ASPARAGUS AND MUSHROOM PASTA

My husband bought a 2 pound bag of organic asparagus which I used in its entirety for this recipe. We both like asparagus and this recipe was easy and delicious.

The recipe can be found at “Fat Free Vegan Kitchen” recipe blog: Asparagus and Mushroom Pasta

What I do to quickly make cashew milk for a recipe using a high speed blender (I have a Vitamix): Blend 1/4 cup raw unsalted cashews and 1 cup water in the blender for a minute or so. That's it! It is ready to use.

Mushrooms make a great replacement for meat because of their umami flavor. Umami is considered the fifth basic taste, alongside sweet, sour, salty, and bitter. It is a savory flavor created by glutamates in food, most commonly found in meat, fish, sauces, soups, cooked, tomatoes, cheeses, soy sauce, and fermented foods. Mushrooms are one of the few plants foods that have strong umami flavor. Umami flavors can enhance low-sodium foods, reducing the need for added salt. Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is a processed form of glutamate and flavor enhancer in soups, Chinese foods, and processed meats. Some people describe temporary symptoms after eating foods high in MSG including headaches, flushing, and even chest pain. However, there is no definitive research to show that MSG causes these symptoms. The best treatment if one consistently experiences these symptoms is to avoid foods with MSG. Source

Watch this video to learn how to pronounce "umami."

What I did differently:

-Used chickpea pasta

-By the time I snapped off the tough ends of the asparagus it weighed about 1 1/2 pounds

-Added 2 extra cloves of garlic

-Used 2 tsp Orrington Farms vegan chicken flavored broth base since my husband likes it but is high in salt

-Used 2 TBSP nutritional yeast

-Used homemade cashew milk since what I had

-Added an entire 15.5 oz can chickpeas, drained

-I forgot to save the pasta water so used regular filtered water when making the sauce

-Did not add salt since the broth base I used is high salt

-Added the cooked pasta and chickpeas to the pot with the sauce to combine