Recipe

You may not expect it, but seaweed and dark chocolate go really well together. Hence this amazing recipe for an even more amazing chocolate cake which is definitely suitable for foodies and gastronomes. Take your time making it, the different layers that are so exciting in this cake deserve some attention. Once it’s all put together you will be the talk of the town with this unique and festive treat.

Ganache
200 g dark chocolate
120 ml almond- or soy cream
1 el maple syrup
2 el vegetable margarine, at room temperature

Chocolate cake
2 tbsp broken linseed
5 tbsp boiling water
50 ml maple syrup
200 ml soy yoghurt
100 ml apple sauce
100 g cacao powder
275 g spelt flour
1 little bag baking powder
50 g hazelnut flour (you can make this yourself by grinding up unsalted raw hazelnuts in your food processor until you get a very fine flour)
zest of 1/2 organic lemon
2 tsp vanilla powder (or vanilla grind from two pods)
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
1 sheet nori, broken up in little pieces
200 g vegetable margarine, at room temperature
200 g unrefined cane sugar
2 tbsp hot water

Vanilla/chlorella cream
225 g vegetable margarine, at room temperature
250 g icing sugar
2 tbsp almond, oat, rice or soy milk
2 tbsp vanilla powder (or grind from two pods)
zest of 1/4 organic lemon
1 big teaspoon chlorella

Extra
150 g fresh raspberries
35 g unsalted and unpeeled hazelnuts
1/2 sheet nori, broken up in big pieces
coarse sea salt

• Start by making the Ganache. Break the chocolate in little pieces. Gently heat up the almond cream, maple syrup and margarine in a bowl above water. Take the bowl of the heat when the margarine has melted. Add in the pieces of chocolate and stir well until all the chocolate has melted. Leave to cool completely and stir before serving.
• Preheat the oven at 180 degrees. Grease a cake tin with plant based margarine and lightly dust with some flour.
• Put the linseed in a little bowl and mix with the boiling water. Leave to stand for about 5 min.
• Mix the maple syrup with the soy yoghurt and applesauce in a bowl.
• In a different bowl mix the cacao powder with the spelt flour, baking powder, hazelnut flour, lemon zest, vanilla powder and peaces of nori.
• Mix up the margarine in a bowl with a fork until soft. Add the sugar and beat with a mixer for about 4 minutes until fluffy (you can also do this in a foodprocessor).
• Mix the applesauce mixture with the flour mixture and add the batter to this. Now add in the linseed and the hot water and mix until all lumps disappear but don’t over mix. It has to be a sturdy batter. Pour the batter into the greased cake tin and bake the cake for about 50-60 min or until you can put in a knife in the middle and it comes out clean.
• Switch off the oven take the cake out of the oven and let the cake cool off for about 10 min.
• Loosen the cake from the tin by running a knife along the sides of the tin, take out of the tin and leave to cool completely.
• Now cut the cake into two layers.
• Meanwhile make the chlorella cream. Mix up the margarine with a fork until soft and little by little carefully add in the icing sugar.
• Now switch the mixer to a higher setting and mix for about 2 min. Add in the almond milk, vanilla and lemon zest. Mix again on a high setting for about 4 minutes until all the sugar is absorbed by the margarine and the cream is fluffy and light (you can also do this in a foodprocessor).
• Purée the raspberries to a smooth red sauce.
• Roast the hazelnuts in a pan until golden, the skins can stay on, and chop coarsly.
• Now you have 3 beautiful creams/sauces to decorate your cake with; the ganache, the chlorella cream and the raspberry sauce. Decorate as you like! For example you spread one part of the cake with the raspberry sauce and scoop a big layer of the ganache on top. Swirl in a bit of the chlorella cream place the other half of the cake.
• Cover the whole cake with the remaining ganache and swirl in some more of the chlorella cream. Finish with the hazelnuts, raspberries and nori and a tiny bit of sea salt.

Makes about 12 slices

*This recipe is from the book Ocean Greens, written by our co-founder Lisette.

