I offer recipes for a few sushi-style rolls wrapped in seaweed in this chapter. Seaweed is a great functional youthing food, it grows in salt water and contains an almost identical range of minerals to those used by the human body. Especially rich in calcium and iodine – which controls metabolism and helps the body copy with stress – seaweed also contains anti-inflammatory factors and other plant compounds that are thought to offer protection against ageing diseases including cancer. It may also help you lose weight and burn any unhealthy fat stored around your middle.
People are often frightened of cooking seaweed, because they aren’t used to handling or eating it. So here are a few ideas to help you create interesting and youthing starters…
‘Nori’ is the Japanese word for red edible seaweed. It is usually dried into thin sheets and used to roll fish or vegetables. This spicy, nutrient-dense starter will keep you fuller for longer, thanks to avocado’s heart-healthy fats. MAKES 12
½ head of cauliflower
½ avocado, flesh chopped
1 tbsp cider vinegar
2 nori sheets
1cm slice of root ginger, peeled and finely sliced
100g firm gluten-free tofu, sliced into matchsticks
1 tbsp roughly chopped coriander leaves
¼ tsp chilli flakes (optional)
5cm piece of cucumber, sliced into matchsticks
¼ red pepper, sliced into matchsticks
1 Cut the cauliflower into florets and steam for six to eight minutes, until tender. Leave to cool and dry in the steamer for a few minutes before pulsing in a food processor until the cauliflower resembles rice. Add the avocado and pulse a few more times until combined. Transfer to a mixing bowl and stir in the vinegar. Set aside until completely cool.
2 Lay a nori sheet out on a sushi rolling mat and spoon over half the cauliflower ‘rice’. Spread the rice over the nori, leaving a 2cm gap along the edge furthest from you. Lay half the ginger, tofu, coriander, chilli flakes, cucumber and pepper in an even horizontal line across the centre of the rice (along its length) and carefully roll the nori up tightly away from you using the mat, to form a cylinder. Roll in cling film and chill until required. Repeat with the remaining nori sheet and filling. Cut each into six equal rolls with a very sharp knife, to serve.
Quinoa is a great alternative to rice; it is gluten-free, high in protein, fibre, antioxidants and must-have minerals including magnesium, manganese and copper. These are tasty, filling and youthing rolls. MAKES 24
1 avocado
juice of ½ lime
75g quinoa
2 tsp cider vinegar
1 tsp wasabi paste, plus more to serve (optional)
4 nori sheets
1 red pepper, finely sliced
1cm slice of root ginger, peeled and finely sliced
5cm piece of cucumber, sliced into matchsticks
1 small carrot, peeled and sliced into matchsticks
gluten-free tamari, to serve (optional)
1 Peel and pit the avocado, finely slice the flesh and sprinkle with the lime juice, tossing gently to coat to prevent discoloration.
2 Cook the quinoa in boiling water for eight to 10 minutes, until softened but still with a little bite. Drain. Sprinkle over the vinegar, stir it in evenly (and add the wasabi if you want, though you can add it to the filling) and set aside while you prepare the other ingredients.
3 When the quinoa is completely cool, lay a sheet of nori out on a sushi rolling mat or chopping board with a long edge facing you. Spoon one-quarter of the quinoa on to the sheet and spread out, leaving a 2cm gap along the edge furthest from you. Lay out one-quarter of the pepper, ginger, cucumber, carrot and avocado in a line across the centre of the nori sheet (along its length) and spoon over ¼ tsp of wasabi paste, if you didn’t mix it into the quinoa earlier.
4 Roll the sheet up tightly away from you, using the mat to help, to form a cylinder. Roll in cling film and chill until required. Repeat with the remaining nori sheets and filling. Cut each into six equal rolls with a very sharp knife, to serve. Serve with a dish of tamari, or wasabi, or both, if you like, for dipping.
I eat these to de-stress or when I need an energy kick; the iodine in the seaweed helps with low thyroid function and low energy and is alkalising, too. Cauliflower is a very under-rated vegetable: it is detoxifying and low-cal yet tastes like carbs, so you can get what feels like a carb fix without topsy-turvy-ing your blood sugar. MAKES 12
½ avocado
1 tsp lime juice
½ head of cauliflower
1 tbsp cider vinegar
2 nori sheets
1cm slice of root ginger, peeled and finely sliced
12 chives
5cm piece of cucumber, sliced into matchsticks
2.5cm piece of carrot, peeled and sliced into matchsticks
¼ red pepper, sliced into matchsticks
1 Peel and pit the avocado, finely slice the flesh and sprinkle with the lime juice, tossing gently to coat to prevent discoloration.
