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creamy mushroom and leek pasta
It doesn’t happen very often, but sometimes I get a nasty craving for something creamy… and attending to this craving vegan-style has been easier than I ever would have thought! This dish is cooked, but if you want something raw, check out my chili rose pasta sauce…
I first messed around with this concoction in December and loved it (and my photo got a few likes on Facebook) so I thought I’d try again for real tonight – yes I’m easily encouraged ;)
As always, this dish is whole-foods plant-based – there are no soy substitutes for ‘dairy’ products. And also ‘as always’, use organic everything whenever you can.
Ingredients (Serves 4)
- 1 cup almonds, soaked for 8 hours and peeled (see Instructions below)
- 2 cups vegan stock – I prefer to make my own if I have the time and old vegetables but I keep posting the link to Rapunzel vegan cubes because they’re so easy and tasty
- 12oz organic brown rice pasta (gluten-free) – I’m liking jovial’s fusilli at the moment
- 1-2 tbls extra virgin olive oil
- 16oz baby portabello mushrooms, cut into chunky quarters
- 2 large leeks, sliced finely from the white end and stop when it starts getting green
- 2 tbls corn flour
- 1-2 tsp Victoria’s Herbs de Provence – this is the magic ingredient and I have no idea what substitutes you could use, but it will fast become a favorite in the herb cupboard… promise :)
- Salt and black pepper to taste (so long as you put loads of pepper in!)
- 4 large handfuls of fresh baby spinach
- 4 large basil leaves, for garnish
Instructions
- Soak the almonds in filtered water for eight hours (it’s easy to do this before you leave for work so they’re ready, waiting for you when you get home)
- Peel almonds – once they’re soaked you can do this easily by pinching the nut, the skin simply falls off; this isn’t essential, I have made it without doing this and it tastes fine, just has a bit of extra roughage as my father would say, and makes it a speckled brown sauce instead of white
- Prepare stock, and blend almonds in 1/2 cup of stock until smooth (this is your ‘cream’), set aside cream and remaining stock
- Bring water to boil and cook pasta as per instructions until al dente
- While pasta is cooking, heat large skillet with oil (or water if you’re watching oil intake)
- Add mushrooms and leeks and cook until the juices start to show
- Add almond cream to mushrooms and stir in 1 cup of stock, corn flour and herbs – bring to light boil and continue to stir in remaining stock as required, until you get a consistency you like; I suggest erring on the runnier side as it thickens when it cools
- Mix pasta into the sauce and check seasoning – adjust to preferences
- Serve on a bed of fresh spinach (this is the best past serving idea ever – it has a great texture and fresh taste, and easily pretties up an otherwise boring lump of pasta on a plate), and garnish with black pepper and basil
Happy, creamy, healthy, yumminess
xx
Guide: vegan | gluten-free | sugar-free | soy-free
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