*Or, Nori is the New Kale
[Sometimes, you just want a dish that’s quick and easy–no fuss. I’ve decided to offer a mini-post every once in a while, for a dish that comes together incredibly quickly or else is so simple to make that no recipe is required. Here’s today’s “Flash in the Pan.” (For other FitP recipes, see “Categories” at right).]
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Remember this old joke?
Ricki: I’m on the seafood diet.
HH: What’s that?
Ricki: I see food, and I eat it.
Story of my life.
I’m aware that a common term for seaweed (ie, arame, nori, dulse, wakame, etc.) today is “sea veggies,” but every time I hear the term, I think of that old joke. Then again, there’s nothing wrong with eating sea veggies!
Seaweed is actually a stellar source of Omega 3s, those essential fatty acids (EFAs) that help feed the brain, decrease inflammation, prevent chronic degenerative diseases such as arthritis and heart disease (and even lupus), and basically just keep us healthy. Because our bodies can’t manufacture EFAs on their own, we need to eat foods that contain them. For many people, salmon or fish oil is a key source, but those of us following vegan diets need to find other means. For many years, flax seeds were the stars in the Omega 3 arena, but recently chia has taken over that first place position (walnuts are also great sources).
But guess what? All those salmon and fishies people consume for the high Omega 3 content have to get their O-3s somewhere, too–and their source for EFAs is–seaweed!
The toasted nori craze has been around for a while, but I came rather late to the bandwagon (or, in this case, submarine). I was delighted to be a guest this week on the Rogers TV show In the Know with Julia Suppa. Our topic was “The Problem with Sugar,” and as an example of a sugar-free snack, I brought some toasted Sea Veggie bites with me. The ones I brought were store-bought, but I knew they wouldn’t be hard to make at home. So I pulled out my nori and got baking!
I consulted this recipe for inspiration, but in the end made my version quite differently (except for folding the nori in half before baking). Compared to standard sea veggie crisps, these strips are thicker and crunchier because of their double thickness. I will warn you, though, they are incredibly addictive! It’s very easy to eat the entire batch on your own.
In fact, if you see these nori snacks, you may just eat these nori snacks–all of them. Well, there’s nothing wrong with getting some extra Omega-3s, right?
Quick Spicy, Salty, Crunchy Nori Snacks (ACD all stages)
inspired by this recipe
I originally wanted to make these with wasabi powder, but realized we were out, so I used Thai Green Curry Paste. It worked beautifully. For the spice element, you could use hot pepper sauce, Sriracha, hot chili oil, or another type of curry paste that suits your fancy. NOTE: You need a pastry brush for this recipe.
1-1/2 heaping tsp (8 ml) Thai green curry paste (I used Thai Kitchen)*
1-1/2 tsp (7.5 ml) toasted sesame oil
3 Tbsp (45 ml) Bragg’s liquid aminos, tamari or soy sauce
2 Tbsp (30 ml) water
9-10 nori sheets (the kind you buy to make sushi at home)
Preheat oven to 250F (120 C). Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment, or spray with nonstick spray.
In a small bowl, mix together the curry paste and oil until you have a smooth paste. Add the Bragg’s and water and whisk until well combined.
Take the nori sheets one at a time and lay out on a cutting board. Fold in half along the long edge, then unfold. Using a pastry brush, brush one half of the inside with the curry paste mixture, then fold the nori back in half to cover it. Brush the top of the rectangle, flip it over and brush the bottom so that both outside surfaces are coated. Cut the nori into 6 relatively even strips (cutting perpendicular to the fold). Gently lift the strips and place on the cookie sheet in a single layer (they can be close together as long as they’re not overlapping). Continue until all of the curry mixture is finished (you should have enough for 9 or 10 nori sheets).
Bake in preheated oven 15-20 minutes, rotating the sheets about halfway through, until the strips are dry, beginning to curl up on the edges, and almost brittle (they can have a bit of flexibility left in the middle; this will dry out as they cool).
Remove the strips to a plate to cool. Store in an airtight bag or container for up to 3 days. Makes 27-30 nori crisps, about 3 servings.
* For ACD Stage One, use about 1/4 tsp (1 ml, or to taste) cayenne pepper instead of the curry paste.
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I thought this recipe would be great as a submission to Amy’s Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays this week.
Last Year at this Time: Review and Recipes: Becoming Raw (Zucchini “Linguine” with Marinara and Hemp Parmesan–all raw!)–ACD Stage 1 & beyond
Two Years Ago: Blog Break
Three Years Ago: Old Reliables: Salads You Can Count On (3-Bean Salad, Coleslaw, Baby Greens w/ Hearts of Palm)–ACD Stage 1 and Maintenance
Hi! I'm Ricki, cookbook author, professional recipe developer, holistic nutritionist and anti-candida crusader. Let me show you how easy it is to eat plant-based, sugar-free, gluten free food that tastes great! 
I’m keen to try this, because I have heard so many things about making kale chips and mine were terrible. I couldn’t even suffer through them; however, we love chips! I look forward to trying again, but with a different “material”!
Hmmm. . . I must admit I adore kale chips! I find these just as delicious and easy to eat. My hubby had one and said, “wow, those are good. Unusual. . . but really good.” Hope you feel the same! 🙂
“In a small bowl, whisk together the Take the nori sheets one at a time and lay out on a cutting board. ”
I think you’re missing part of a sentence there…..
