Creamy Leak and Mushroom Tagliatelle

When people go vegan, they often feel that they need to jam-pack their dinner with meat and dairy supplements. I am somewhat of a vegan purist. Though I do use milk and ice cream alternatives, or sometimes Tofutti cream cheese or sour cream for recipes. But I don't want to be able to taste that it's vegan.

When I became a vegan and began eating vegan dinners I realized how balanced and chemical free they tasted. Then I started trying to add dairy alternatives like cheese, (DISGUSTING!), sour cream on a potato (too grainy), or a different brand of fake cheese (just as gross!). To the point where I was craving plain food again.

I have stopped testing and gone back to my old ways... My one concession is my Earth Balance on toast. But I did have a craving for a cream sauce about a month or two ago.

So when I found this recipe I was still slightly skeptical of how vegan it was going to taste. The picture made it look so good, but it had vegan sour cream in it. I decided that I would quickly jot down the ingredients and if my mom decided to go to the store I would buy and make. So that's what I did.

What a surprise! This creamy sauce resembles a thinner alfredo with a hearty and earthy flavor from the mushrooms and leeks. It's sure to quench any cream sauce craving. Another plus side is that it's so easy to make. Oh, and I think I forgot to mention- it doesn't taste the least bit vegan!

Creamy Leek and Mushroom Tagliatelle
From The Vegan Cook Book by Nicola Graimes

1/4 cup olive oil
3 leeks, sliced into rounds
2 garlic cloves, chopped
3 cups button mushrooms, sliced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon chile flakes
3 cups dried tagliatelle
5 tablespoons vegan cream cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
to garnish
salt and freshly ground black pepper

1
Heat the oil in a large heavy frying pan and saute the leeks and garlic for 3 minutes, until soft. Add the mushrooms, oregano and chile flakes and cook gently for 5 more minutes until the mushrooms are tender.

2
Meanwhile, cook the tagliatelle in a large pan of salted boiling water for 8-12 minutes until al dente. Drain reserving 1/4 cup of the cooking water for the mushroom mixture.

3
Stir the reserved cooking water into the mushroom mixture, then add the cream cheese and season. Heat gently for 1-2 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4
To serve, spoon the sauce on the tagliatelle and sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley..

By the way this can be pretty spicy, but it mixes so well with the other flavors that I don't know if you should even try to mess with it!

Stay Hungry and Enjoy Eating Guilt Free!....