Vegan Alfredo... with no SOY?!

One of the things about being allergic to so many things is missing out on some majorly delicious comfort foods. I was raised on pasta, and when I am upset, I often like to make pasta. I am not allergic to pasta, but when something bad happens and I want to make comfort food I like to share it with the other people who need comforting and/or the people who are comforting me. My go-to is Alfredo. Very fatty, salty, heavy, carb-rich dish. Now, many people would read that as a large "DO NOT CONSUME" sign. Please, don't think that way. When you are grieving or upset it's not okay to eat you feelings, that's true, but, if you are careful about how much you eat and how frequently such a dish can be really healthy. In the same vein, Vegan dishes aren't always healthier than their non-vegan alternatives, this recipe is pretty high in fat, so if you are eating vegan to eat healthy this recipe might not be for you. If you are eating vegan for allergies and/or moral reasons, please please add this dish to your repertoire!

ingredients:

1/3 or 2/3 cup Nutritional yeast. Essential for a vegan household in my opinion, makes this dish cheesy-tasty!

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup garlic and/or onions, thinly sliced or diced (optional) 

2-3 mushrooms sliced or diced (optional)

1 tsp vegemite mixed thoroughly with 1 tbsp hot water (optional) another vegetarian household staple, made from yeast also, its highly nutritious, but be careful, its very salty!

one can 13/14 oz (regular can size) coconut milk- make sure it doesn't have many additives, and make sure you aren't getting the beverage (which is usually packaged in a box/carton) be careful not to grab concentrate or coconut water either. Also, be sure to shake it up before opening it. Coconut milk should naturally separate a bit, so shake shake shake!

salt

pepper (white pepper if you really want to keep the color)

This recipe is pretty similar to the Vegan gravy one. Try out different amounts and add ins to suit your particular preference.

heat oil in a very large sauce-pan or wok over medium heat. 

add in any seasonings, spices, garlic, onions and saute till onions translucent not more than 4-5 minutes. 

if using mushrooms add them in after, saute just a little bit, 1-2 minutes. 

If you are adding garlic, onions and mushrooms, and you want a smooth sauce, at this stage you should either use an immersion blender or remove from heat, let cool a bit and use a regular blender. 

either way, return to heat and add about a pinch of salt and the nutritional yeast. stir well until you have something akin to a paste and then add the coconut milk slowly. we usually use the whole can, but you can choose not to use that much. Turn heat down, make sure not to boil the coconut milk! stir and cook on low for 10-15 minutes. Add more salt to taste, and pepper. 

This sauce will be sweeter than most traditional alfredos, adding in tomato puree, a dash of soy sauce, liquid aminos, nutritional yeast, or spices will help with this. 

serve the sauce over potatoes, pasta, rice, bread, mushed peas( ala creamed peas style, leave out the vegemite and salt for a more creamier/sweet version)

alternatives to the coconut milk would be any nut-based milk that you aren't allergic to, such as soy, almond, or rice.
Almond milk will be really sweet in this recipe, while Soy will bring in a different slightly bitter flavor. Rice milk is often too thin for this recipe and will likely not thicken up. Those of you who can have dairy could also use cream, if for some reason you are trying this out. 

a small note on Pasta!

if you are gluten free you already know the woes of gluten and pasta. Many gluten-free pastas are hard, chewy, tacky, or mushy, and not as satisfying :( 

I would recommend looking at small co-ops or specialty stores for pastas made from spinach, potatoes, or seaweed. 

My favorite pasta with this sauce was the spinach pasta, which I found at my local co-op. Good luck, and enjoy!