Vegan Alfredo for the Vegan Munchies

I've made plenty of vegan fettucine alfredo recipes over the past few years, and I've been impressed by all of them. Lindsay's low-fat tofu-based alfredo sauce from Happy Herbivore is fantabulous, and the vegan parm-heavy version in Skinny Bitch has long been a favorite. But when I saw Jenn "Shaggy" Shagrin's Roasted White Eggplant Fettucine Alfredo with Fresh Fennel and Spinach from Veganize This!, I knew I had to give it a go:

Rather than rely on tofu or faux vegan parm, Jenn's recipe uses pureed, roasted eggplant and MimicCreme to create a creamy, rich sauce that packs a nutritional punch. I love the idea of hiding veggies in my sauce! Also, this was my second time using fennel (notice the fancy-ass fennel frond for garnish), and I really do like it. Last time, I ate it raw in a red quinoa salad, but in this recipe, the fennel is sauteed with onion in olive oil with herbs and white wine. I'm pretty sure I like fennel best when cooked.

This is the first recipe I've made from Jenn's book, but at a glance, the book seems as awesome as the Shaggy lady herself. If you've never been to Jenn's blog, Veganize It ... Don't Criticize It, you're totally missing out. Jenn uses her blog to share her gourmet vegan recipes and hilarious stories. She's definitely the funniest food blogger I've ever had the pleasure of following.

As for the book, the recipes are generally pretty fancy (think coconut vinegar-cured tofu scallops or lemon-thyme-agave-braised vegan short ribs), but in true Shaggy style, the recipes are filed under chapter headings like "Recipes Guaranteed to Get You Laid" or "Satisfying the Vegan Munchies." And also in Shaggy style, the gourmet recipes are interspersed with veganized versions of junk food fit for a vegan stoner (think homemade vegan Doritos and vegan Twinkies!). Yes, I said "vegan Twinkies." You need this book.