Imagine driving along the coast of California, admiring the gorgeous views and stunning beaches. You pull over, step out of the car, and smell the magical scent of fresh Pacific Ocean air. You breathe deep the ionically charged air, do a few stretches, and gather your seaweed harvesting tools and head down to the rocky beach. And your day begins for harvesting wild seaweed.
March 17 is St. Patrick’s Day, and while it’s true you can dye all your food and beverages green and call it a day, we’ve got some other ideas for how to celebrate the Irish-turned-American holiday. Some of them involve food of course, but others focus on enjoying the fun festivities of the day!
Green smoothies might remind you of swamp water, algae, or other green, soupy liquid, but in actuality, they’re delicious, nutritious, and a great way to start your day. Green smoothies aren’t a new concept–simply search #greensmoothie on Instagram and you’ll easily pull up more than 1.2 million posts. That said, green smoothies can turn out terrific, reminiscent of a virgin piña colada, or they can taste like the aforementioned swampy green soup. Here’s how to do it right:
Ingredients
Algae is all the rage. After being named a superfood for its amazing nutrient profile, fertilizing vegetables, acting as an anti-aging cream for our skin, feeding astronauts, and potentially becoming the fuel of the future, it’s hard not to be impressed with this microalgae.
So why aren’t people eating it by the spoonfuls?
If you frequent Japanese restaurants as much as me, you know how delicious miso soup is. If you want to save a buck, or eat at home for a change, this is the recipe for you. It should make about 4 servings and will literally take 15 minutes to make. You never want to cook miso soup too long because otherwise the seaweed will turn to mush. Also, feel free to double or halve this recipe to make the desired amount you're looking for. Don't feel bad about making or eating too much though: This recipe is only around 22 calories per serving!
Ingredients:
Spirulina and chlorella are gaining momentum, and not just in the nutrition world. From feeding livestock, to becoming biofuel, to fueling astronauts, and potentially combatting climate change, these two types of microalgae are becoming increasingly important in our future.