Meredith is here sharing her wonderful vegan shrimp recipe. It's not a very typical meal for Meredith...scroll down for pics, recipe and words. Very interesting.
Prior to a recent trip back to South Carolina I got a bit nostalgic for my vegan days of the past, when I would get super excited about fake meat, fake cheese, fake dairy, and the likes of. It was all new to me then, and seemed really cool and exciting. I wasn't nearly as anti-processed food- and I hadn't made the raw food connection yet. I would pour over veg news, vegetarian times, and any vegan cookbook I could get a hold of- my mom and sister were usually the guinea pigs to my experimentation back then. Growing up in South Carolina, most of my friends thought that I was nuts in this regard, and had absolutely no interest in touching anything that I made- but we would always have fun planning dinner as a family (and drinking wine), watching movies and being festive. Iwas craving that experience again!
Fortunately, I made a visit a few weekends ago to the Natural Expo West (the largest natural product fair in the country) For the most part I wasn't that inspired because at the end of the day, so much of it was processed food. I'm at the point where a half an avocado with a pinch of salt and some lemon has much more appeal- but nonetheless - it was fascinating. And... I found... the perfect product to squelch that processed vegan food nostalgia. Sophie's vegan seafood. Ok. I know that this sounds super weird, and not the typical fresh food that we promote here on the blog- but when I looked at the ingredients, I was like- Wow! This isn't that bad. Soy free, gluten free, cholesterol free, kosher, and a short proper list of ingredients that I could read. I was willing to try it.
Sophie's is made from konjac aka elephant yam - which is the same thing as konnyaku aka yam cake- which is my favorite dish at the Japanese restaurant Shima near my house in Venice. In a round about way I have discovered that I love the yam cake and was more than willing to try things made out of it. Konjac is considered a superfood because of its detoxifying and cleansing properties (great for digestion). It also aids in weightloss because it is filling- and virtually calorie free on its own. It is often used as a vegan gelatin- and reminds me of irish moss without the fishy smell. Not that bad.
Now- I am NOT going to start eating this every day- or overdosing on Konjac- nor am I interested in hearing about it being a choking hazard - for a fun vegan alternative- it was worth a shot!
Yes mom, while I'm home, we are going to make VEGAN SHRIMP 🙂
What to have with this product?
I decided to make- Zucchini linguine (thanks raw food), with cilantro, chilis, avocado, and... a delicious bottle of champagne.
Yum !
VEGAN SHRIMP AND ZUCCHINI PASTA
4 Large Zucchini, made into noodles on the spiral slicer
¼ Cup Cilantro, chopped
Juice of 1 Lime
1 tablespoon Olive Oil, or an Olive oil Chili Oil combo for extra spice
Pinch of Salt
2-3 tablespoon Diced Red Peppers (I used Mama Lil's Spicy Goathorn Peppers)
½ Avocado Diced
Toss the zucchini with all ingredients. Allow to marinate for a few minutes while you cook shrimp.
Shrimp:
1 Package Sophie's Breaded Vegan Shrimp
Sautee shrimp with a little olive oil until the breading is crispy.
Assembly- Toss warm shrimp with zucchini noodles. The warmth of the shrimp will slightly wilt the zucchini and melt the avocado making a light, tangy and delicious sauce.
Garnish with chili, cilantro and a squeeze of lime.
Serves 2 Large Portions
This dish was AMAZING- and I would totally make it again.
* If you don't want to use Vegan Shrimp or can't find a product like this, you could use king oyster mushrooms instead.
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