Vegan-ish Alfredo with Broccoli and Mushrooms

This morning farm box brought us a bunch of broccoli and some good-looking mushrooms. Some kind of pasta dish was clearly in order. LCBF is not a huge mushroom fan, but is happy to eat them when they're either covered in some kind of sauce or otherwise fully incorporated into a dish. When I came home from the store with a box of nutritional yeast (known as Edelhefe, among other terms, here in Germany), a bag of cashews, and a lemon, he didn't even bother to ask exactly what we were having for dinner--he figured it was better not to know. He was eventually pleasantly surprised by dinner--bow-tie pasta with broccoli and mushrooms, tossed in a lactose-free alfredo sauce. Recipe after the jump:

The alfredo sauce is modified slightly from the Vegan Yum Yum cookbook. I used butter instead of vegan margarine, which de-veganizes the recipe (I know, but margarine creeps me out. It just does). The recipe is still vegetarian, of course.

Vegan-ish Alfredo with Broccoli and Mushrooms
Serves 2-3
2-cups dried pasta (I used farfalle, but any shape will do)
1 med. head broccoli, cut into florets
handful small crimini mushrooms, sliced
1 c. soymilk
~1/2 c. raw, unsalted cashews
~2 tbl. nutritional yeast
1 tbl. soy sauce
4 tbl. butter
juice of 1/2 a lemon (about 1 tbl.)
1 tsp. dijon mustard
1 clove garlic
salt & pepper to taste
optional: shredded parmesan cheese

Place large pot of water on the stove to boil for the pasta (add salt to the water when it starts to boil). Steam the broccoli until fork-tender (about six minutes or so). Remove from heat. At the same time, melt 2 tbl. butter in a large sauce pan and add sliced mushrooms. Cook mushrooms, stirring occasionally, until browned on both sides (about 10 minutes). While mushrooms are cooking, add pasta to salted water and make alfredo sauce. To make the sauce combine soymilk, cashews, nutritional yeast, soy sauce, 2 tbl. butter, lemon juice, dijon mustard, and garlic in either a blender or food processor. Blend/process until smooth. Salt & pepper to taste. When pasta is cooked (10-12 min.), drain and add to pan with mushrooms. Add broccoli to pan and pour sauce over mixture. Stir to combine over low heat for a few minutes until the pasta/veggies are covered and warm, and the sauce thickens up a bit. Serve with shredded parmesan cheese, if desired.

My kitchen-made-for-giants also has terrible cooking lighting

(but excellent mood lighting?)

The results were tasty. The taste wasn't Alfredo-like (how could it be?), but as a light, creamy sauce it did the trick. It was slightly sweet (maybe the soymilk?), so I think I would probably add the tahini that's in the original recipe if I were to make it again. LCBF liked it, even after I told him how I made it. It probably won't make it into my regular rotation though because even though I liked it, I didn't love it. I think that's because I'm pretty ambivalent about nutritional yeast. I know plenty of people love the stuff and say it's all nutty and cheesy, etc. I just don't get it. It does not taste like cheese, people. It might be all flaky and nutritious, but it is not cheese y'all. And that's okay. Be your own thing, Edelhefe! There, I feel better now.