We made a wonderful 4-course Christmas dinner for you, all with seaweed! Success guaranteed on Christmas Eve, or any other occasion.

The Seaweed Christmas Dinner:

Dulse spread to go with some sourdough bread
The Fabulous Fishless Soup, a wonderful way to start
Seaweed Socca, Wild Rice Salad with Hijiki and Simple & fast Samphire or Sea Aster all in one in this powerful main course
Relax with a delicious light and creamy tiramisu

Tag us on social media if you post pic’s of this Christmas Dinner!

*These recipe are all from the book Ocean Greens, written by our co-founder Lisette.

No green ’weed this time but agar, an ingredient you may have heard about before—and may even have used. Agar, or agar-agar, is a thickener that works similarly to gelatin, but it’s plant-based: made from seaweed. Once you have gotten the hang of how to apply agar in your cooking, you will no doubt begin to value this versatile and useful thickener. It’s especially useful for whipping up mousses and creams, particularly this delicious coconut mousse, dressed as a fashionable tiramisu.

Serves 4

10 Medjool dates, pitted
1/2 cup (125 ml) strong, freshly brewed coffee (from grounds preferred)
2 1/3 cups (550 ml) coconut milk
5 tablespoons maple syrup
Zest of 1/2 lemon
2 tablespoons (15 g) agar powder
Splash of water
1 teaspoon vanilla powder (or the seeds of 1 bean)
Pinch of salt
8 (round) whole wheat tea biscuits, crumbled
Cocoa powder, for garnish
Soak the dates in the coffee for 10 minutes.

Combine the coconut milk, maple syrup, and lemon zest in a
saucepan over low heat. In a small bowl, add a splash of water to
the agar and, while stirring, pour the emulsion into the coconut
mixture. Increase the heat a little and bring to a boil while stirring
continuously. Lower the heat again and partly cover with a lid. Let
simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent it from
curdling or sticking to the pan. Remove from the heat, allow to cool,
and set aside in the fridge for at least 1 hour.

Place the coffee, dates, vanilla powder, and salt in the food
processor and puree until thick and smooth.

Once the coconut mousse has stiffened completely, remove from
the fridge. Process with an immersion blender until smooth and
creamy.

To assemble, add a scoop of coconut mousse to a small glass,
sprinkle with some biscuit crumbs, and top with a scoop of the
date-coffee sauce. Repeat. Another scoop of mousse, some biscuit
crumbs, and another scoop of sauce on top. Finish by adding one
final small scoop of mousse, then dust with some cocoa powder.
Allow to stiffen in the fridge for at least 15 more minutes before
serving.

*This recipe is from the book Ocean Greens, written by our co-founder Lisette.

Seaweed is delicious in muffins, especially in savoury muffins, topped off with a spoonful of ‘sailors-butter’ (also from Ocean Greens). Serve these umami treats with a special breakfast or as part of a meal instead of bread.

250 g wholegrain spelt flour
1 full tablespoon of baking powder
1 tsp fine sea salt
1 tbsp yeast flakes
1 tbsp dried sea salad
1 tbsp dulse flakes
rind and juice of 1/2 organic lemon
1/2 tbsp dried thyme
1 tsp smoked paprika powder
6 sundried tomatoes in oil, sliced
2 spring onions, finely chopped
100 ml olive oil
250 ml oat or almond milk
roasted sesame seeds

• Preheat the oven on 190 degrees.
• Line a silicone muffin tray with 8 paper muffin cases.
• Add the flour, baking powder, salt, yeast flakes, sea lettuce, dulce, lemon rind, thyme, smoked paprika powder, tomatoes, and spring onions into a bowl and mix well.
• Mix oil, oat milk and lemon juice in another bowl. Leave for 5 minutes (the milk will start to form lumps, this is ok and just what we need). Then add the mixture tho the flour mixture and start stirring. Stir until all lumps have disappeared but do not overwork.
• Spread the mixture over the muffin cases, garnish with some roasted sesame seeds and place into the oven. Bake for about 25 minutes until golden and ready. Serve with ‘Seaman’s Butter’

Makes 8-10 Muffins

Tip: To make this recipe gluten free replace the spelt flour for a combination of buckwheat, rice and corn flour and add about 30gr of Arrowroot.

