Christmas Fettuccine Alfredo

My mom gave me a cookbook for Christmas called "Vegan on the Cheap" and it's my newest obsession.  The main reason I created this blog was because I could never find a single recipe for the meal I wanted to create.  Many vegan recipes I come across include "imitation non-vegan" replacements, which to me is like cheating.  Others include fancy spices or other ingredients which I have never even heard of, let alone can find in my mountain-town grocery store.  I always end up taking pieces from various recipes and mushing them together in hopes that they turn out yummy.  This recipe for is pretty much by the book and I loved how it came out! Happy cooking, tasty eating.

Blushing Fettuccine Alfredo

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbs olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, minced *
• 1 small yellow onion *
• 2 Tbs dry white wine
• 1/3 cup unsalted raw cashews
• 1/2 cup silken tofu, drained
• 2 Tbs nutritional yeast
• 1 1/2 cups soy milk *
• 1/2 cup marinara sauce
• 1/2 tsp salt *
• 1 lb fettuccine
• 2 tbs fresh parsley, minced *
• black pepper
• 1 cup spinach, chopped
• 3/4 cup whole grape tomatoes

* I omitted these ingredients and used instead 1 tsp garlic salt, spinach and garlic marinara sauce which had parsley in it, and unsweetened almond milk

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add onion & garlic, cover and cook until soft.  Stir in wine, remove from heat, and set aside.
2. Grind cashews in a blender to make a powder.  Add the onion/garlic mixture, tofu, & yeast and blend until smooth.  Add the soy milk, marinara sauce, & salt and blend smooth.  Add mixture to sauce pan with spinach and tomatoes over low heat, stirring occasionally, keep warm. 
3. Cook pasta according to package, drain, and toss with sauce mixture.  Sprinkle with parsley and serve!