Vegantastic Shrimp Parmesan!

Years ago when we were still eating seafood, eggs, and diary products there were few meals we enjoyed more than a good shrimp parmesan. Reserved for special occasions, like anniversaries and Valentine's Day, Jenna would whip up a huge pan of cheese covered breaded shrimp and serve it with a huge helping of pasta and garlic bread.

A lot has changed since then. For one, we no longer consume any animal-based products. Thank goodness! For two, we try to make better eating choices in general when it comes to meals like this. As in, pasta made from vegetables and smaller portions. We also load the marinara sauce up with veggies and mushrooms and split a piece of garlic bread half the size of what we would have eaten years ago.

With all that said, making the change from shrimp to the plant-based seafood made by Sophie's Kitchen, The Vegg instead of egg yolk, Follow Your Heart Vegan Gourmet Cheese, and Garden Delight Veggie Pasta drastically reduces the negative caloric and fat intake a meal like this would typically include. So feel free to make it on any "special" occasion. Like getting a good grade on a test or remembering to take a shower... okay any reason at all!

These substitutes are much lower in calories and fat and.... they are amazingly tasty!

This meal is going to include a lot of different vegan products and is a great opportunity to try out a variety of these speciality vegan creations.

You will need:

Sophie's Kitchen Vegan Prawns
The Vegg Vegan Egg Yolk
Follow Your Heart Vegan Gourmet Mozzarella Cheese
Garden Delight Pasta (or pasta of your choice)
Bread Crumbs
Oil for pan-frying
Pasta Sauce (loaded with veggies of choice and/or mushrooms)
Fresh Bread
Earth Balance
Garlic Powder
Nutritional Yeast

So to begin, Sophie's Kitchen is a great company which offers a wide variety of frozen seafood-like products like breaded fish fillets and vegan prawns. They also offer a breaded shrimp which would probably work great for this recipe but we were really eager to try out a new product called "The Vegg" so we went with the unbreaded variety.

The Vegg is the world's first totally vegan egg yolk. This is the first time we have used it and let us tell you- yes, it looks like egg. Yes, it is the texture of egg. Yes, it works in recipes like egg. But more than any of that... this stuff SMELLS like egg. After blending it up to use for breading the vegan prawns we were so overwhelmed and impressed with how much this vegan product resembles actual egg yolk. You have to give this stuff a try. People are making some amazing things with it like french toast, and fried "eggs"... we are really eager to keep working with it.

Follow Your Heart Vegan Gourmet Mozzarella Cheese is always amazing. Palm oil free, super melty, and full of flavor. Just how we like it! If you're worried about missing cheese after taking the vegan plunge, don't worry, this compassionate cheese has you covered.

Now, to the recipe.

First, mix your Vegg with water and blend according to directions on bag. You will only need enough to dip your prawns in for breading purposes.

Next, heat a pan to medium-high heat with some oil for frying and fill a shallow bowl or plater with bread crumbs.

Then, dip each of your prawns into The Vegg until covered in liquid and then put immediately into the bread crumbs until well coated.

If pan is ready and well heated set your coated prawns in the oil and fry both sides until golden brown. Set on paper towel covered plate to drain excess oil.

Now, prepare your mariana sauce of choice and make sure to add a good amount of peppers, onions, fresh garlic, and mushrooms. You will need about two cups of sauce.

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

Cut your vegan cheese in slices from the block. Each slice should be about 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick at most- you want them to melt pretty evenly in the oven.

Layer a shallow baking pan with 1/4 sauce, followed by breaded prawns, then 1/4 cup sauce and cheese.

Let bake in over for 15-20 minutes.

Meanwhile, boil your noodles. When we can't get a hold of local noodles made from veggies we default to a product Ronzoni makes called Garden Delight. They can be found in most grocery stores and the nutrition is much better compared to most common pasta varieties. Not that you will be able to taste much of a difference. Less starchy and processed perhaps. But that's about all.

By the time your noodles are boiled it should be about time to check on your prawns. If the cheese is not yet browning set on top rack of oven and broil for just a few seconds. This will happen fast! Then remove from oven and set aside.

Turn your oven back down to 350ºF and spread some Earth Balance on a piece of french bread or fresh bread of your choice. Then top with grated garlic or garlic powder. You could also add some some dried basil/oregano and perhaps a little dried red pepper. Bake for just a few minutes until Earth Balance is melted and bread begins to crisp.

You could alternatively make some of our quick and easy Impressive Bread in a pinch.

Now, everything should be ready to serve. Drain your noodles and top with remaining sauce on a large plate or in a large bowl. This meal is all about family style serving!

Bring over some tongs/spatulas and serve-up the pasta/sauce, garlic bread, and baked cheesy prawns. We also made a salad to go on the side. Gotta throw in more veggies anywhere you can!

Serve with a side of Nutritional Yeast for a cheesy flavored topping!

We hope you enjoy this meal. It is certainly one of our favroties. And honestly, when you can still make a delicious creulty-free shrimp parmesan, with the help of companies like Sophie's Kitchen, The Vegg, and Follow Your Heart- what reason is there not to go vegan?

With peace, love, and compassion-
The Two Vegan Ladies