Almost Vegan Alfredo

I'm intrigued by vegans, but at the same time I think I would weep daily if I could never eat brie again. That said, like any dietary restriction, it does force you to be creative. My love of cooking definitely accelerated when I stopped eating meat and realized the world beyond meat.starch.veg.

This recipe is better if you don't think about it as being alfredo, actually. It is a creamy sauce that coats the pasta, and it does taste surprisingly rich, but it's thousands of calories and millions of fat grams from being in the alfredo ballpark. And it's good for you!

Yes, yes, I realize this is also quite far from really being a vegan recipe... I sort of blew it with the use of egg-based pasta... but the sauce could easily be veganized (sounds industrial, no?).

OK, to summarize: this recipe is neither vegan, nor alfredo. Discuss.

Ingredients:

1/2 lb fresh spinach fettucine

2 TB olive oil

7 garlic cloves, finely minced

1lb assorted mushrooms

1 (140z) block silken tofu

1 TB cream cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Cook pasta according to directions in salted water. Drain, reserving 1/2 c cooking liquid, and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Saute garlic until softened. Remove 1/2 of the garlic from skillet for use in tofu sauce. Set aside.

Add mushrooms to remaining garlic in skillet, and cook over medium heat. While mushrooms are cooking, remove 1/2 c mushroom liquid for use in tofu sauce. Set aside.

Cook mushrooms until softened and all liquid has been released, about ten minutes. Set aside.

In a food processor, combine tofu, cream cheese, reserved mushroom juice and reserved garlic until creamy. Add some pasta water if needed to adjust consistency.

Combine pasta, tofu sauce and mushrooms prior to serving. Serves 4.