Creamy Cashew Fettucini with Mushrooms and Peas

Creamy and reminiscent of home, Creamy Cashew Fettucini with Mushrooms and Peas {page 221} makes for a comforting dinner.

This recipe drenches tender noodles and sauteed peas and mushrooms in a creamy and satisfying cashew-based sauce. Although there are several steps to the recipe, they are laid out well in the recipe to promote the best time management strategy. As the vegetables were sauteeing, I had plenty of time to cook the noodles and make the sauce.

I enjoyed the crunch of the roasted cashews and breadcrumbs on top, but my only complaint with the recipe is that it seems to be ill-suited to a baked pasta. Before I put it in the oven, the pasta was creamy and perfect. After being in the oven for just a few minutes, all the creamy sauce soaked right up into the noodles, leaving the whole casserole dry and lacking. To tell you the truth, I didn't enjoy this dish very much because of that.

I would definitely suggest this recipe as a good comfort food dish, but I would recommend NOT baking it, and just using the cashews/breadcrumbs as garnish. I think it would taste much better in its original creamy form.

-- Your Friendly Neighborhood Batgirl

Seitan Noodle Casserole - Guest Post by Kristin

I recently bought some seitan from a local natural foods store. I didn't realize till I got home that it was shaved seitan (cut very thinly). I had no idea what to do with that, so I stuck it in the freezer. I was looking through the book looking for something to make and saw the Seitan Noodle Casserole {p 316}. It looked perfect for the seitan in the freezer. I made this last night for dinner and thought it was just ok. I expected it to be creamier than it was (more like a tetrazzini). It tasted fine, but I'm not sure I'd make it again.

-- Kristin
Beans and Greens

Carbonara-Style Spaghetti - Guest Post by Kristin

The Carbonara-Style Spaghetti {page 208} is super-yummy and very easy to make. I've made it twice now and my husband keeps begging me to add this to the menu again. I made it last week for some out-of-town guests and they loved it too. Personally, I don't think you can go wrong with Fakin' Bacon in any dish, especially when you combine it with shallots. I don’t have much else to say about this other than YUM.

I used my own homemade vegan parmesan, spaghettini (thin spaghetti), Fakin’ Bacon, and added peas as suggested in the notes. I just stirred in all of the Fakin' Bacon/Shallot mixture rather than saving some for the topping because I am lazy and that happens to work just fine. Go make this because it is amazing!

--Kristin
Beans and Greens

Pumpkin Ravioli with Peas and Caramelized Shallots

Making pasta from scratch can seem intimidating. Lucky for me, I jumped headfirst into it years ago in my formative cooking years, long before I knew that I was supposed to be intimidated by it. I've been making pasta for ages, but I believe that Pumpkin Ravioli with Peas and Caramelized Shallots {page 230} was my first experience making ravioli.

I decided to make a double batch because the Wondersisters were coming for our weekly Sunday Dinner-and-Doctor-Who fest. As time consuming as it was, it felt like the construction of the ravioli went fairly quickly. The recipe makes far too much filling for the amount of dough, but that's not a terrible problem. Better too much than too little.

I had a ravioli stamp to assist in the cutting process, and I think that little $5 gadget was paramount to maintaining my sanity. It simultaneously cuts and seals the ravioli, and makes them look cute and, well, ravioli-like. I would definitely recommend acquiring one if you plan to make any quantity of ravioli.

The caramelized shallots and tender baby peas really made this dish, and paired perfectly with the luscious pumpkin filling in the ravioli.

Overall, the recipe was a ton of work, but really fun and delicious. Also, it made me crave pierogi again...

-- Your Friendly Neighborhood Batgirl

Rice and Pea Soup with Quick Herb Bread

The Rice and Pea Soup (p163) is an uncomplicated meal-in-a-bowl that comes together fairly quickly. As written, this recipe came out more as a risotto for me, but you could certainly increase the amount of vegetable broth to create a more soupy consistency. I was a tad disappointed at first, but then I just let the soup do its thing, and since arborio rice is used anyway, it works out nicely. This is not a big and bold soup. It's a simple and subtle dish that, though not my usual flavor type, provided a filling meal. Extra salt and fresh ground pepper really got it going for me, especially on Day Two, after everything had hung out in the fridge overnight. The only modification I made was adding a bit of Bill's Chik'nish to the base.

I served this along with the Quick Herb Bread (p399), which is true to its name in that it is quick to put together. One bowl is all you need, and the herbs are variable. You could certainly go with this recipe as written, substitute your favorites, or alter the flavor based on cuisine. It reminds me of an herb bread I make often using my bread machine, only this takes about five minutes to put together and 40 minutes to bake. Toasted, it's even better.

One ladle of soup, one slice of bread (slathered in Earth Balance of course), and a side salad made for a super hearty and satisfying meal. Overall, we all enjoyed this meal, but its subtle flavor was definitely more suited to my grandmother. I do like the idea of using arborio rice for a soup because you get a bit of creaminess without added fat. And this soup method yields a risotto-like dish, but without all that stirring!

--The Divine Miss V