Coconut Walnut Shrimp and Carrot Ginger Rawsghetti

Deliciousness!!! So easy to make as well.

I apologize for the lack of measurements - this recipe was all about taste, smell and intuition. So trust yourself and I encourage you to find your inner chef voice!

The vegan condensed milk was a pleasure to create. I was worried.... but it turned out to be delightful.

I found this lovely product at whole foods which I added to water with a bit of coconut crystals for sweetness, although it probably did not require much sweetener. The coconut crystals are a sugar alternative and they are naturally low on the glycemic index which is great for weight control and maintaining glucose and lipid levels in people with diabetes.

I would guestimate that I started with 2 cups of water and reduced the liquid to about half its original volume. I squeezed half of the bag of the coconut into the water just as it reached the boiling point and then turned it down to simmer and reduce. I added a splash of sesame oil and a tablespoon of Braggs. When I was happy with the texture - which should be THICK! Think... just a little thinner than condensed milk consistency. I slipped it into the refridgerator while I made the rest of the dish. The milk definitely thickened up when placed in the fridge.

Bake the Vegan Shrimp/Calamari according to directions.

While they are baking you can make the Rawsghetti and puree your walnuts.

Add about 1/2 cup of walnuts to your food processor and puree. Set aside.

Rawsghetti Noodles:

Daikon and Golden Delicious apples.

Spiralize the daikon and the apples. Our Daikon made the longest noodles!

My Father was intent on having my dog learn how to jump rope with one..... she just stared at us like we were crazy. No jumping daikon noodles was accomplished.

Spiralizing is a great deal of fun. Just look at how beautiful this apple looks... like art~!

I like my noodles crips crunch and raw - but some people prefer a consistency closer to a cooked pasta. If you would like to get a little closer to this consistency you can soak your veggie noodles in some warm water (I suggest flavoring the water with miso)

Rawsghetti Sauce:

Combine the following to your liking

(I suggest more carrots than other ingredients

Carrots

Fresh English Peas

WOW what a flavor

Mirin

Rice Vinegar

Umeboshi Plum Vinegar

Ginger

Braggs or Tamari

Slightly warmed coconut oil
just at the melting point where the oil is still slightly light in color and not see through

spring onion

celery

miso
ensure your miso is JUST miso and doesnt contain bonito or dashi
(this is a fish base that is quite common in miso)

Combine above ingredients in a food processor and run until pureed. Voila! Delicious raw and healthy!

Now that you are about ready to dish everything out and serve it up - go ahead and pull out the 'condensed milk'. Stir in your walnut puree and spoon it over your calamari and shrimp. Top with a few chopped walnuts.

Vegan Tikki Masala Socca 'Pizza' with Carmelized Curried Apples and Shallots

This was such an amazing dinner! It turned out to be quite delicious. Even my carnivore husband who was dreading the meal (after he heard the word apples combined with pizza) - said how wonderful it was.......

The entire kitchen filled with the aroma of the tikki masala sauce. There is a warmth in the air the richness of the scent was delightful.

I was very excited to try the recipe because Tofu Tikki Masala is one of my all time favorite dishes! I used to visit this Tibetan restaurant that made amazing Tikki Masala... but alas - authentic Tikki Masala has a great deal of cream.

Socca is so versatile. You can do just about anything with it... make wraps, make crisps... make a pizza! The flavor of the socca is sprouted grain earthy and goes well with just about anything you can imagine... you can go incredibly creative or just keep it simple. I want to try socca dessert crisps next!

For the socca - you do need some time to let the batter sit. It creates the perfect opportunity for you to take some space and silence in your busy schedule. Sit with your socca batter. If you do not wish to meditate in loving kindness or to sit in peaceful awareness I recommend reading a poem to your socca batter. The recommended time for sitting is 2 hours, but the longer it sits the better the flavor...... so perhaps you could set your batter near a speaker and play a nice symphony to it. Invest yourself in this creation and BE with your batter. At least for a nice pause.... you don't have to sit with your batter for 6 hours straight ;)

Socca

2 cups chickpea flour

3 teaspoons sea salt

3 tbsp EVOO

4 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

4 to 6 tablespoons olive oil

3 tbsp freshly chopped basil leaves

2 teaspoons cumin

2 teaspoons crushed red pepper (optional)

1 spring onion chopped and crushed

2 cups water

a few tablespoons of Earth Balance soy free butter - or vegan butter

In a bowl combine your dry ingredients and slowly whisk in warm water until all of the lumps have dissolved. Stir in 3 tablespoons EVOO. Then set your bowl to rest for at least 2 hours. You can let socca sit for up to 12 hours.....Your batter should be runny and slightly less thick than pancake batter. Just before you cook the socca add the onion and basil to the batter.

When you have spent enough time saturating your batter with Love and you believe your batter is ready to be transformed into socca......put your oven on 475 and place a delightfully seasoned cast-iron skillet in the oven or you can use a pizza pan or round pan - Let the oven heat the pan for at least 15 minutes before you open the door. be sure to oil the pan well with a high temperature oil and set back into the oven for a couple of minutes before pouring the batter.

Pour your batter into the pan and bake it for approximately 15 minutes or until the pizza crust is firm. In a seperate pan melt a wee bit of Earth Balance soy free butter - or vegan butter - just enough to brush over the top of the crust. Set your broiler on high and place the crust back in the oven. Broiling is dangerous business and takes concentration and attention. Be sure to keep an eye on your socca pizza crust as to not burn the crust! Just let it brown a bit....

Tikki Masala

{Please understand that these measurements were not exact... when creating the sauce I just sort of combined, smelled tasted it to perfection - so play around with your flavor}

1/2 lb of cashews

1/2 box of garden tomato soup
2 garlic cloves minced

cumin

coriander

ground cardamom

paprika

a dash of cloves

garam masala

1 small can (or half an 8oz can) of lite organic coconut milk

1/2 cup fresh english peas

for a creamier sauce you can add a bit of tofutti cream cheese

In a saucepan combine all of the above listed ingredients and simmer for 15 minutes. Once the cashews have cooked a bit use an immersion blender to grind pease and cashews into a delicious pulp. Test your sauce and bulk it up with tomato sauce if it needs to be heartier or add more spices if it is bland.

Toppings!

tempeh sausage

carmelized curry apples

Manzanilla (a green olive) slices

shallots and

mozzerella style daiya (Im not a huge daiya fan, but everyone in my family loves it.... I prefer to make my own "cheese" but for the sake of time I went with the daiya)

Carmelized Curry Apples and Shallots

You will get no attempts at measurements or time here... just sheer guidance on how to intuitively create this delish topping.

In a skillet warm some vegan butter

While it heats - slice as thinly as possible some green granny smith or a more sour type apple and shallots.

Throw the thin slices in the pan and cook until brown and soft..

splash in some braggs

some curry powder

a dash of agave (optional)

Dress your socca pizza and pop it in the oven on broil again..... just to melt the daiya and heat the ingredients evenly.

Cut and serve!