Who knew this very simple Italian dish would become a new favorite with restaurants and food bloggers?!
Inspired by the kelp noodle cacio e pepe I love to get at Althea, which is the Matthew Kenney 100% plant-based restaurant on the top floor of Saks in Chicago, I decided to make my own.
I’m using kelp noodles, which are ideal for those who want to eat low carb, but on the health side, they are more nutrient dense then traditional pasta. Kelp noodles also make this dish 100% raw.
I like to eat raw as much as I can since food loses its natural enzymes when cooked, baked, roasted or fried, which means our body has to use up our own supply of enzymes (why I carry digestive enzymes in purse and always have them around!). Also, food becomes more acidic when cooked.
Eating raw isn’t always ideal (my body does love warm stews and soups in the fall and winter), but whenever I eat raw, I feel light, energized and my skin glows!
Ingredients
1 package of kelp noodles, drained and then soaked in water for one hour
1 cup of walnuts, soaked*
1-2 cloves of garlic
½ tablespoon of black pepper
juice from half of a lemon
salt to taste
5 minutes, makes about 1/2 cup of sauce
* While most vegan recipes use cashews, I like to use walnuts because cashews can be prone to mold. Other foods high in mold are peanuts and coffee. Can’t imagine giving up coffee? Check out Dandy Blend and why it’s a beautiful, non-acidic alternative to coffee.
I also soak all of my nuts, seeds, beans and grains (or I buy them already soaked - watch my YouTube video on soaking and the shortcuts I use), in order to remove the phytic acid or enzymes inhibitors. This helps unlock the nutrient door as our bodies don’t have to work so hard to try to break these items down (which doesn’t even happen because phytic acid and enzymes inhibitors are how nuts, seeds, beans and grains protect themselves since they don’t have stingers or legs to run away!)
Instructions
Open the package of kelp noodles and drain. Rinse them with water and then let them sit in a bowl of water for 1 hour. This helps make them soft enough to eat (I skipped this step when I made a kelp noodle pad thai and the noodles were super crunchy! Not very pleasant to eat!).
As always, all of the ingredients in my kitchen are organic and I make sure my spices are organic and non-irradiated. This means no radiation was used to kill bugs, insects or bacteria on the spices. Um, why is radiation and consuming that even allowed…?!
Add the walnuts, garlic, lemon juice, black pepper and salt to a blender. You might need to add a splash of water to get the blender going. The sauce will have a kick to it, if not, then add more pepper.
Drain the kelp noodles and toss the noodles with the sauce. For some extra flair, serve with some fresh pepper on top! Buon appetito!