Create. Meet. And Eat Guilt Free Pasta!

Last night, Katelyn and I went to Lori’s Natural Foods in Henrietta to listen to the amazingly awesome Brendan Brazier talk about Stress and Food. We sat in the front row, and I could have totally reached out and touched Brendan’s feet. Not that I would have.

I first read Brendan’s first book a few years ago—I remember the day I received it in the mail, and when I began reading it (while at the salon), I couldn’t believe how on the same page he and I were about food and stress. I read it cover to cover, and let people borrow it, and began buying his products. I felt the same way when his second book came out, and am eagerly anticipating the third (September).

Brendan gave a great talk, answered questions, and then signed books. Funny, I had received a signed copy of his girlfriend’s book (Julie Morris—another awesome expert and promoter of real healthy food) in the mail earlier in the day. Sorry about the blurry pic–lighting and a steady hand continue to be things I’m working on!

It was fun to meet Alison from Mama’s Weeds there too!

One aspect of the talk that especially intrigued me last night was when Alison asked about the link between physical activity and creativity. I do remember reading this in his book, but I needed a reminder (to go read that section again). Because of my over-the-top exercise/digestive/brain connection, my emotional state is a walking billboard for how important food and exercise choices are to my well-being and productivity.

Brendan also expounded on the idea that our bodies are “putting up with” all the gunk we introduce, so when we remove something (like gluten, for example) and then reintroduce it, there can be a pretty awful reaction. I’ve experienced this—I’m not gluten intolerant, but I removed it for a while, and now I can’t eat it at all (think: lead weight limbs, brain fog, and Chicken Little syndrome).

Everything else Brendan said was good, interesting, and reinforcing too 🙂

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Before the event, Katelyn and I made dinner, and I finally had the chance to make

Cheesy Kelp Noodles a la Planet Raw (Santa Monica).

 

We easily killed 2 packages of pasta (total calories: 36), and this was accompanied by 1/4 cup cashew cheese, 1/4 cup olive oil, and some accessory flavorings. I haven’t eaten pasta in quite some time. The Mung Bean pasta novelty wore off for me about a year ago, and I just always felt so carb-ed up and icky after eating any more “regular” pasta.

Why kelp noodles?

They have two ingredients. They’re low carb. They have iodine (great for radiation exposure and thyroid function). When dressed up, they are eerily just like regular pasta (although alone and not soaked they appear translucent and have a slight crunch).

Why Cheesy Kelp Noodles?

They are awesome! Comfort food lightened up—but totally tastes like a cheesy alfredo-y pasta.

First, you make the cashew cheese sauce (which takes about 5 minutes). Next, you dump it into a mixing bowl with the pasta (which can either be soaked in hot water first for a few minutes or after you complete the entire dish, you can pop it in the dehydrator for 30 minutes or so). Pasta + Cheese Sauce + Nutritional Yeast, Bragg’s Liquid Aminos, rosemary, sea salt, pepper, lemon juice.

Grind your rosemary very finely. I use a coffee grinder (be sure to wash this super well in between uses or your food will start tasting like coffee and your coffee will start tasting like herbs!).

 

Here’s the recipe that I got from a handful of other websites:

Cheezy Alfredo Kelp Noodles – serves 4 (supposedly—Katelyn and I split it, so for us it served 2).

• 2 packages Sea Tangle Kelp Noodles
• 1/2 c nut cheeze (see below)
• 1/8 c olive oi
• 1 tsp fresh rosemary, minced
• 1/4 tsp Celtic sea salt
• 1 TBS fresh-squeezed lemon juice
• 2 tsp Bragg Aminos
• 3 TBS Nutritional Yeast
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

Mix everything in mixing bowl and place in the dehydrator for 30 minutes to an hour (this is optional—although I think it is yummiest warm. You could also just soak and drain the kelp noodles in hot water for a while before using them–otherwise they’ll have a slight crunch).

Cashew Cheese

• 2 c cashews
• 1 tsp de-stemmed finely minced fresh rosemary
• 3 TBS fresh-squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tsp Celtic sea salt
• 1 1/2 c Water

Blend into a thick cream add more water if needed (I had soaked my cashews for about an hour ahead of time, so I only added a cup of water).

We also had roasted beets with a drizzle of olive oil, balsamic, and lemon juice. I added basil after the pic.

 

If you haven’t checked out yesterday’s cauliflower pizza crust recipe...you should! I’m going to re-make it and try cashew cheese to see if it still works!

Have you made nut cheese? I’ve made cashew cheese sauce and also cultured almond cheese (yum!) that is more spreadable rather than a sauce.

Have you read Brendan Brazier’s books? I love his philosophies on food and exercise, and his products are great—essentially you can add the Whole Food Health Optimizer and replace most (if not all) of the supplements you take…and they’re actual whole foods, not isolated manufactured supplements!

Have you tried kelp pasta? I swear…this stuff is amazing!  You can order it on Amazon (for an arm and a leg) or at the Raw Food World store online. I hear it’s often at Asian Markets and maybe even at Wegmans too. The brand I got online was Sea Tangle.