When I think of summer, my mind immediately turns to thoughts of fresh vegetables and fruit, farmer’s markets in full swing and hazy humid weather where all you want is something light and refreshing to eat. And who wants to cook in the kitchen when that time could be so much better spent outside enjoying the sun? Enter our Summer Strawberry Salad: quick, easy, nutritious and delicious. Plus there’s something about these classic salad ingredients that play so well together.

Ingredients

• Spring mix
• Strawberries
• Feta cheese
• Cashews
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Balsamic vinegar

Okay, so there’s not really a recipe to follow here… throw the first four ingredients on a plate and top with the olive oil and vinegar. Did we mention that it was easy?

I always thought of seaweed as something only used in Japanese cuisine; however, after a study of Irish foods, I realize it has a long tradition of use in some recipes. Darina Allen says: “...seaweeds are an entire world of undiscovered knowledge for many people although they have been part of the diet of coastal peoples since time immemorial....In our family, the babies are weaned onto carrageen moss (a type of seaweed) pudding” (The Forgotten Skills of Cooking, page 65). I never knew about this aspect of Irish food history until recently, and the more I learn, the more fascinated I am.

Despite my foray at the beach that you see in the pictures, I chose to purchase my seaweed at a local health food store to ensure freshness/safety, and to be certain I knew the variety. I plan on taking a seaweed walk in Ireland to improve my knowledge of the varieties, of course (see below for seaweed walk companies).

At a local health food store, I was lucky to find raw kelp that was already cut into noodles (Ocean Approved is the brand name). The kelp I purchased was green and simply seaweed cut into noodle shapes. There are clear “kelp noodles” found in most health food stores or Asian markets; however, these are not raw. I wanted as close an experience to raw seaweed, and I found it with the Ocean Approved Kelp!

Kelp, Noodle Cut

Below I have listed where you can purchase kelp and Irish sea spaghetti, which Clodagh McKenna uses in her Vegetable and Seaweed Salad. Her dish simply inspired mine, so I have not tasted the sea spaghetti; however, the kelp worked delightfully! I am sure the Irish sea spaghetti will also.

Ingredients (serves 4)

For the salad

• 3-4 sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into bite size pieces
• Olive oil
• Salt
• Half head of red cabbage, chopped
• 3 scallions, diced
• 1 granny smith apple, peeled and grated
• 1-2 handfuls of rinsed and blanched seaweed (either Irish sea spaghetti or raw Kelp- noodle cut)

For the dressing

• 2 tbs of lime juice (about 1 or 2 limes)
• 2 tbs of honey
• 2 tbs of olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 400°

Preparing the seaweed:
If using Irish sea spaghetti (see below for availability): rehydrate the sea spaghetti and rinse -according to the package- then put in boiling water for about five minutes. I cooled them before tossing with the other ingredients.
If using RAW kelp noodle cut (harder to find- but my local health food store had them. Again, they are green, not clear like the popular kelp noodles you find- so look for raw): defrost if frozen, overnight in the fridge. Rinse thoroughly. You can eat them raw or throw them in boiling water for about a minute, which I did.

Toss the peeled and chopped sweet potatoes with a bit of olive oil and salt. Then roast them in oven for about 15 minutes (be sure to stir halfway through)

While the sweet potatoes are roasting:
Chop half a head of red cabbage into bite size shred-like pieces- then rinse and pat dry with paper towels.
Rinse and dice three scallions
Make the salad dressing by whisking together the lime juice, honey, and olive oil
Finally, peel and grate the apple. Do this step after all the other ingredients are ready since apple tends to brown quickly.

Toss everything, from kelp noodles to apple (except the sweet potato), with the salad dressing. Divide onto plates and place the sweet potatoes on top of each plate of salad. And dig in!

To Purchase

Whole Foods, various locations

Ocean Approved www.oceanapproved.com Portland, Maine (to find a store near you that sells their kelp)

The Cornish Seaweed Company www.cornishseaweedcompany.co.uk (ships to the US for about $6.50, which is reasonable)

To Learn More About Seaweed

Prannie Rhatigan www.irishseaweedkitchen.ie (knows everything about seaweed)

Milseog na Mara www.milseognamaraonline.weebly.com (a seaweed company started by five teenagers- based in Donegal)

Atlantic Irish Seaweed www.atlanticirishseaweed.com (conducts seaweed walks)

Irish Seaweed Safari www.wildirishseaveg.com (conducts seaweed walks)

Tentatively identified as the Alaria variety by the folks from Atlantic Irish Seaweed!