Kombu

Kombu (or konbu) is an edible kelp from the family Laminariaceae widely eaten in Asia. Most kombu is from the species Saccharina japonica (Laminaria japonica), extensively cultivated on ropes in the seas of Japan and Korea. Over 90 percent of Japanese kombu is cultivated, mostly in Hokkaidō, but also as far south as the Seto Inland Sea. Kombu can be used to make soup stock. If you cook beans, adding some kombu in the cooking process, will make the beans easier to digest. You also can make kombu tempura. Kombu is a good source of glutamic acid and contains iodine, a mineral that is essential for normal growth and development. It is also a source of dietary fiber. If you live in Thailand, you can buy kombu here.

Nori

Nori is the Japanese name for various edible seaweed species of the red alga ;Porphyra including most notably P. yezoensis and P. tenera. Finished products are made by a shredding and rack-drying process that resembles papermaking. Japan, Korea, and China are the current major producers of nori, with total production valued at up to US$2 billion per year. Nori is commonly used as a wrap for sushi and onigiri. It is also a common garnish or flavoring in noodle preparations and soups.
Nori is most typically toasted prior to consumption . It is high in fiber, protein, vitamin C, calcium, iron, iodine and zinc. Nori, like all seaweed, is excellent for Vegans as it provides up to ten times more calcium and iron by weight than milk. In the East research has shown seaweed strengthens the circulatory system and lowers cholesterol. It also boosts metabolism so helps with weight-loss. Both pets and plants benefit from it as well. In Wales and other parts of Europe nori is called laver. The Welsh make it into laver bread by mixing oatmeal, fresh boiled laver and orange juice, forming it into cakes and frying. A popular dish there on the Saint David's Day.
If you live in Thailand, you can buy nori here.

Hiziki

Hijiki or hiziki (Sargassum fusiforme, syn. Hizikia fusiformis) is a brown sea vegetable growing wild on rocky coastlines around Japan, Korea, and China. The written kanji forms of its two names, which are examples of ateji, literally mean deer-tail grass andsheep-nest grass, respectively. Hijiki is a traditional food and has been a part of a balanced diet in Japan for centuries. Hijiki is known to be rich in dietary fibre and essential minerals such as calcium, iron and magnesium. According to Japanese folklore, hijiki aids health and beauty and the thick, black, lustrous hair of the Japanese is connected to this regular consumption of small amounts of hijiki. If you live in Thailand, you can buy your hijiki here.

Vegan Cheese Sauce

Do you miss those cheezy sauces because you want to eat healthy? Here is a very good recipe.

1 1/2 cup of rice milk
1/4 cup of any flour (I used whole wheat flour)
2 table spoons of sesame tahini
2 table spoons arrowroot
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
3/4 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic
2 teaspoons of light miso. 

Place all ingredients in the blender and process untill completely smooth.
Pour the liquid in a small saucepan and cook over medium hight, stirring constantly with a wire wisk until very thick and smooth.

This is another recipe from "The Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook", that you can buy in our store.

It is slightly adapted for health food, as I do not want to use nutritional yeast flakes, I use the miso instead.
You can add 1 teaspoon of mustard and/or a bit of paprika powder too.

Of course this sauce is delicious with macaroni, spaghetti, on cauliflower or broccoli.

When children less than 7 years old  eat at your table make a second batch of this sauce, but without the salt and half of the tahini, and add some natural colour, so you can make the difference between the child sauce and the adult sauce.

Mouthwatering, indeed!

Chickpea Burgers

Ingredients:
2 cups chickpea flour
1 cup grated carrot
2 small onions, diced
2 Tablespoons fresh coriander leaves (cilantro), chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ginger, grated
optional 1/8 teaspoon garlic, minced
other herbs/spices to taste.
Mix everything very well, add water till you get a kind of burger feeling and bake well on both sides.

Chickpeas are also called garbanzo beans and are beneficial for pancreas, stomach and heart, contains more iron than other legumes and are a good source of unsaturated fats.

Tempeh

Tempeh is fermented cooked soybean, originally from Indonesia, but lucky for us, it founds it way all over the world, via the health food stores.
I prefere tempeh over tofu for many reasons: if the tempeh get older, it gets more "cheezy", tempeh is a fermented product, tofu is not, tempeh contains vitamine B12 (except the tempeh made in the USA, as the FDA applies some strict rules about "hygiene").
The best way to serve tempeh is to marinate a few hours in a bit of soy sauce and ginger, and then bake it in some sesame oil. But it is also delicious grated for spaghetti sauce in stead of meat, or even in soups, but don't forget to fry it first.You can make burgers with it, tempeh chips and a lot more.
Here are some books about tempeh

Miso

Image via Wikipedia
Miso is a traditional Japanese food produced by fermenting soy (sometimes together with rice, barley) and with salt and koji (starter). The result is a thick paste used for soups, sauces, spreads and pickling vegetables.
High in protein and rich in vitamins and minerals, miso played an important nutritional role in feudal Japan. Miso is still very widely used in Japan, both in traditional and modern cooking, and has been gaining world-wide interest as it is now available in health food stores around the globe.
Miso is typically salty, but it's flavor and aroma depend on various factors in the ingredients and fermentation process. Different varieties of miso have been described as salty, sweet, earthy, fruity, and savory, and there is an extremely wide variety of miso available. Sometimes miso is called after the ingredients, sometimes after the color: mugi-miso (barley miso), shiro-miso (white miso), aka-miso (red miso) etc...
Miso has vitamine b12, enzymes and a lot of minerals that makes it a very healthy product.
Some modern healthfood books have recipes with raw miso, but miso should never be eaten raw, and never be cooked neighter, it should simmer a bit, just below cooking temperature. And never give miso to babies. Here you can find some books about Miso.