQ) called for us to cut the kelp into pieces and soak in tomato sauce for thirty minutes.

The 9 year old could not *wait* for the cutting process:

snippity snip!

snippity snip!

Her cutting enthusiasm was quickly eclipsed by the fact I told her she could dump in the tomato sauce and mix it by hand! (Id been informed this was the best/easiest way to kelp-mix.)

her fave part

stickysquishy!

And then we waited.

And *then* the Tornado kept asking me is it time yet? is it time yet? oh mama I know I keep asking Im just so excited is it time yet???

And *then*, after 30 minutes bathing in tomato, our kelp was ready.

our kelp relaxing in a tomato soak

our kelp relaxin’ in a tomato soak

She insisted on tasting first which thrilled me to no end.

I loved the fact she was adventurous enough *not* to want me to taste before she would it.

first reaction.

first reaction.

 

Look at me! Im kelp'ing!

Look at me! Im kelp’ing!

 

Our verdict:

  • We liked. We both agreed we’d have liked more had we never known it was kelp! Somehow we couldnt get the notion of not-noodles-IS-SEAWEED our of our brains.
  • We doctored. After adding some meatballs our kelp tasted even more like spaghetti.
  • We done. We agreed we want to try kelp again. (pesto? alfredo? salad?) We also agreed next time we’d choose a different soaking sauce.

And you?

Are you a current-kelper? And, if not, are you now sufficiently intrigued to kelp right along with us?

 

POSTS BY EMAIL

Never miss a post. Enter your email to get my latest posts delivered to your inbox.

Comments

  2. I think I’ve heard it is really good with pesto?
    I am never trying it so I will never know LOL

  7. Does it taste “seaweedy”? I’ve tried other types and can’t deal with the aftertaste, no matter how it’s prepared. But you tempt me to try try again.

  8. I love how adventurous your daughter is!!! I agree it looks like hair…but then again once you had the sauce on it it looked great! You have me intrigued!

  10. LOVE kelp noodles! But I never eat them raw! I saute them with lots of veggies to give them a more noodle like consistency and use them to make mac and cheese! I also soak them in water and lemon juice for a day before using them to reduce the bitterness.

  11. I am not a current kelper however, this looks like the perfect activity for the next snowstorm!!! My boys will be all.over.it….hopefully not literally.

  12. My husband has no idea that he loves kelp noodles!! I use it to make cold noodle salads! I sautee up some beef or shrip and make a tahini/ginger/garlic/coconut aminos sauce and then julienne a ton of veggies, add some kelp noodles and fresh cilantro! Eating it as a crispy cold noodle salad made it so my mind wasn’t so weirded out. 😉 we love it though!

  18. I have been looking for these but have yet to find them locally. I thought you would have to cook them… hmmmm?

    I bought some black bean noodles and love them!

  21. I’ve never tried kelp – actually I didn’t know exactly what it was until you said it was seaweed. Fun that y’all try things together!

  22. I used to really ADORE these things but I cannot touch them ever again because I ate them the night before my stomach “exploded” and needed surgery… So now they creep me out! But I did love mixing them with tomato paste- I love the CRUNCH!

  24. I *LOVE* that you referenced that episode – it is one of my favorites, and I say “the word has lost all meaning” ALL the time, tartlet or not 😉

    I love that the Tornado is adventurous, and that she likes the kelp! yes, WE KELP! we find we like them best with a spicy red sauce, pesto is VERY good too! Alfredo is not a strong enough flavor, in my opinion.

Trackbacks

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This