Hurry Up Alfredo – VYY Cookbook!

Hurry Up Alfredo with Basil

Alright, are you ready for the first recipe preview from the VYY cookbook?

This is one of my favorite recipes in the book. I make it almost once a week. It’s the perfect creamy pasta sauce when you’re feeling like alfredo. It’s also a great sauce for casseroles, over steamed veggies, on top of lasagna — wherever you want a basic creamy sauce. So not only is it really versatile, but it’s also really quick!

The whole sauce is made in a blender, so the faster you can toss ingredients into a blender, the faster it’s done. This also makes it super easy for additions. Recently I’ve been adding whole roasted red peppers (the kind they sell water-packed in jars).

Hurry Up Alfredo
Makes 2-3 Servings

1 Cup Soymilk
1/3 Cup Raw, Unsalted Cashews
1/4 Cup Nutritional Yeast
3 Tbs Low-Sodium Tamari or Soy Sauce
2 Tbs Earth Balance Margarine
1 Tbs Tahini
1 Tbs Fresh Lemon Juice
2 tsp Dijon Mustard
1/2 tsp Paprika (smoked is awesome)
1 Pinch Nutmeg
2-4 Cloves of Garlic, optional
Black pepper, to taste

Add all the ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth. This may work best in a high-speed blender (like a Vita-Mix), but you can definitely make it in a regular blender. Just blend extra-long, or perhaps strain if if you want it perfectly smooth. Tiny bits of cashews won’t hurt anyone though!

If you’re making this sauce for pasta, drain the pasta and return it to the hot empty pan. Pour the sauce over, place on medium heat, and stir until heated through. Serve with lots of fresh cracked black pepper. I love it with steamed broccoli added in!

Don’t forget to pick up a copy of the book on the 16th!

—————————
Note to Testers
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VYY Book

I’ve finally received my author copies of the book! Therefore I’m ready to mail my awesome testers their free copy! Since testing was done two years ago, I need updated addresses. If you were a tester, please email me at lolo @ veganyumyum.com with your current address and I’ll get a book to you in the mail! Many thanks for all your hard work!

269 comments

  1. Mariell

    I am looking for ways to avoid gluten and milk in my diet, and this is just the perfect solution for having a white sauce! I found that adding cashew butter instead of the nuts will make it easier to make a smooth sauce even without a Vita Mix. Also omited the nutritional yeast and added 1 tbs tomato puré for a great pasta bolognese… Thanks for putting me on all of the ideas!

  2. B.A.D.

    Hey,

    I e-mailed you a little while ago about my updated contact information. I haven’t heard anything back, so let me know if you need me to re-send the information or if for some reason it didn’t go through.

    thanks.

  3. Allison

    So I made this last night & just devoured the leftovers for lunch. Such a good recipe! I also just received your cookbook in the mail yesterday & can’t decided what I want to make first. :)Congratulations on such an achievement, you deserve it!

  4. jcd

    Was testing really two years ago? Time flies. I sent you an e-mail with my address.

    On another note, if you steam or boil the cashews they blend up easier in a regular blender.

  5. jenskie

    I’ve always been intimidated with homemade vegan “cheese” sauces – but of course everything on VYY looks delicious and doable! One quick question-how long can you store it in the fridge?

  6. lizzy henry

    i got it! i got it! i got it!

    thank you again for this new delight!
    p.s. i convinced the lady at barnes & noble, who rang me up, to buy the book for her vegetarian daughter/son-in-law and she’s getting one for herself too!

    <3

  7. maserin

    Hey Lolo, just wanted you to know that I purchased the cookbook right away (sorry, couldn’t wait until the 16th so I bought it on the 15th). Actually, I purchased it for a friend’s housewarming gift thinking I would buy another for myself soon but when the book showed up, it had a bunch of ripped pages in it! The corners were torn off so that I couldn’t read the ingredients! I’m sending it back to Amazon for a replacement. Totally not implying that this is your fault, but I saw other comments on Amazon indicating that other people’s orders arrived damaged too. I would call the publisher if I were you…

    Anyway, I made this sauce just now and I think there must have been a misprint when it comes to the soy sauce. Like some other posters, my sauce came out kinda dark brown and incredibly salty. Did you mean to say 3 tsp soy sauce and not 3 tbsp? Anyway, I doubled the recipe but did not double the soy sauce and the color and taste improved. I’m still wondering how you got your sauce so nice and white though, because mine took on a yellow-y hue after doubling and I was never able to get it to look like your picture…

  8. Nora

    Hey Lauren! I just have to tell you that, having just received my VeganYumYum cookbook in the mail, it is the most beautiful cookbook I’ve ever seen (before yours, it was vegan brunch…).
    I love love love that you have a picture for every recipe–that’s almost unheard of! And they’re all so beautiful too. And then, recipe-wise. Let’s just say whenever I get a new cookbook, I sit down with it for an hour with a pad of sticky notes, and read through it completely, marking all the recipes I want to make for sure. I don’t think I’ve ever marked such a high percentage of recipes in a cookbook before. At one point, I was like, maybe I should mark the ones I don’t want to make…

    Anyways, this book is definitely something to be proud of. I literally can’t wait until I can journey into its delicious pages. For now, I’m at school, so the best I might be able to do is one of the baked goods. But I just wanted to thank you for your lovely contribution to the vegan world. I think I will treasure this book in my collection forever!
    Love, Nora

  9. Brooke

    you book looks amazing! I saw it at Borders yesterday, and sat down and read it. The recipes look amazing, and your photos are to die for! I am buying this book as soon as I get paid! I didn’t see a recipe i didn’t want to try!

