eat; raw zucchini spaghetti with aioli and basil

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I've decided to kick posting the numerical days of my raw week on the 'eat' section of my blog, as my raw week has now turned into my raw month, which I predict will simply turn into my raw adventures. I have just ordered a spirooli as I was sick of spending half an hour cutting zucchini by hand to create spaghetti (you'll see what I mean when you read the below recipe!). I'm super excited as this means I am going to create some amazingness with raw zucchini pasta!! Soooo excited!!!!!! I am changing the meaning of Sofia Lorens quote; "Everything you see I owe to spaghetti." Bring on the raw spaghetti!!!!

This weeks recipe I created just a few days ago. I am now getting close to the point where I don't need recipes and experimenting from the basics of raw food 'cooking' I have been teaching myself. I must admit to some disasters during this learning period, but the more I 'cook' raw, the better the dishes are getting. One of my housemates said that my cooking has jumped up 10 notches, stating that the food I prepared before going raw was at a high standard anyway. I was soooo grateful for her kind words :0)

A few days ago, I made this zucchini spaghetti tossed with aioli. YUUUUUUMMMMMMMM!!!!!!! 

Serves 4

 What you need;
4-6 zucchinis
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tbl lemon juice
3 garlic cloves
salt to taste
4 large basil leaves
cracked pepper to serve

If you have a Spirooli, go ahead and make the spaghetti, if not, follow these steps to cut by hand. If you wanted to, you could use a vegetable peeler to create pappardelle pasta. That is entirely up to you. For this dish, I think the green from the zucchini skin compliments the basil so I have left it on. Entirely up to you.

Start by 'leveling' out the zucchini by slicing a little off so that it can sit flat and even on the chopping board.

Holding the zucchini lengthwise, cut thin slices just over the thickness you might get from a vegetable peeler.

Once all the zucchini is cut, lay pieces flat and cut into thin stripes, placing them into a big bowl as you go along. The above picture is what you are aiming for. Don't worry if some are thinner than others or shorter or whatever. It will all taste AMAZING either ways and thats all that matters!!!!!

  

This what it will all look like. Yes it does look stiff, but once mixed with the Aioli, it will soften like pasta.

To make the Aioli, simply put all the ingredients (of course not the zucchini!) except for the basil and cracked pepper into a food processor and wizz away! Once all blended and creamy, add the basil leaves and 'pulse' it until chopped. Pour over the zucchini spaghetti and mix it through by hand.

Place a handful onto each serving plate and add cracked pepper. Serve with a really good chilled white wine...YUM!!!!!

Buon Apettito!

pink; just love me

arttattler.com

I thought it would be appropriate to feature Tracey Emin today, seeing it's V Day, for all you single people (and perhaps coupled) who have had a string of bad relationships and have worn your heart on your sleeve that one too many times. Emin has created many works in pink but I wanted to focus on her neon pieces and have added some of her collection of pink neons at the bottom of this post.

Before Facebook updates, tweets on Twitter or even blogging, we had  Tracey Emin.  Described as a Post Feminist artist, Emins practice is autobiographical, re creating her own life experiences as instantaneously as social media allows us to do today. Through the use of needlework, sculpture, drawing, video, installation, photography and painting, this trashy diva of the English artworld wears her heart on her sleeve in bold text for us all to see. She is spoken about as being difficult, demanding, vile and down right disgusting. Gotta love the description of the difficult art star!!!

Her work is confronting, sometimes disgusting and very melodramatic portraying a craving to be loved. She takes from her life parts of her own very personal and very specific experiences to create works based on words she may have said, or words others may have spoken to her. The result is a sense of the universal pain and vulnerability that comes with love, which we can all relate to. We do say things or hear things about ourselves and others, that we do not allow or would never consider, to pass our lips again. In short and simple statements and sometimes obvious quotes, her work becomes guttural through the use of text,  hitting us were it hurts so to speak. 

Emotionally charged, there is no mistaking that this is a hurt, burnt, trashed on woman who has created these works. There is no light at the end of the tunnel. We feel that same emotion she felt when creating the work and we feel it as if it is our own. We can relate to these works because we have felt the pain of them, we have felt the desperateness that exists within them. Raw and open wounds are presented to us, making us feel like a voyeur into another persons private and emotional life, but whose life is it that we are really voyaging in to through experiencing Emins work?

