Garlicky pasta with heaps of nutrients from greens and gomasio!  A flavorful dish perfect for a meatless monday meal!

What’s gomasio???

Gomasio is a condiment used in Japanese cuisine as well as a staple of the macrobiotic diet.  It has an earthy, toasty, salty flavor and can be used on almost anything…pasta, rice, popcorn or salads.  However, it is more than just added flavor, it provides a plethora of trace minerals essential for health, including thyroid function.  You can even consider gomasio a “remineralizing seasoning.”

Here’s the breakdown:

Sesame Seeds:  Copper, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, iron, zinc and selenium.  In similar fashion to flax seeds, sesame seeds contain lignans, which have been proven to lower cholesterol.

Sea Salt:  Sea salt is produced through the evaporation of ocean water.  This natural process leaves trace minerals intact.  Table salt on the other hand is heavily processed and stripped of trace minerals.  It even contains additives to prevent clumping.  In the 1920’s iodine was added back into table salt to prevent deficiency.

Seaweed:  A true superfood!  Rich in iodine, lignans, magnesium, calcium, iron, potassium, pantothenic acid, riboflavin and folic aid.

Why do we need iodine?

 Iodine is an essential for the production of thyroid hormones, triiodothyronine (T₃) and thyroxine (T₄).  The thyroid glad pulls iodine from the blood and turns it into thyroid hormones, which are then stored and released when needed.   Thyroid hormones are used for growth/development, metabolism, nerve/muscle function and blood cell formation.  Adequate iodine intake is especially important during pregnancy to prevent developmental problems and birth defects.  Iodine is found naturally in dairy products, seafood and vegetables grown in iodine-rich soil.  Seaweed is a great vegan source of iodine!

  You can buy seaweed gomasio already made, but we go through it so fast it is cheaper for me to make it!

To Make Gomasio:  

1 cup sesame seeds, 1 tablespoon sea salt, 1 strip kombu seaweed

~Using a cast iron skillet over medium heat, add sesame seeds and cook until toasted.  Stir continuously to prevent burning!  Remove seeds and grind using a mortar and pestle.  Toast kombu strip in cast iron skillet, remove and break into small pieces.  Grind using a mortar and pestle.  Combine all ingredient and store in an air-tight container.~

It lends added flavor and texture to this Garlicky Greens Pasta, hope you like it!

Garlicky Greens Pasta with Gomasio

 

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Author: BeginWithinNutrition

Recipe type: Main

Cuisine: Vegan

Ingredients

• ½ pound noodles or your choice (rice, buckwheat or raw zucchini noodles)
• 1 bunch of kale, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil or oil of your choice
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 scallions, chopped
• ¼ cup fresh cilantro
• ¼ cup raw cashews
• 2 tablespoons Bragg's Amino Acids or Tamari
• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seed oil
• 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup or sweetener of your choice
• 2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger root, minced
• ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
• lime wedges for garnish

Instructions

1. Using a blender, blend together Bragg's Amino Acids, toasted sesame seed oil, maple syrup, rice wine vinegar, lime juice, ginger and set aside.
2. Cook noodles according to package. When done, drain and pour dressing over noodles.
3. In a large skillet, add coconut oil and sauté garlic until fragrant. Add kale and sauté until wilted adding a tablespoon of water at a time if needed. Add cooked kale to pasta.
4. Top with diced red peppers, chopped scallions, cilantro, cashews, crushed red pepper flakes and gomasio.
5. Enjoy!

3.2.1275

Sources:  Mayo Clinic, WebMD, Oregon State University

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