Nori Roasted Seaweed Sheets for Gluten and Grain Free and Celiac Diets

If you have celiac disease, you probably watch bread-based food trends come and go like a child looking in the toy store window.

During the past few years we celiacs have witnessed the amazing popularity of all kinds of lovely imported sandwich breads, such as focaccia, naan and breads used in wraps that now appear everywhere from McDonalds to 7-Eleven stores. The very convenience of the wrap sandwich has made it a regular feature in the American diet.

For celiacs it is rare to have access to such convenience food. I have found a way to make wrap sandwiches, however, that is both convenient and nutritious. In addition, the wrapping substance is nutritionally rich while contributing negligible calories to the whole.

My discovery is the use of Nori, the thin rolled seaweed sheets that are used to wrap sushi. Nori is also called Yaki Nori or Roasted Laver. From Wikipedia:

...the Japanese name for various edible seaweed species of the red alga Porphyra including most notably P. yezoensis and P. tenera, sometimes called laver [1]. The term nori is also commonly used to refer to the food products created from these "sea vegetables"...

Nori is available in health food stores, but it is much less expensive if you have access to an Asian grocery store of supermarket. It comes in scored sheets measured for wrapping sushi. However, the scoring works nicely for tearing it into larger segments for making your own nori wraps. There is no need to follow the complex wrapping directions for making sushi. Simply spread a nori sheet with your filling and roll up to eat. It is important to note, however, that Nori is crispy when you first unpack it. It will become soft when in contact with any moist filling and will also wilt after a while when in contact with the air. Thus, it is a good idea to wrap and eat in one sitting.

Nori has a pleasant very mild vegetable taste. Use it with any kind of filling such as tuna fish salad; cream cheese and lox; sliced turkey or roast beef with mayonaisse, tomatoes and lettuce and all the fillings you might have in a regular wrapped sandwich.

The great advantage of Nori sandwiches: A sheet of Nori has about 13 calories. It is remarkably high in dietary fiber, magnesium, potassium., riboflavin, Vitamins A and C and is low in sodium. Thus it is a healthy alternative for anyone. But for those of us with celiac, it provides a grain-free-gluten-free sandwich vehicle-- an appealing low-calorie sandwich wrapper for a delicious on-the-go taste treat.