I was inspired to make this dish because of two things 1. I really wanted to somehow recreate a canned version of vegan alfredo sauce that I once tried, and 2. I spent the day in my grandma's garden and came home with a bunch of fresh produce ready to be put into one of my kitchen creations!
The following recipe might take some time to cook, but it's worth it!
The Sauce
Ingredients:
- ½ cup yellow onion, thinly chopped
- ¼ cup (or less) unsweetened, plain soy milk
- ¼ tsp. sea salt
- pepper, to taste
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 3 tbsp. olive oil
- several leaves of fresh basil, or ½ tsp. dried basil
- several leaves of fresh rosemary or ½ tsp. dried rosemary
- 1 tbsp. lemon juice
- ½ cup raw, soaked whole cashews
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
Directions:
- Before starting anything, soak the raw cashews in a bowl with warm water for a few hours.
- Well, don’t just sit there. Find something to do during those few hours 😉
- Chop the onion and garlic
- Add olive oil to a large pan, and add onion and garlic. Cook on low heat.
- In a blender, blend the cashews, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and herbs together. If needed, add a little of the soaking water into the cashew/herb mixture to blend into a very thick liquid
- Add the cashew mixture to the pan containing the oil, garlic, and onion. To obtain a thick, creamy mixture, add a little plain soymilk and stir. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cook on low until the mixture is a thick liquid, uniform in texture.
The Veggies (to sautée):
- ¾ cup cut baby bella mushrooms (or use regular large portabella mushrooms and cut into small pieces)
- ½ cup onions, diced
- 1 clove of garlic, minced
- 1 cup kale, chopped
- 1 cup baby tomatoes, each one halved
- several leaves of fresh basil
Directions:
- Use non-stick cooking spray or a tsp. or two of olive oil to grease a pan
- Add onion and garlic, and cook on low-heat
- As the onion and garlic cook, add in mushrooms, kale, and halved baby tomatoes
- Cook for a few minutes and for the last minute or so, heat the basil in the pan (there will be some discoloration of the basil as it cooks, that’s ok!)
The Pasta
- 4 oz. of your favorite fettucine noodles. I used a special edamame-flour noodle found at a specialty health food store (that I happen to work at), but feel free to use whole wheat fettucine, brown rice fettuicine, etc.
- Boil water in a pot, and cook noodles until tender.
- Drain when done and allow a few minutes to pass so that all the moisture drains.
The Final Product
Add the veggies to the pasta and fold in the alfredo sauce. Serve on a plate or bowl and top with basil leaves. Add pepper to taste and enjoy!
-Jess
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