Arame with Caramelized Shiitakes

[melody]

Adapted from the recipe in "Clean Food" by Terry Walters.

1 cup dried arame (this is a sea vegetable that can be a little difficult to find. I sourced it at a local health food store. It's also available online).

2 tablespoons of coconut oil

12 shiitake mushroom caps, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons of water (plus more if needed)

salt to taste

3-4 shallots, finely chopped

2 carrots, julianned

1 3-inch piece of daikon, peeled and julianned

1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons of toasted sesame seeds

Place arame in bowl and fill with enough water to cover. Soak for 10minutes, rinse, drain, and set aside.

In a large skillet over medium heat, saute the shiitakes in coconut oil for 10minutes, even when it seems done keep cooking to allow full flavors. If the pan starts to stick, deglaze with water and continue stirring. Add a dash or two of salt. Remove from heat and set aside.

Toss the carrots, daikon, and apple cider vinegar together in a bowl.

Return skillet to stovetop. Heat remaining coconut oil and saute the shallots for 3 minutes. Add the carrot-daikon-vinegar mix and saute for another 2-3minutes. Add the shiitakes and arame and heat through. Toss with sesame seeds. Season as desired with salt and sesame oil.

The original recipe says it makes 6 servings, but as a main dish it's more like 1.5 or 2.

[Della Nova]

I really like this recipe because I'm trying to get more sea vegetables into my diet. However, I'd probably have this as a side dish because it lacks protein. What meat/protein would this pair well with?

I may try it sometime perhaps with some nice steaks (because I know mushrooms & beef work well together).

[melody]

My husband had it with veal. I might try it with fish. I bought swordfish and plan to try cooking it this week. I'm approaching this Whole30 after being vegetarian for 9 years, and I still find eating meat to be pretty gross but am trying it because I like the fact that so far I'm not craving sugar or snacks.

The arame itself has 2gram of protein per cup, shiitake mushrooms have 2grams of protein per cup, shallots about 1g per ounce, daikon has 1g protein per 50g, and sesame seeds have 2grams per tablespoon, so yes, only about 8-10 grams of protein in this dish.

[Susan W]

I just can't wrap my head around cooking the shiitakes for ten minutes. They are one of the most delicate mushrooms around. Can you tell me how the texture was? It sounds like a fun recipe. Shrimp would be good with it too.

[Della Nova]

My husband had it with veal. I might try it with fish. I bought swordfish and plan to try cooking it this week. I'm approaching this Whole30 after being vegetarian for 9 years, and I still find eating meat to be pretty gross but am trying it because I like the fact that so far I'm not craving sugar or snacks.

The arame itself has 2gram of protein per cup, shiitake mushrooms have 2grams of protein per cup, shallots about 1g per ounce, daikon has 1g protein per 50g, and sesame seeds have 2grams per tablespoon, so yes, only about 8-10 grams of protein in this dish.

Mmm, veal sounds like a good option, but I'm a fan of lamb/veal/beef. I'm glad that you're giving the Whole30 a try. It's a big change for sure, but at least you're eating healthy foods.

I don't really count the amount of protein in vegetables towards my palmful-of-protein for meal planning purposes (although, I'm not coming from a vegetarian background). In general, I try to get a palm's amount of meat/poultry/fish/eggs, then fill the rest of the plate with veggies (like the awesome recipe you posted), and then at least a thumb's fat with that (covered with the coconut oil in the recipe).

Thank you for the recipe and the advice! I hope your Swordfish comes out well!

[melody]

The shiitakes end up tasting almost like a meat consistency. Similar to cooked portabella (if you've ever had that), but with a lighter texture. The swordfish turned out really well, with less of a fishy flavor I liked it. But had a hard time finishing the arame dish cold. This is one dish I'd recommend not saving any for leftovers. SO much better fresh than the 2nd time round...