A creamy and cheesy sauce; briny, crispy vegetables; artichoke hearts sautéed in garlic and lemon; and tempeh bacon with sun-dried tomatoes all tossed with pasta al dente become a refreshing variation on the well-known pasta carbonara.

Pasta Carbonara with Cheesy ‘Weed Sauce and Tempeh Bacon

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 2 small artichokes
• 14 ounces (400 g) penne
• Olive oil for sautéing and garnish
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 14 ounces (400 g) samphire, rinsed and dried
• 10 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, roughly chopped
• Zest and juice of 1 small lemon
• 1 x Cheesy ’Weed Sauce (see recipe here)
• 1 x Tempeh Seaweed Snack (without the aonori and prepared while the pasta is cooking) (see recipe here)
• Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• Handful of fresh parsley, finely chopped

Steps

1. Rinse the artichokes, remove the outer leaves and the fuzzy center until you get to the hearts, and chop the hearts.
2. Heat a splash of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat and add the garlic. After a minute, add the artichoke hearts and samphire. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and the lemon zest and juice. While stirring, add the Cheesy ’Weed Sauce. Allow to simmer over low heat. Turn off the heat when the artichokes are ready, about 8 minutes, though it depends on their size. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Cook the pasta in ample water with a pinch of salt until al dente.
4. Prepare the Tempeh Seaweed Snack, omitting the aonori to make the tempeh bacon variation.
5. Drain the pasta. Fold in the creamy artichoke and samphire sauce, serve with tempeh bacon, and garnish with a dash of olive oil and parsley.

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Cheesy ‘Weed Sauce

Serves 4

You can serve this creamy sauce with most savory dishes. It makes a great cheesy sauce over pasta or cauliflower and other vegetables, or a substitute base for a traditional cheese fondue (in that case, make more!). This recipe calls for arrowroot powder, a gluten-free thickener sold in most health food stores. If you need, you can replace it with 1 tablespoon and 1 ½ teaspoons of potato starch.

• 35 ounce (10 g) dried dulse
• Olive oil
• 4 shallots, minced
• 1²/3 cups (400 ml) soy, oat, or rice creamer
• 1 tablespoon + ½ teaspoon mustard
• 2 tablespoons arrowroot powder
• ¹/3 cup (20 g) nutritional yeast
• Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Soak the dried dulse in water for 5 minutes, drain, and thoroughly pat dry.
2. Heat a splash of olive oil in a skillet. Sauté the shallots for 3 minutes over high heat, until golden brown, and then lower the heat. In a bowl, combine the creamer and mustard and mix thoroughly.
3. Add the arrowroot, dulse, and nutritional yeast to the cream mixture and thoroughly combine. While stirring with a whisk, add the mixture to the sautéed shallots in the skillet. Reduce the sauce to thicken it while whisking continuously to prevent any lumps from forming.
4. Season the sauce with salt and pepper. Remember, the dulse itself is quite salty, so this dish doesn’t need much extra salt. Serve immediately.
5. Although best eaten fresh, the sauce can be stored for an extra day. If you do so, briefly puree the sauce with an immersion blender before reheating it.

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Tempeh Seaweed Snack

Serves 2 to 4

This snack is just perfect with drinks. Add some cocktail skewers and success is guaranteed! They’re simple, easy to make, and deliciously salty and crunchy. Also terrific in a hearty soup or stew. The smoked paprika is essential to elevate this recipe’s flavor.

• One 8-ounce (225 g) package tempeh
• Olive oil for sautéing
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 ½ teaspoons aonori (nori flakes) or crumble or cut ½ nori sheet
• Pinch of smoked paprika (pimentón)

1. Cut the tempeh into small cubes.
2. Heat a splash of olive oil in a skillet and sauté the tempeh until crunchy and golden brown all around, 6 to 7 minutes.
3. Add the soy sauce (watch out for splattering oil) and thoroughly mix so the cubes can absorb the soy sauce.
4. Sprinkle with the nori flakes and smoked paprika. Continue cooking for another minute, until the seasoning and tempeh are nicely combined.

Recipe from Ocean Greens: Explore the World of Edible Seaweed and Sea Vegetables by Lisette Kreischer and Marcel Schuttelaar. © Kosmos Uitgevers Utrecht/Antwerpen 2015, 2016. Translation © Maria M. Reimer and Victor Verbeck, 2016. Reprinted by permission of the publisher, The Experiment. Available wherever books are sold.  experimentpublishing.com