Exploits of a Vegan Wannabe

A few days ago I was really dying for pasta alfredo. I call it pasta and not fettucini alfredo because it its the garlicky white  sauce I crave…the shape of the pasta is interchangeable for me. It used to be my…really splurging tonight…meal. I noticed (sought it out like a woman posessed) that there was a recipe in the Engine 2  book for fettucini alfredo a la Rip Esselstyn.  We gave it a go and in Exploits style Sandy added  a few delectables.

Photo By: S. Duquet

The result was a meal to rival any craveable, guilt inducing creamy, steamy bowl of pasta. The amazing part was that there wasn’t a guilt producing ingredient in the bunch. Instead of being a heavy white sauced pasta dish it was extraordinary in its energy producing benefits. It was like eating a core of the Earth.

We found the serving sizes in the E2 recipes to be insanely large and I really love that. The worst thing ever is to be trying a new way of nourishing your body and  feeling deprived or hungry. Not possible with the E2. I  have taken the leftovers of this very dish to work with me for two days because the actual portion size was so amazingly huge. Love that.

E2 Linguine and Creamy Alfredo Sauce

Ingredients:

1 pkg Silken Lite firm tofu

2 C unsweetened soy milk

1/4 C nutritional yeast flakes

1/4 C raw cashews

1 tbsp onion powder (we omitted this)

1/2 tsp garlic powder (we increased this to 1 tsp)

3/4 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp white pepper

1 white onion, diced (we omitted this)

1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped  (we doubled this to 2 tbsp)

1 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped

1 tbsp fresh basil, chopped

1/4 C water

1/4 C white cooking wine

1/4 C whole wheat flour

16 oz whole grain linguine, cooked (we used a whole grain shell shaped pasta)

1/2 head of broccoli cut into 1 inch pieces  (we added this)

1 1/2 C artichoke hearts (no oil, frozen) cut into 1/2 inch pieces (we added this as well. Too amazing to be optional. Go for it.)

Make it Happen:

Blend all the ingredients from the tofu to the pepper until smooth.  Saute the onion with the herbs and water in a saucepan over medium heat until translucent and all the liquid has evaporated.  Be careful not to brown the onion during this step.  Pour in the wine, swirling it around in the pan to absorb the heat until it begins to sizzle.   Add the blended ingredients to the wine and onions, continuously whisking the sauce.

When a gentle bubbling starts, gradually add the flour and continue to whisk until the sauce has thickened.  Remove from heat.  The sauce will be frothy at this point. Continue whisking for 1 minute, or until the sauce has settled and is smooth and thick.  Ladle over the pasta.

Exploits note:  I prepped the broccoli and put it in a medium sized saucepan in a steamer basket right after blending the sauce ingredients in the blender.  I started to steam the broccoli at the same time that I poured the wine into the herb mixture, the timing came out perfectly.  After the broccoli came to a boil, I steamed it for about 5 minutes.  The chopped artichokes joined the steaming broccoli with about 2 minutes remaining to heat through. I added the broccoli and artichoke to the pasta and then folded in the sauce.

Sitting here writing about this pasta has made be want it again for lunch. This dish is a powerhouse of health, taste and comfort. You are going to love this one.

Have a delicious day.

Tags: compassionate eating, cooking with herbs, dairy free, E2 Diet, Engine 2 Diet, plant based diet, plant strong diet, Rip Esselstyn, trying vegan, vegan alfredo sauce, vegan challenge, vegan entree, vegan experience, vegan fettucini alfredo, vegan wannabe