Creamy Vegan Mushroom & Garlic Alfredo

For this Vegan recipe I was going for the texture of Alfredo pasta which is made with cheese and butter, so I decided to use a creamy tofu paste as a substitute. The olive oil and mushrooms already add a lot of texture to the dish, so the tofu just gave it that extra special touch. You have to get creative when you’re Veganizing recipes and most of the time tofu and almond milk do the trick!

Ingredients

• 8 oz spaghetti
• 4 cloves of garlic chopped
• Handful of mushrooms chopped
• Olive oil
• 85 g tofu (I used organic extra firm)
• Salt
• Pepper

Directions

1. Cook your pasta according to the package directions. Drain.
2. In the mean time, using a blender or food processor, make a paste by adding about 1/3 cup of water, salt, and pepper to your tofu. Set aside.
3. In a large saucepan over medium heat pour enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan. Add your mushrooms, salt, and pepper. Once your mushrooms have cooked for a few minutes, turn heat to low and add in chopped garlic and season with more salt and pepper.  Adding the garlic at the end will prevent it from burning. After about a minute you can start to add your tofu paste. I did not want the dish to have a strong tofu taste so I added little by little and tasted it as I went along. I probably used 3/4 of the paste. Also taste for salt and pepper along the way.
4. Add pasta to mushroom mixture and toss, making sure everything is coated.
5. Plate and serve!

Orzo with Mushrooms, Asparagus, and Cherry Tomatoes

I’ve always wanted to cook with orzo and finally picked some up while I was at Sprouts the other day. Basically, orzo is pasta in the shape of rice. I love rice and I love pasta so I knew this wouldn’t disappoint, and sure enough, it didn’t. The first time I cooked it I noticed that if you cook it for too long it will stick together really really bad! In other words, it becomes one big mush after you drain it. So make sure that if you do decide to cook orzo, do not over cook it! Al dente is the way to go, just slightly under-cooked. I wanted this recipe to be light and have a fresh taste while also having a creaminess to it so I made asparagus and mushrooms the stars and garnished with a medley of sweet cherry tomatoes and chives. And for added flavor I used some cipollini onions, they were just to cute to pass up at the grocery store! Yields 4 servings Ingredients

• 8 oz orzo
• 1 bunch asparagus
• 10-15 mushrooms
• 2 cipollini onions
• Olive oil
• Salt
• Pepper
• Cherry tomatoes
• Chives

Directions

1. Cook your orzo according to package directions. (Remember not to overcook).
2. In the mean time, chop your onion, asparagus and mushrooms into small pieces. Heat enough olive oil to cover the bottom of a medium sized pan. Once oil is heated, add your onion and sprinkle with salt. Turn your heat down to low so you don’t burn the onion. Once onion is translucent, add your asparagus and mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper. Cover the pan and bump the heat up to medium for about 10 minutes. Stir vegetables every couple of minutes. Test to see if the texture of the asparagus is to your liking. If you prefer a softer vegetable, cook longer. Taste for salt and pepper as well.
3. Drain the orzo, place back in saucepan and add about a tablespoon of olive oil, this will help with the sticking. Spoon orzo into the vegetable saucepan and stir.
4. Plate and garnish with cherry tomatoes and chives.

Creamy Vegan Avocado Pasta

I love that I can eat avocados and not feel guilty because they provide a healthy fat in my diet. I guarantee you won’t be disappointed with this one. It’s so creamy and decadent yet completely Vegan, healthy, and light. I’ve never used the words decadent and light in the same sentence, until now! Normally pesto is made with pine nuts, but I was rather hesitant to pay $3.99 for a 1/4 cup of pine nuts, so I substituted walnuts and I’m so glad I did. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 6 oz spaghetti
• 1 avocado
• Handful fresh basil leaves
• 1-2 cloves garlic
• 1/4 cup walnuts
• Juice of half a lemon
• 1/6 cup olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Garlic salt to taste
• Cherry tomatoes for garnish

Directions

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and place back in pot.
2. While pasta is cooking add avocado, garlic, basil, walnuts, juice of half a lemon, salt, pepper, and garlic salt to food processor. Mix on high until blended and creamy. Switch to low speed and stream in olive oil. Add more lemon juice, salt and pepper to your liking.
3. Spoon mixture over pasta and gently toss.
4. Serve warm and garnish with cherry tomato halves.

Spinach Pesto Pasta with a Twist

Pasta is always on the menu at home and there’s absolutely no way I’ll ever get tired of it! I was craving some this afternoon and I wanted to experiment with the ingredients I had on hand, so I came up with this simple and easy recipe. Most likely you have these basic ingredients in your kitchen, so give it a try!

Ingredients

• 1 package pasta of choice
• 1 lb spinach leaves
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1-3 garlic cloves (I like a lot of garlic)
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons chopped sun-dried tomatoes
• 1 egg beaten (optional)

Directions

1. In a large saucepan boil water. Once water is boiling, add a teaspoon salt and all the pasta. Boil according to package instructions.
2. While the pasta is boiling, place all the other ingredients (except for the egg) into a food processor and mix until spinach is chopped fine and everything is mixed together.
3. Once pasta is cooked, drain and return to saucepan on low heat. Add egg and mix into pasta until slightly cooked. Add spinach mixture and stir.
4. Serve warm.