Wakame In Soup!

Last night I made a fairly normal pot of vegetable chicken soup. But instead of adding land greens (like spinach or chard) at the end like I would normally do, I added wakame for an iodine and vitamin boost. It was super easy. Here's what I did:

1. Rinsed under cold water 5 pieces of dried wakame
2. Soaked the pieces in a bowl of water for 20 minutes
3. Drained the bowl and removed the wakame- it really grew in size!
4. Cut out the midrib (its distinctive and harder than the rest of the frond)
5. Cut the wakame into bite size pieces
6. Added it to the soup when it had 15 minutes left to cook

The soup smelled a little bit more "sea-like," but I didn't notice any difference in the taste. I really liked the texture + color of the wakame. I could have saved the soaking water to add to the broth, but I wasn't sure if it would jive with my soup recipe.

Hello My Name Is : Irish Moss/Carageenan

images from algaebase.org

Irish Moss or carageenan is a species of red algae that grows in the rocky areas of the Atlantic (Europe & North America). It has a distinctly salty "sea" taste.

Growth: Irish Moss grows to a height of one foot, covering rocks and other surfaces.

Aliases: Chondrus crispus, Cairgean, pearl moss, carrageen moss, seamuisin, curly moss, curly gristle moss, Dorset weed, jelly moss, sea moss, white wrack

History: It is the oldest sea vegetable used in industry

Nutrition: Rich in iodine, protein (10%), sulfur, vitamin A, iron, sodium, magnesium, calcium

Uses: It is used as a thickener and stabilizer in milk products (ice cream) and in processed foods (lunch meat & burgers). Also used in the brewing of beer to remove impurities in the beer. Its also used as a stabilizer is air fresheners, leather industry, paint industry, pharmaceutical industry, textile industry, and toothpaste.

Preparation: Check for small shells or dried sea life and rinse before dropping into a cooking pot. Irish Moss requires an hour of cooking to soften it and becomes gelatinous after cooked.

Recipes:
Irish Moss Jelly
Carrageen Peppermint Cream:
Raw Cacao Mousse: (scroll down to bottom)
Sea Moss- Vegan No Sugar Drink
Carrageen Bramble Flan
Carrageen Moss Pudding from Belleville
Honey and Lemon Carrageen Pudding