Hiziki Pate

Courtesy of Cynthia Lair

Surprise your friends and family with this mystery cracker spread! They will never guess that the main ingredient is a sea vegetable called hiziki, that naturally contains calcium! The tofu and sesame seeds in this recipe add calcium as well.

• 1 cup hiziki, dry
• 1/2 cups apple juice
• 1 tablespoon tamari or shoyu
• 1/2 pound firm tofu, crumbled with a fork
• 1/4 cup sesame seeds, toasted, then ground
• 2 tablespoons white or yellow miso
• 1/2 bunch parsley, chopped fine
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced

Soak hiziki in water for 5 minutes and chop fine. Put hiziki in a medium size pan and add apple juice to cover; bring to simmer. Cover pan and cook until juice is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Toward the end of cooking time, season hiziki with tamari.

While hiziki is cooking, prepare other ingredients. Sesame seeds can be toasted in a skillet on the stove for 5-8 minutes, then ground. Gently mix tofu, sesame seeds, miso, parsley and scallions together in a bowl. Let the hiziki cool and then add to the mixture. For a more pureed texture put mixture in a food processor and pulse a few times. Serve with whole grain crackers, bread, or as a side dish. Will keep 3 days in the refrigerator.

Preparation time: 30-40 minutes
Makes 2 1/2 - 3 cups.

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