I have a confession.
I, dear readers, have always been one to tout my “cooking skills”, even when I was 15 or 16. I made it very clear to my friends and family that I knew my way around a kitchen.
My specialty of Fettucine Alfredo (which I was of course extremely proud of) – funnily enough, came mostly from this packet:
Looking back I just have to laugh – considering the shocking ingredient list and the fact that the instructions stipulated to add copious amounts of butter, water, and milk – I had my work cut out for me. Of course, I always added in some fresh mushrooms, garlic, and oregano, which I sauteed in some olive oil before adding in the rest of the monstrosity within the packet.
Even though I used to be a certified pasta fiend, I’ve since lost my taste for traditional white pasta and much prefer a heartier spelt or wholewheat blend. Recently though, I came across a tagliatelle shaped Shiritaki Noodles at the supermarket (Carrefour, City Centre – if you’re wondering) and I just had to try them after hearing so much about this seemingly miracle low carb pasta. I was also instantly inspired to re-create a vegan version of my beloved Mushroom Alfredo.
The results, I’m happy to report, are just as delicious as I remember them, only without the oodles of sodium, preservatives, saturated fat and cholesterol – win!
Serves 2
- 2 servings of tagliatelle pasta or Shiritaki Noodles
- 1/2 a cup of sliced button or chestnut mushrooms
- 1 large clove of garlic, minced
- 1/2 a red onion, finely diced
- 1-2 tsp oregano
- Sea salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
- 1/2 a cup of full fat coconut milk
- 1/4 cup unsweetened soy milk
- 1 tbsp wholewheat flour
- 1/2 cup water of vegetable stock, as needed
- 1 -2 tsp olive oil or canola oil
- Prepare pasta of choice as per package directions and set aside in a colander.
- Lightly sautee the onions and garlic in a little oil or vegetable stock for a couple of minutes until translucent. Add in the mushrooms, oregano and other seasonings and stir through for a couple more minutes.
- In a separate cup or container, combine the flour and soy milk and stir dill disolved, then add to the mushroom mixture along wi the the coconut milk.
- Bring to the boil then simmer for about 5 minutes stirring frequently – add the water or vegetable stock to thin as needed depending on how thick/creamy you’d like your sauce.
- Adjust seasonings (an extra pinch of oregano never hurt anone) and add in the parsley right at the end. Stir through. Serve over hot pasta and devour immediately!
I’ll admit, the Shiritaki noodles weren’t that great. I mean, they weren’t bad but definitely nothing special. The sauce however was a definite winner. I recreated it the next day with conventional spelt pasta and the result was divine.
I think what impressed me most is how un-coconutty the sauce tasted. It was perfectly creamy thanks to the coconut milk, but the herbs and seasonings completely changed the flavour. I’m definitely gearing up to make this sauce for the next family gathering and lap up the “it’s too creamy to be vegan!” compliments.
As you can see, my kitchen arrogance is still alive and kicking. 😉
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