Creamy Dairy-Free and Egg-Free Seafood Pasta Alfredo

I'm having a grand time, experimenting with the vegetarian food supplement, nutritional yeast, which I first posted about here.  I'm discovering all sorts of uses for this amazing, vitamin-B-packed, all-natural product, that adds an amazingly cheesy and nutty flavor to foods, all without the dairy.

Green Organic Girl loves shrimp and pasta, and tonight's dinner adventure was an attempt at a creamy Alfredo-like pasta, with shrimp, scallops, and asparagus -- minus the traditional cream, eggs, and Parmesan cheese, to accommodate my milk allergy.  The experiment was a success!!  I'm also happy to report that it was super easy to make -- requiring not much more effort than the traditional recipe.  Here is my dairy-free, and egg-free version, using organic fusili pasta:

1 lb dry pasta

1 lb fresh asparagus, ends trimmed, and cut in one inch pieces

1/2 lb frozen, cooked, peeled shrimp

1/2 lb frozen scallops

1 clove minced garlic

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

1/4 cup rice flour (or substitute with all-purpose flour)

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp kosher salt

1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper

2/3 cup almond milk (or any unsweetened soy or nut milk)

1 tbsp vegan margarine (like Earth Balance)

Cook one pound of your favorite pasta in salted, boiling water, according to package directions, to al dente doneness.

While pasta is cooking, thaw the shrimp and scallops in a colander under cool running water.

 In a dutch oven, sautee the garlic and asparagus in extra virgin olive oil on medium heat.

In a small bowl, blend together the nutritional yeast, rice flour, garlic powder, kosher salt, and black pepper.  Stir in the almond milk to form a slurry.  Set aside.

Drain the shrimp and scallops well, and toss with the garlic and asparagus.  Turn the heat down to medium-low.  Add the yeast and almond milk mixture, stirring constantly, as the sauce will thicken quickly.  Cook for about two minutes.  Drain the pasta well, and toss with the sauce.  Cook for another minute, and serve immediately.

This dish was a hit with my cheese-loving hubby and daughter.  I'm very happy to have found a way to incorporate creamy pasta dishes back onto our menu, while keeping them dairy-free :)