*This recipe is from the book Ocean Greens, written by our co-founder Lisette.

Dulse Spread, a recipe for 1 jar. This creamy spread is perfect on a cracker or toasted warm sourdough bread.

Would you like to start your own seaweed adventure?  Try this easy Pesto from the Sea, from the new book about seaweed Ocean Greens! Thanks to the kombu this green pesto has a very deep and strong taste. It is a very simple recipe to make. You can experiment with all kinds of ingredients. The arugula and basil can be substituted for any kind of leafy greens if desired and the pine nuts by all kinds of nuts such as cashew or hazelnuts, or use sunflower seeds. Serve the pesto on toast, on sandwiches with grilled vegetables or as a sauce with pasta.

40 g fresh kombu (or kombu and wakame) (use pickled kombu from the health food store by the brand Atlantica, rinse the salt brine well before use)
50 g toasted pine nuts
1 small clove garlic, peeled and finely chopped
25 g basil (including the stalks)
25 g rocket
25 mL of extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tablespoon lemon juice

1. Wash the kombu thoroughly with water and make sure the extra salt is washed off. Pat dry and cut into pieces.
2. Grind the pine nuts in a food processor with the garlic, kombu, basil, arugula, olive oil and lemon juice until a smooth pesto.
3. Put the pesto in a glass jar, cover with a layer of olive oil and store in the fridge for up to 5 days.

For one jar

*This recipe is from the book Ocean Greens, written by our co-founder Lisette.

Socca is a traditional, French savory pancake made from chickpea flour. This recipe can also be used to make pizza, and gluten-free pizza at that! You can use the basic recipe for all kinds of dishes, but for Ocean Greens we can’t help but have umami play first fiddle and have seaweed as a primary seasoning. Serve this recipe with the Wild Rice Salad with Hijiki and the Simple & fast Samphire or Sea Aster.

Serves 4

SOCCA
3 1/3 cups (340 g) chickpea flour
1/2 cup (75 g) kalamata olives, pitted and sliced
1 tablespoon + 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh Italian herbs (e.g., oregano, thyme, and or rosemary), finely chopped
1 tablespoon + 1 1/2 teaspoons persil de la mer (seaweed seasoning)
1 1/2  teaspoons fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 1/2 cups (600 ml) lukewarm water
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for

SOCCA TOPPINGS
1 ounce (25 g) sea spaghetti
16 green asparagus spears
14 ounces (400 g) cherry tomatoes, halved
1 red onion, slice
Olive oil for roasting
Coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

PESTO FROM THE SEA
1.5 ounces (40 g) fresh kombu (or a mix of kombu and wakame)
1/3 cup (50 g) roasted pine nuts
1 small garlic clove, minced
1 cup (25 g) fresh basil (including stems)
1 cup (25 g) arugula
2 tablespoons (25 ml) extra virgin olive oil + extra for storing
1/2 tablespoon lemon juice

Extras
Fresh basil or arugula, optional
Nutritional yeast, optional
Extra virgin olive oil

Combine the chickpea flour, olives, Italian herbs, persil de la mer, salt, and pepper in a large bowl
While whisking, add the water, lemon juice, and olive oil. Whisk until thoroughly combined. The batter
should be pretty thick. Cover with a dish towel and let rest for at least 30 minutes to let it thicken.

Cook the sea spaghetti following directions on the package, drain, and set aside.