Ooops! Thanks for pointing that out. I’ve added the missing link. 🙂
This sounds like the perfect snack — I love nori. Too bad I ate it all and forgot to buy more at the store today. 🙁
I don’t even love nori on its own (though I love sushi)–and I love these. The “seaweedy” element is softened by baking, and the spice/seasonings add their own flare for a delicious total flavor!
Oh, Ricki, I love this post! Congrats on the tv appearances…I wish I lived in Canada so I could see you in action 🙂
I am with you on the see food diet…story of my life too.
THIS post has food that would be guilt free to put in my mouth, though, and I seriously cannot wait to try it out!! I am going to the Asian grocery store tomorrow to stock up on nori! I only have a few sheets left in the cupboard…
Courtney
Glad you like it, Courtney! I’m still working on the “see food” diet thing. 😉 Enjoy the chips, guilt free–let me know what you think!
I read this and thought “Hey, I can make these RIGHT NOW”! I have a countertop toaster/convection oven so I did smaller batches, but it worked great. I kept sneaking them out of the oven “for test purposes.” 🙂 I am out of curry paste so I used a raw hot sauce called Vital Heat. These are awesome – thanks for a great idea!!
Yay! So glad you like them! And glad to hear that the hot sauce alternative worked well, too. 🙂
This is my kind of treat! From the photo, I thought those were nooch flakes on top… And I think I absolutely must go try that as a variation now.
You know, I bet nooch flakes would be great on these! Those are actually flecks from the green curry that browned in the oven. 🙂 I was also thinking a thinned out cashew cheese would be fabulous spread on the nori before baking, as well. 😀
Mmm Mmm, seaweed! (errr, I meant sea vegatables). I started eating more of them when I began working with a nutrition counselor and we wanted to tackle my hypothyroidism (need natural iodine!) It wasn’t love. But recently I attended a 3-day macrobiotic cooking class and am now beginning each day with miso soup (with wakame or kombu). Fingers crossed that I will experience improved health while enjoying a huge macrobiotic breakfast! 😉
Good luck! I have a feeling you will see improvement. 🙂 When I started nutrition school, I was being treated by my conventional doctor for low thyroid. I increased my sea veggie intake (plus a few other things) and by the end of the year at school, I was off my thyroid meds! I’m not saying that will be the case for everyone, but sea veggies are a great source of natural iodine, so important for a healthy thyroid. And these taste great! 🙂
these look delicious – weird but in a good way! seaweed reminds me of the joke – why did the ocean blush, because the seaweed ha ha
I am glad to hear walnuts have lots of EFAs because I love them – and am happy to hear seafood get their EFAs from a vegan source
I’ve made these with wasabi, and they were great. Easy to go overboard with that stuff though. F ortunately its the burn that I love!
Yay! So glad you liked them! I’m curious to try the wasabi, too, since we loved the green curry so much! 🙂
I’m all over this recipe. I love nori, but can never find enough things to make with it.
You know, I really enjoy it in sushi, but I would never have said I “love” it–except, in this recipe, now I do! 🙂
what a great idea, I love my seaweed
I do, too–now! 😉
I have to admit I’m quite intrigued. I’m not a big fan of “seafood” flavours but have come to appreciate arame and wakame in the last few years. I would love to get addicted to these.
It would be very easy to get addicted, trust me! Even the HH was scarfing these down–we went through a whole package of nori sheets between the two of us, in one sitting!
To the extent you weren’t previously a seaweed fan, was it because it tastes fishy? That was my perception of seaweed, at least. I’m hoping your recipe takes the ‘fishy’ out of it, because I would LOVE having a healthy chip option!
I’m not totally opposed to “fishy,” but yes, unless it was wrapped around rice and avocado, I found nori to be a bit too fishy for my taste. With the baking and spicy seasoning, that fishiness is subdued QUITE a bit. All I know is that my hubby scarfed these down practically before I could blink! And I loved them, too. I could tell they were nori, of course, but with much less fishiness! You could always try with just one sheet (6 strips) and see how you like them. . . ?
Thanks, Ricki! I purchased a package at Whole Foods yesterday, and will test them out this weekend! I bet with a yummy dip alongside, the ‘fishy’ can be subdued one step further. Looking forward to trying it out, thanks for the great idea!
I can’t wait to hear what you think!
You don’t know how badly I wanted to see ACD Stage 1 mentioned somewhere in your post when I saw this. I’m prepping myself for starting the ACD in about a week, and I’m feeling a bit panicky about what to eat for breakfasts and snacks. I love nori and I’m glad it’s something I’ll be able to indulge in still. Thanks, Ricki!
So glad you can have these, Nicole! There are actually lots of Stage 1 recipes on the blog (look for the 2-3 months after March, 2009), but I just haven’t categorized them yet. . . trying to catch up! 🙂
wow, very cool, love that you made these yourself 🙂
I’m totally addicted. I’ve made them 4 times since I posted about them! So easy and so yummy.
I never would have thought to put Thai curry paste on nori!! What a wonderful idea.
It actually works remarkably well! 🙂
Ricki, I love nori and your recipe looks fantastic! I like the idea of using the Thai curry paste to make them spicy I will be making these this week since I have some red curry paste and nori sheets. Thanks for the inspiration!
Thanks so much, Shelley! Hope you enjoy them as much as we did. (But beware–it’s very easy to eat an entire package of nori sheets this way!) 😉
Hi Ricki
I am a little confused about the temperature.
your recipe says “Preheat oven to 250F ( C).”
Is that Farenheit OR Celcius
Thanks so much. Bought the nori & then wasn’t sure about temp.
Hi Sue,
Sorry about that–I forgot to convert to Celsius–fixed now! 🙂