As the weather gets cooler, creamy dishes sound better and better.  I mean, let’s be real, creamy dishes are ALWAYS good but I actually start to crave them as the temperature drops.  We had a weird snap of cool weather in August that spawned this alfredo-esque recipe.  I didn’t even have a fully formed plan when I started making this but when I had the first bite I knew I was onto something. 

Before I go any further, can I just say I wish that jackfruit wasn’t actually called jackfruit? At least I wish the savory not sweet version wasn’t called jackfruit or didn’t have the word fruit in there.  Because be honest, how many of you made a gross face when you saw “Alfredo” and “Jackfruit” in the recipe title?  Fruit and a warm creamy savory sauce?  With mushrooms?  Just a little off-putting.

I promise this isn’t some gross concoction meant to turn you off vegetarian or dairy-free food.  WHICH BTW:  This recipe is also dairy free.  Because you don’t always need dairy to make something delicious and creamy.  Although, try telling that to college Katie.  College Katie used to frequently buy jars of Alfredo sauce and boxes of pasta and call that dinner.  Or lunch.  Maybe breakfast… ok, not breakfast but you get the idea.  It was an easy meal and it tasted good.  Was it the best for me?  Hahahaha…. no, but I made it through those days and I know a thing or two about making my favorite things a tweak healthier.

Cauliflower.

That’s how you make everything healthier.  I took my Cauliflower Stem Cream Sauce and tweaked it a bit and came up with a pretty tasty Alfredo sauce.  It’s a little shocking how delicious a sauce made mostly of a vegetable can taste.  But I should know cauliflower was up to the task.  I seriously love that veg.

Anyway, enough grossing you out with fruit and cream, telling you of my less than stellar college nutrition, and singing the praises of cauliflower.  Let’s make some food.

Alfredo Mushrooms and Jackfruit 

For the Alfredo Sauce: 

• 1 bag of cauliflower rice, about 3-4 cups worth (I used Trader Joe’s non-frozen rice)
• 1/3 cup onion, diced small
• 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
• 1/2 cup full-fat coconut milk or coconut cream
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper

Note: This sauce makes more than you will need for the recipe.  You can save the rest in an airtight container in your fridge for up to a week.  Or freeze it for quick meals when you’re busy.

1. Saute the onion until soft and translucent, about five minutes.  Add the cauliflower rice and saute for another 5 to seven minutes or until the rice is soft and just starting to brown.  Add half the minced garlic and saute another 2 minutes.
2. Add the sauteed rice, onions, and garlic to a blender or food processor.  Add the rest of the sauce ingredients, minus the coconut milk.  Pulse a few times until mostly smooth.  While blending, add the coconut milk a little at a time until you have a smooth and creamy sauce.  Set the sauce aside while you make the mushrooms and jackfruit.

For the mushrooms and jackfruit: 

• 8 oz package of mushrooms (I used Trader Joe’s frozen porcini mushroom chunks, thawed beforehand)
• 1 can jackfruit, rinsed and shredded
• 1/2 cup onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat a little olive oil in a large saute pan with a lid over medium-high heat.  Add the onions and saute until soft.  Add the garlic and saute another minute.
2. Add the shredded jackfruit and season with a little salt and pepper.  Saute until the jackfruit starts to get a little brown then add the mushrooms.  Stir to combine everything and then cover for about five minutes.
3. Remove the lid and continue sauteing the mushrooms until they have started to shrink.  Season with a bit more salt and pepper.  Add about half of the alfredo sauce you made and stir to coat everything.
4. Turn the heat to low and allow the sauce to heat up a bit.  Turn off the heat and stir in the fresh parsley.  Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.  Serve over my Cheesy Basil Cauliflower or any other grain you would like.  This would also be great over pasta, zoodles, or even on its own!