It is never too early, or too late to bring in dietary and lifestyle changes to help manage the symptoms of menopause.
According to Rohini Bajekal, nutritionist for the Happy Menopause Course, transitioning to a fibre-rich plant-based diet is one of the most effective steps women can take on their menopause journey.
Combined with plenty of sleep and exercise, among other things, centring meals around plants has both physical and mental benefits – and can taste great too.
Those wondering what to make need not look any further than this wholesome mushroom pasta dish that comprises vegetables, nuts, rich flavours, and natural plant proteins.
Sharing the recipe on the site The Happy Pear, nutritionist Rohini said: “Easy to make, really simple and super tasty, this creamy, fried mushrooms pasta is well worth making! This recipe is oil-free and from our Happy Shape Club which is our 12-week no calorie counting, no portion control course to help you to become happy with your shape.”
Creamy mushroom pasta recipe
Ingredients (serves four)
- 300g wholemeal pasta
- 250g mushrooms of choice – we like oyster/shitake/chestnut
- One large red onion
- Two cloves of garlic
- 200ml veg stock
- Three tablespoons of tamari/soy sauce
- 100g roasted cashews
- 500ml alternative milk of choice
- juice of half a lemon
- Half a teaspoon of salt
- One-quarter of a teaspoon of ground black pepper
- One teaspoon of garlic powder
Garnish
- One fresh chilli – seeds removed
- Three sprigs of fresh oregano or thyme
Method
To start, boil the pasta in salted water and cook according to pack instructions. Next, finely chop the garlic, mushrooms and onion and slice the chilli removing the seeds. Pick the herb leaves from their stalks and chop them up into uniform sprigs.
To cook the mushrooms without oil, heat a large nonstick pan over high heat, add the onions and garlic, reduce the heat to medium and cook for two minutes stirring occasionally. Once the onion and garlic have browned slightly, add a couple of tablespoons of vegetable stock to stop them from sticking to the pan and continue to cook for another minute or two.
Add the chopped mushrooms and cook until they start to brown (around four minutes in), then pour in a couple more tablespoons of vegetable stock if they start to stick.
Once they have started to brown and have reduced, add the tamari/soy sauce and stir, mixing it around until it is all absorbed.
To make the cashew sauce, add the cashews, juice of half a lemon, half a teaspoon of salt, one-quarter of a teaspoon of ground black pepper, and one teaspoon of garlic powder to a blender, and blitz on high speed until very smooth.
Drain and rinse the pasta, (keeping a mug of pasta water to help dilute the dish if needed), then replace it in the pan
Add the creamy cashew sauce to the cooked and drained pasta and cook for a couple of minutes until it thickens. Taste and season if needed.
Serve the pasta and sauce and top each dish with the cooked mushrooms, a few slices of sliced chilli and some thyme/oregano leaves.