Meanwhile prepare the Pesto from the Sea. Thoroughly rinse the kombu with water, making sure all pickling salt has been washed off. Dab dry and cut into pieces. Puree the kombu, nuts, garlic, basil, arugula, olive oil, and lemon juice in a food processor until it forms a smooth paste. Put the pesto in a bowl and cover with a layer of olive oil. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Clean the asparagus
and remove the ends. Place the asparagus with the cherry tomatoes and red onion on the baking sheet.
Add some olive oil, toss, and season with salt and pepper.Roast the vegetables in the oven about 25 minutes,
until golden brown and crispy. Remove the vegetables and lower the temperature to 350°F (180°C).

Set out a large plate for the cooked socca. Heat a splash of olive oil in a skillet. Add a scoop of the
socca batter to make pancakes that are about 8 inches (20 cm) in diameter. Cook until the socca is
firm, about 3 minutes; flip it halfway through to cook both sides, just as you would for regular pancakes.
Slide the socca onto the plate. Repeat with the rest of the batter. You should be able to make about six
of them.

Arrange each socca into a pizza: Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the socca “crust”
on the paper. If you have several sheets or if you’ve made small soccas you might be able to fit them all
in the oven at once. Spread Pesto from the Sea over the soccas. Top with the oven-roasted vegetables
and some sea spaghetti. Bake in the oven for 2 to 3 minutes. Garnish with fresh basil or arugula, some
nutritional yeast and finish with a drizzle of olive oil.

*This recipe is from the book Ocean Greens, written by our co-founder Lisette.

The mild, briny tang of samphire and sea aster are easy on the palate for people with diverging flavor preferences. Aside from that, they contain many useful minerals, which makes this tart recipe a healthy but also tasty addition to the Seaweed Socca and Wild Rice Salad with Hijiki.

Serves 4

Olive oil for sautéing
1 small shallot, diced
1 small garlic clove, minced
10.5 ounces (300 g) fresh samphire or sea aster, rinsed and dabbed dry
Juice of 1/4 lemon
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon capers (optional)
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Heat a splash of olive oil in a skillet. Sauté the shallot until golden
brown, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for another
minute. Add the samphire or sea aster and stir-fry for about 2
minutes. Douse with the lemon juice and the water. Allow to simmer
for about 3 minutes over medium heat.

Meanwhile, prepare the capers, if using. Heat a small splash of
olive oil in a skillet. Scoop the capers from the jar and dab dry with
paper towel. Add the capers to the hot oil (watch out for splashing)
and fry until crispy.

Serve the steamed samphire or sea aster with the fried capers and
season with black pepper.

*This recipe is from the book Ocean Greens, written by our co-founder Lisette.

This packed and colorful salad is perfect for autumn. The sweet character of walnuts, sweet potatoes, chanterelles, and dried cranberries nicely complement the briny hijki and dark wild rice. If you can find fresh hijiki, that’s even better. If you do find it, you need only briefly blanch it in salted water to reduce the arsenic content. The hijiki will become bright green! As an alternative, we recommend using arame.

Serves 4

SALAD

2 cups (300 g) wild rice
0.5 ounce (15 g) dried hijiki or arame
2 large sweet potatoes, unpeeled, rinsed, and cubed
1 large red onion, sliced
1/2 orange, thinly sliced
1 heaping teaspoon smoked paprika (pimenton)
4 sprigs fresh thyme
Coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Olive oil for roasting and sautéing
7 ounces (200 g) oyster mushrooms, wiped clean and torn in small strips
1/2 cup (60 g) dried cranberries
1 cup (100 g) walnuts, coarsely chopped
5 ounces (150 g) baby spinach
Handful of fresh parsley, finely chopped

MISO DRESSING

1/4 cup white miso paste
2 tablespoons extra virgin
olive oil
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon soy sauce or tamari
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 teaspoons mirin

Cook the wild rice according to directions on the package (allow at least 45 minutes), drain, place the
lid on the pan, and let stand for 10 minutes.

Soak the hijiki for 30 minutes in lukewarm water. Once it has rehydrated, drain and dab it dry.

Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine the sweet
potatoes, onion, orange slices, smoked paprika, and thyme and season with salt and pepper. Toss with
a generous splash of olive oil. Arrange the mixture on the baking sheet and bake for 25 to 30 minutes,
until golden brown and crispy. Flip everything halfway through to allow even browning on both sides.
After 20 minutes, use a spatula toss in the cranberries. Return the pan to the oven for the remaining 5
to 10 minutes, until the potatoes are golden brown and crispy. Remove from the oven and cool for a bit.

Heat a splash of olive oil in a skillet. Sauté the oyster mushrooms until golden brown and crispy.
Season with salt and pepper.

To make the dressing, whisk all the ingredients into a nice smooth sauce. Combine the dressing with
the hijiki.

Toast the walnuts in a skillet until golden brown. Divide the spinach over four plates and add a scoop
of wild rice to each. Serve with the roasted vegetables. Top the salad with the hijiki and miso dressing.
Garnish with the walnuts and fresh parsley.

*This recipe is from the book Ocean Greens, written by our co-founder Lisette.

This dish will definitely impress your friends, family or loved ones beyond limits. Classy, surprising and nutritious, all combined on one lovely plate. The beautiful vegetable the English lovingly call Sea Lavender, finds it’s way to the consumer more and more these days through special organic supermarkets, farmers markets and green grocers, which is wonderful. As are sea kale and salty potatoes. These potatoes are deliciously creamy, pure and 100% organic. Developed and grown on the saline soil of Texel by Marc. Foods and fertilized with seaweed from the mudflats. Because of this these potatoes are rich in minerals and natural vitamins. They taste recognizable yet surprisingly different. Enjoy!

Creamy cashew sauce
150 gr. unsalted cashew nuts (soak in water for 1 hour and drain)
100 ml fresh water
1 tbsp Nutritional Yeast
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tsp smoked paprika powder
1 tsp sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 seitansteaks (by Bertyn)

Rosemary potatoes from the oven
750 gr. salty potatoes with skin on, cleaned and diced.
1/2 organic lemon with skin on sliced thinly.
1 big onion sliced in rings
2 tbsp fresh rosemary
Coarse sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Olive oil

Sea lavender (in spring) or Sea Kale (in winter)
300 gr. Sea lavender or Sea Kale, washed
Olive oil
1 big onion peeled and finely chopped
Some white wine
1 tsp dried lavender
Freshly ground black pepper

Extra
Olive oil
12 sage leaves

• Start with the Cashew sauce. Put the drained cashew nuts, the fresh water and the other ingredients apart from the salt and pepper in a strong food-processor or a power blender.
  It is very important for this recipe that the cashew nuts can be ground very finely. Blend until you have a smooth creamy sauce. If desired you can switch of the blender to scrape the sides and then continue blending. Taste well and season to taste with the sea salt and black pepper.
• Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Mix the diced potatoes with the lemon slices, onion, and rosemary and season to taste with sea salt and black pepper.
  Drizzle with olive oil and put the mixture onto the baking tray.
  Put the temperature of the oven down to 180 degrees and bake the potatoes about 20-25 min until golden and crisp. Halfway through you can turn them over so they brown evenly.
  Meanwhile prepare the sea lavender or sea kale. Heat some olive oil in a pan and brown the onion for about 3 min. Stir in the sea lavender or sea kale and bake for another 3 min. Add in some white wine (a few tablespoons) add the lavender and stir until the moisture has evaporated. Turn of the heat. Season to taste with black pepper.
• Now heat some olive oil in a pan (enough to deep fry the sage leafs in).
  add the leaves and deep fry them until golden and crispy, transfer them to some tissue paper.
• Bake the seitan steaks in some hot oil until crispy on both sides and sprinkle some ‘Persil de la Mer’ (sea parsley) on top.
• Take the potatoes out of the oven and serve them on a plate with the warm steak, some sea lavender or sea kale and a scoop of cashew sauce. Finish with the fried sage leaves.

Serves 4.

*This recipe is from the book Ocean Greens, written by our co-founder Lisette.