As Andy Warhol predicted in the 60's, "In the future everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes", the array of social networking sites today, and as time goes by, we are certainly seeing this more and more. We are even widening our own individual boundaries to share with the world how we are feeling at this very moment. These social networks are allowing us to project onto the world our own autobiographies, instantly, as they are happening right now, from where we are eating dinner to how we are feeling. One must remember Tracey Emin was doing this before social media became what it is today. I wonder if she ever thought that through her work, she may have been predicting that we too will be 'spilling our guts' out onto the world our very personal and very specific life experiences.

celebrity743.blogspot.com

thisrocked.blogspot.com

artslant.com

artslant.com

tjfineart.co.uk

love; 10 things I love this week

http://store.wherethehellismatt.com

1. This video. Yes I know it's an oldy but how good does it make you feel?!?! It's definitely a reminder to share the love! LOVE!!!!

far-shanghai.net

2. Ai Wei Wei. He is an amazing artist doing amazing things. There is a feature film being made about him and the website dedicated to the film has some great videos attached of his work and his impact on the Chinese people and government. Check them out here. He currently has a show in the Turbine Hall at the Tate if anyone is planning a visit to London before May 2nd. Don't you love this photo of him?!?!?! LOVE!!!!!

bunnylicious.org

3. I was reminded of my love for David Lynch this week through a friend on F.B who I introduced my work to. She linked me to this video which of course is WONDERFUL!!!! Check it out and enjoy the ride!!!!! BTW, before coming here to L.A I decided I wanted to meet David and make him a raw strawberry cheesecake. I am yet to make the cheesecake! LOVE!!!

realpoor.com

3. Speaking of rabbits...This pic of a giant bunny?!?!?! I'm working on a video at the moment that has a bunny (am I trying to be a female Lynchy or what?!?!?) and I think I might be falling in love with bunnies!!! I do love this pic! Initially, I thought it was photoshoped and didn't want to know details as details can ruin the imagination, but it is real! Check this link out!!!! JUSHIKA! Find out where he lives so we can meet him!!!! LOVE!!!!

city-data.com

4. Maine Coons!!!!! Speaking of giant domestic pets!!!! I discovered these cats just last year. Marie Antoinette apparently had her cats shipped over to Maine on the East coast of the U.S, planning to follow them, but she was beheaded before she could escape. The people on Maine thought they were a cat bred with a raccoon, thus their name. Check out this video, they are MASSIVE cats!!!! LOVE!!!

5. Now I really have gone crazy on giant fluffy domestic pets!!! How cool is this photo and this dog! I do love it when dogs think they're humans. Shows the love their owners have for them. LOVE!!!!

6. These nails!!!! Those of you that know me well, know my alter ego is a Nail Technician from the outer 'burbs of Melbourne, so you would expect me to LOVE this!!! You can find the instructions on how to create your own here, but it is in French. Words printed backwards on your fingertips?!?! LOVE!!!!

7. Following my Number 6 this week, I used Google Translator to translate the instructions for how to create the newspaper nails. I LOVE GOOGLE TRANSLATOR!!!! I've been playing around with really dirty talk and listening to it in different languages. Soooo many hours of fun!!! LOVE!!!!

8. These plates!!!! How cool are they?!?!? My housemate recently bought them and they are like those little love candies that are around for the upcoming V day. I do LOVE these plates and rumor has it, I may be receiving some soon! Can't wait to serve some raw love on them for my friends! LOVE!!!!

fashionsaccess.blogspot.com

9. Homemade face masks! Tomorrow night for V Day, the single ladies are gathering at our house and I'm making fresh face masks for everyone! I do love putting what I eat onto my face! Something kinda strange yet satisfying about it! LOVE!!!!

capecodawesome.blogspot.com

10. Vodka and Cranberry! Last night I went out and drank this all night and today I have NO hangover! I'm convinced it's because the cranberry has Vitamin C that helps the body to recover (well, that's what I'm sticking with!).  LOVE!!!!!