Out the door, Seaweed salad!

Getting back into a "normal life" routing of working 40 hours a week sure is tiring when you're used to having so much time off. What's really neat though is I've been able to stick to the diet more than ever before. I'm working 12:30pm to 9:00pm which means I can make breakfast and lunch when I get up; bring my lunch with me and cook up "dinner" when I get home.

I've been working on a really impressive dessert that will blow you all away... but the first attempt wasn't up to my standards... So I'm going to work on attempt #2 tonight.

I wasn't planning on posting this recipe at all when I pulled it out of my ass this morning (I'm not a morning person, so I'm quite impressed with myself when I'm able to be creative in the kitchen in the morning). I find I become a lot more creative when I have less ingredients at my disposal... does anyone else find that?

Seaweed salad with soy ginger dressing

1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 tablespoon water
1/2-3/4 teaspoon natural (sugar free) apricot preserve
1 teaspoon agave nectar

1 very large carrot, cut into matchsticks
3 very large kale leaves, hard parts removed, roughly chopped
1 baby bok choi, roughly sliced
1 tablespoon dried wakame, finely chopped
1/2 cup frozen edamame beans, out of the shell

Dressing ingredients

1 heaping tablespoon finely grated ginger
1 garlic clove, crushed
1/8 cup + 1 tablespoon soy milk
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon agave nectar
1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

Fill a saucepan with water, halfway. Place wakame in water and bring to a boil on high/medium heat. When water reaches boiling part, add the frozen edamame and allow to cook for 3 to 5 minutes. Drain and rinse the edamame/seaweed over cold water.

Meanwhile, in a wok, combine sesame oil, water, apricot preserve and agave nectar. Heat the mixture on high/medium heat. Layer carrots, then bok choi and then kale. Top with the seaweed and edamame. Cover and cook for 5-7 minutes until the carrots are tender. Give the salad a good stir and allow to cool for 5 minutes whilst making the dressing. Spoon portions onto a plate.

In a small bowl mix all the remaining (dressing related) ingredients together and wisk well to emulsify the ingredients. It's oil free and has a bit of a punch to it! The soy milk may look funny when you first add it to the vinegar; that's normal... Just mix it well!

Drizzle the salad with the dressing and serve!

Chef's notes: A japanese mandolin is an awesome tool. I bought one in chinatown this weekend and I'm having one of those "where have you been all my life" moments. Saves so much time when matchsticking veggies.