Pairing it with chickpea deliciousness….
Or creating something 100% cheesy sans cheese…
I went with something equally veggies packed and little more creamy. Not that any of the above would have been a hardship to consume.
But I fancied….Vegan Alfredo!
I was never a fan of white sauces, just like I was never really a fan of milk, but since taking on the vegan diet I’m all over soy, almond and hazelnut milk and creamy sauces are much more appealing as a result.
A big bowl of pasta even with an amazing sauce just wouldn’t be appealing. I like a bit of variety. I paired the spelt fusilli with some steamed broccoli, frozen peas, sundried tomatoes, asparagus, sundried tomatoes…all topped off with the creamy sauce, stirred through to distribute the lusciousness. A sprinkling of fresh basil (pasta and basil…they’re just meant to be together!)…
A big ole bowlful of comfort food, healthy, easy to create comfort food, just the way I like it.
The key characteristics of comfort food in my mind…
- Super tasty
- Eaten from a bowl
- Requires either a single spoon or fork to consume
- Results in “umming” and “awing” whilst devouring
- Equally delicious served warm, hot or cold
- Leaves you wanting to lick the bowl clean!
Pasta was always a top comfort food. Tuesday was pasta day in our house growing up, no better day for it; the day before hump day has never been a favourite of mine but a nice comforting meal at the end of it was something I could always count on.
Back to the Alfredo…it’s the first time I’ve used cashews in a sauce and they provided a wonderful flavour. Also in the mix was lemon juice, nutritional yeast, mustard, garlic and almond milk.
It was just thick and creamy enough, smooth enough to distribute itself quite evenly and delicious enough to result in some finger dipping and licking; letting any remnants of a good sauce get washed down the drain from the bottom of a pot…distressing!
What does comfort food mean to you?
Vegan Alfredo
Servings –1
Preparation Time –5 minutes
Cooking Time – 10 minutes
Ingredients
Sauce
- 2 tbsp chopped cashews
- 125ml (1/2 cup) almond milk
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 clove of garlic minced
Pasta
- 60g (2oz) wholegrain spelt fusilli
- 5-6 sundried tomatoes sliced+ a couple extra for garnish
- 1/4 cup frozen peas
- 1/2 cup chopped broccoli florets
- 4-5 stalks asparagus sliced in to bite size pieces
- 1/2 roasted red bell pepper sliced
- Paprika to sprinkle on top
- 1/2 tbsp fresh basil leaves
Directions
- Cover sundried tomatoes with boiling water and set to one side while the pasta cooks to rehydrate.
- Cover pasta with boiling water and cook for 8-10 minutes.
- Drop broccoli, frozen peas and asparagus in to the pot of pasta for the last 4-5 minutes.
- Blend together all sauce ingredients in a food processor.
- Drain pasta and veggies, add in red pepper, sliced sundried tomatoes and give it a good mix up. Pour over sauce and serve topped with remaining sundried tomatoes and fresh basil.
