Vegan Alfredo Sauce

 

When I started eating a vegan diet, the last thing I stopped eating was cheese.  I love creamy, cheesy things.  I would always have on hand boxes of macaroni and cheese - different kinds for different moods - including the cheapest, most neon-orange generic box with powdered sauce mix.  Now I buy vegan "cheese" and make my own vegan macaroni and "cheese" - which, while only a distant cousin of my boxed favorites, is enough to satisfy my cravings.

This sauce is more like Alfredo and is, I believe, even better than the too-rich dairy version (or my previous attempts at making it with skim milk).  And the protein and fat content make it a food I can have on a regular basis.  It's derived from a recipe in The Nutritional Yeast Cookbook by Joanne Stepaniak.

2 Tbsp chopped garlic (yes, I use the kind from a jar)
7 oz. lite silken tofu (half a package of the regular, refrigerated stuff - not actually what's pictured here)
1/4 c water
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2-1/2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp Nutritional  yeast
1/2 heaping teaspoon salt


Sautee the garlic in a pan for a minute or two with 1/2 Tbsp heated olive oil until golden brown.  Transfer to a blender and add all the other ingredients.  Blend until creamy.

Voila!  You can use it for any kind of pasta dish, like this one.  I had it with vegan ravioli and garlic-sauteed spinach.  It stores in the fridge pretty well for a few days.






Makes about 3-4 servings.  At 3 servings per recipe, the nutrition info per serving is 146 Calories, 3g Carbs, 13g Fat, 6g Protein.