2 Cut the cauliflower into florets and steam for six to eight minutes, until tender. Leave to cool and dry in the steamer for a few minutes before pulsing in a food processor until the cauliflower resembles rice. Transfer to a mixing bowl and stir in the vinegar. Set aside until completely cool.
3 Lay a nori sheet out on a sushi rolling mat and spoon over half the cauliflower ‘rice’. Spread it over the nori, leaving a 2cm gap along the edge furthest from you. Lay half the avocado, ginger, chives, cucumber, carrot and pepper in an even horizontal line across the centre of the rice (along its length) and carefully roll the nori up tightly away from you using the mat, to form a cylinder. Roll in cling film and chill until required. Repeat with the remaining nori sheet and filling. Cut each into six equal rolls with a very sharp knife, to serve.
This is such a youthing treat, anti-inflammatory and with a double dose of good fats, it tastes deliciously rich and creamy. Eat with Mixed seed crackers or toast, or with a green or tomato salad for a quick and easy starter. SERVES 2
2 mackerel fillets, about 125g each
1 avocado, about 100g
¼ onion, finely sliced (optional)
juice of 1 lemon, or to taste
1 tsp sumac
freshly ground black pepper
1 To cook the mackerel, first remove the skin as it is easier to cook.
2 Pour 50ml of filtered water into a heavy-based frying pan and lay in the mackerel fillets. Allow to cook, turning occasionally. As the water runs dry, add a little more to fill the base of the frying pan. Cooking in this way means that the mackerel holds all its oil and is much more moist. It should take three or four minutes to cook.
3 When it is ready, take the mackerel off the heat and, when it has cooled, check for bones by breaking up the mackerel in your fingers.
4 Skin and pit the avocado and mash the flesh into the mackerel with the onion (if using). Add lemon juice to taste and the sumac and mash some more, either by hand, or blend for a smoother texture. Add black pepper to taste. Scrape into a bowl and serve, or chill for a few hours first.
This is the perfect dinner party starter: easy to make, it looks and tastes a million dollars and is super-good for you. (Just scale up the quantities to make more.) Guests will feel sated but ‘light’ as the happy fats in the avocado work their magic alongside four great alkalisers and detoxers: spinach (high in vitamin K and calcium); watercress; rocket; and fennel. As a protein option, goat’s cheese is easier to digest than other dairy products, but leave it out if anyone is lactose-intolerant. SERVES 2
FOR THE MOUSSE
a little olive oil
8 large spinach leaves
1 large avocado
8 basil leaves
40g soft goat’s cheese
1 tsp chia seeds
1 spring onion, finely sliced
2 sprigs of flat-leaf parsley
juice of ½ lime
pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
Mixed seed crackers, to serve (optional)
FOR THE SALAD
handful of mixed rocket and watercress leaves
½ sweet pepper, sliced into matchsticks
8 French beans, sliced into matchsticks
FOR THE DRESSING
2 tbsp hemp oil
1 tbsp lime juice
large pinch of ground fennel seeds
freshly ground black pepper
1 Brush two ramekins with oil and line the bases with greaseproof paper or baking parchment.
2 Drop the spinach leaves into boiling water, then immediately drain and plunge them into a bowl of cold water. When they are cold, drain once more and pat dry.
3 Spread the spinach leaves out and use them to line the ramekins, with excess overhanging the top (to cover the mousse later).
4 Place the peeled, pitted avocado, basil, goat’s cheese, chia seeds, spring onion, parsley, lime juice and nutmeg in a blender with 1 tbsp of filtered water. Pulse-blend until smooth.
5 Spoon the avocado mousse into the ramekins and cover the top with the overhanging spinach. Refrigerate for two or three hours.
6 Put the salad ingredients in a bowl. To make the dressing, put all the ingredients into a jar, screw on the lid, then shake to emulsify. Toss the dressing with the salad and place on two plates.
7 Tip each ramekin upside down on to a board; the mousse will tip out. Remove the papers and place on the salad. Finish with Mixed seed crackers to serve alongside the mousse, if you like.
Asparagus, said Marcel Proust, ‘transforms my chamber-pot into a flask of perfume’. Need I say more? It has a short season, but is worth the wait. You can make asparagus into a soup, add it to salads or just indulge in the lovely spears with some mayonnaise, as I do here. SERVES 4–6 AS A STARTER
1 Place filtered water in the bottom half of a steamer pan or asparagus steamer and bring to the boil.
2 Trim the dry ends off the asparagus. If the spears are thick, peel the thickest parts lightly with a vegetable peeler. Place them in the steamer. Steam for five to 10 minutes depending on the thickness of the asparagus, or until tender.
3 When ready, drain well. Serve with home-made Mayonnaise.
