Vegetable Alfredo

1/2 lb dry (=1 c.) Tinkyada brown rice pasta*
8 c. water
3 T. Smart Balance Vegan butter
1 c. grated vegan cheese**
1/4 c. gluten free breadcrumbs, for topping***
2 c. chopped collards
1 c. chopped red cabbage
1 organic apple
1/2" chunk fresh ginger, minced
1 organic carrot, chopped
1/4 c. kale
1 T. extra virgin olive oil

Seasonings:
fresh basil
rosemary
oregano
crushed red pepper (optional)
sea salt and pepper

* We used fusilli shaped brown rice pasta with rice bran and a separate Paleo-style mac and cheese dish with 2 bags of fettuccine style shirataki noodles. See my previous plain old Mac and Cheese recipe for a basic version of shirataki mac and cheese.


** For myself, Vegan Gourmet cheddar cheese. For Jon, I used 2 oz. dairy-full chipotle cheddar and about 4 oz. of Chevre goat cheese.


*** I used leftover crumbs from my Honey Potato Flatbread and my Rosemary and Olive Sweet Potato Bread.

Fill a large stock pot or pasta pot with at least 8 cups water. I used the quick and energy saving cooking method from the Tinkyada box (yea, I actually attempted to follow directions..): cook the pasta for about 2 minutes in boiling water, then turn off the heat and cover the pot for 10 minutes. If you'd rather use the shirataki noodles, drain both bags and bring them to a boil for about 3 minutes. While pasta is cooking, chop vegetables and set aside. Once the vegetables are chopped, grate the cheese and set aside. After the noodles are cooked, drain them. Tear kale into bite size pieces.


When the noodles are finished, add chopped veggies, apple, Smart Balance, sea salt, seasonings, and minced ginger and horseradish. Mix thoroughly. Add cheese to the pot and stir at low-medium heat until the cheese melts. Once the cheese melts, sprinkle the Alfredo/cheesy vegetables and noodles with the breadcrumbs and serve hot. MMMM!

For all you meat eaters out there, you can top this with grilled rosemary chicken.