  10. Jennifer

    OMG I just made your “Hurry Up Alfredo” and it’s DELICIOUS. Your cookbook is amazing and quickly becoming my favorite of all time. Keep up the good work and thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!

  11. Tara

    this recipe is to die for… so simple and FAST!!!

    my boyfriend told me it was the best pasta he’s ever had. I’ve made it twice in the past 48 hours and made a double batch tonight to freeze!

    THANK YOU!

  12. Mikki

    This was approved by my family!! It was FANTASTIC!! I loved it so much I blogged about you today on my blog. I just found your website when I was playin’ around today and happened to have everything in the pantry. I sauteed up some brocoli and onions and added it to spiral veggie/rice noodles and it was FABULOUS!! Thanks for sharing it!

    Blessings,
    Mikki

  13. Neta

    I made it yesterday and both me and my boyfriend loved it. It was creamy and delicious and without the store-bought-not-so-tasty-soy-cream. YUM!

  14. xtx

    will get that book for sure….

    i just saw you on tv – well at least there is a iphone-tv-spot (here in germany). In this spot there a iphone with a couple of apps – on is yum yum … well … i just thought thats cool…

  15. VegSteph

    Yeah, mine tasted a bit funny also, and now I realize that it’s the soy sauce. Next time, I’ll try 3 tsp. instead of 3 tbsp. It came out kind of brown and extremely salty. I’m going to try to balance it out with pepper to salvage this batch. Thanks lolo!

  16. Ron (Australia)

    Vegsteph,

    I’m just about to make it for the second time and I’m definitely cutting back on the soy sauce to try and get rid of the ‘bite’ and make it taste creamy.

    Perhaps the paprika is also to blame for the dark colouring.

  17. Kelly S

    Congratulations on the book! I placed my order through earlier today. Too bad its estimated arrival date is October 16th – I am so anxious to see it! I love everything you make, especially my husband!

    I will have to try this recipe once I get all the ingredients I need!

    Again, congratulations and thanks a bunch!

  18. Ratsofritz

    Congratulations on your success with the new book. I’ve heard nothing but high praise for you and your fantastic recipes. You deserve all of the accolades you’ve been receiving.

    I tried your recipe for “Hurry Up Alfredo” last night and I utterly confused my husband when I explained that it contained no cheese vegan or otherwise. You made me look magical.

  19. Amy

    This was one of the most delicious sauces I’ve ever had or made. Your website has made leaving dairy and meat products behind the easiest decision I’ve ever made.

  20. Olivia

    I’m so excited for the book. I found this blog one day and loved it. When I heard that the book was out I immediately ordered it on Amazon. I can’t wait till it arrives. Also, the alfredo recipe is delicious. I’m definitely going to make it regularly.

  21. John

    Yay, I got it today! Actually ordered it (too early, sorry) for an anniversary, but my GF dumped me, so I get to keep it myself.
    Great recipes! Awesome-O pictures! Can’t wait to try out recipes :) ^^
    Just the cover suffered a little by Amazon.de, my housemates thought it was second-hand. The ink is crumpling off it a little.
    Lots a love from from the Netherlands!

  22. Brooke

    i just made this and it is so yummy. mine came out very watery, so I suggest adding a bit of cornstarch and heating it up on the stove so it thickens. It is sooo delish over whole wheat pasta with sauteed spinach, red onion, and cauliflower. You should make this RIGHT NOW!

  23. Ngoc

    Made this for dinner last night and ate the leftovers as a late-night snack after a concert. Really kicking myself that I can’t have it for lunch now.

  24. stidmama

    My copy of the book arrived in the mail today. Tried to get it on the 16th at the store, but by the time I got there they were sold out, so I came home and ordered a copy. It is BEAUTIFUL! A great resource for our family. Thank you for getting it published!

  25. Joanne

    I made this sauce for dinner tonight and it was wonderful! I bought the book last week and am planning to try a whole bunch of other recipes, too.

    One question: would this sauce work as well with almonds instead of cashews? Or pine nuts? My son is highly allergic to cashews but he can eat almonds and pine nuts with no trouble.

  26. Renee

    Wow! I found your blog a few days ago, and knew I had to try this recipe. I made it tonight (with green beans), and it was AMAZING! Seriously, the absolute best vegan “cream” sauce I have ever tried. I still can’t get over how simple it was! I will definitely be buying your new book, as well as testing out many more recipes from your blog!

  27. Cap'n Colleen

    Woah. I made this for dinner last night, and not only was it delicious, it was a totally zero-stress preparation. This recipe is pure genius. All the ingredients are things that I always have sitting around and I didn’t have to chop anything! Hooray for amazing food with no prep work!

    You’re totally my hero.

    I even got my parents to eat it, and they’re totally the kind of people whose meals consist of meat with a side of meat.

  28. Rachel

    I tried the red and white cauliflower bake from the cookbook tonight and it was delicious! LOVED the cheesy sauce and plan to make it again and again!

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  30. Christina Gressianu

    This tasted awesome, but I had the yellowing problem, along with it being a little too watery. I used some corn starch and heat to thicken it up, but I’m wondering if there’s something else I did wrong? I think I followed the recipe exactly. The soy sauce typo that people have mentioned makes sense. And congrats on the book! I can’t wait to get it!

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  32. Sarah

    Very excited! Is the cookbook sold at any locally owned book stores in and around Boston. I’d like to pick up a copy…

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