Arame Purple Cabbage Slaw with Tahini Goddess Dressing

Spring has apparently sprung (or was bypassed in favor of summer?) for my dear friends and family in Michigan where they’ve been enjoying record high temperatures. Even though it’s still possible that they’re in for a good Mother’s Day snowstorm (it wouldn’t be the first time!), for now they can savor the warm weather and perhaps enjoy the colorful fresh veggies spring has to offer like this favorite slaw of mine.

In general, I’m actually not a huge fan of seaweed. The strong fishy flavor is usually what turns me off to it. I do enjoy sushi rolls occasionally, but even the nori on rolls can be a tad too strong sometimes (I know, I’m weird, right?!). I’ll still eat them, but there’s something about that flavor that can be so offensive to me. And that’s what I love about arame because it lacks that distinct fishy flavor and is one of the most mild sea veggies there is.

Above you’ll see the lovely arame in it’s dried form and this is what you’ll be looking for when you purchase it at the store. For this recipe, you’ll want to pull it out of the bag and cover it with warm water to soak for at least 15 minutes.

While your arame is soaking, chop the veggies and make the Tahini Goddess dressing. Before moving on, I have to stop right here and mention that this dressing is possibly my all-time favorite. In college I used to purchase Annie’s Goddess dressing at my local co-op before learning how to easily make my own homemade version of it. The homemade version is just as good, if not better (and doesn’t use any extra oil!), if I dare say so myself. 🙂

Once you’ve chopped your veggies and placed them into a large mixing bowl you’ll have this beautiful rainbow of colors.

After the arame has soaked for at least 15 minutes it will look like this. You then want to strain it with a sieve and squeeze out (with your hands) as much excess water as you can before adding it to the rest of the salad.

Toss all of the veggies including the arame together and then add the tahini sauce and toss again until everything is well coated and the dressing is evenly distributed. Easy peasy, hey? At this point you’re done and ready to enjoy!

Arame Purple Cabbage Slaw with Tahini Goddess Dressing

Ingredients

• 1 small head purple cabbage, chopped into small strips
• 1 large carrot, shredded
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into thin slices and halved
• 2 scallions, white and green parts thinly sliced
• 2 cups dried arame

Tahini Goddess Dressing

• 1 clove garlic
• 2 tablespoons tahini (roasted or not roasted—either works just fine)
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce (tamari, shoyu, or Bragg liquid aminos—whatever you prefer)
• 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 1/4 cup water
• salt and pepper to taste

Soak Arame: Place the arame in a medium bowl and cover with very warm water. Let it soak for a minimum of 15 minutes. It always takes me a bit longer to prep the rest of the veggies and tahini sauce so I just let the arame soak until I’ve completed all of that.

Chop Veggies: While the arame is soaking, chop all of your veggies and place them in a large bowl.

Make Dressing: Place all of the dressing ingredients in a mini food processor or blender and blend until completely smooth.

Assemble: Toss the veggies and arame together in the bowl and then drizzle the dressing and toss again until all veggies are evenly coated with the dressing.