Recipe: Vegan “tuna” salad

Post by Olivia Martino, Registered Dietitian and Co-owner, Nourish Northwest

Those who attended my Sea Vegetables workshop yesterday know how excited I get about these little mineral rich sea miracles.  Sea vegetables are predominant parts of other cultures’ cuisines, but are often overlooked here.  I love showing clients how to incorporate them into their diet.  They are an easy way to boost your daily intake of calcium and iron, two nutrients that most people rely on meat and dairy to get.  Dulse flakes have a slight fishy flavor, which works perfectly in this recipe.  I found them in the bulk section of People’s Co-op.  Thanks to Margaret for sharing this recipe with me!  It will now be added to my recipe rotation, as I am always looking for good protein-rich lunch options.

 

 

 

 

Vegan  “Tuna Salad”

Adapted from foodsforlonglife.blogspot.com

Ingredients

2/3 cup organic sunflower seeds, soaked overnight

1/3 cup organic almonds, soaked overnight

2 tablespoons olive  oil

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest

1 tablespoon Dulse flakes

1 teaspoon sea salt and black pepper to taste

2/3 cup celery, minced

2 scallions, chopped

2 tablespoons red onion, minced

2 tablespoons parsley, chopped

Preparation

Rinse the sunflower seeds and almonds and put them in a food processor with an S blade. Add flaxseed oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, Dulse flakes and half the sea salt and process until it forms the texture of canned tuna fish. Scrape down the sides as necessary. Put this mixture in a mixing bowl and stir in the celery, onions and parsley. Add black pepper and the additional salt if needed. Serve or refrigerate the salad mixture (it actually tastes better if you allow some time for the flavors to meld) and serve it the next day.