Mushroom Carbonara with Cashew Cream Sauce

In 2013, I was introduced to vegan cuisine by my now wife who has been vegan for 30 years. I had been going through a rough patch personally and needed to make a change in my life. I fell in love with vegan cooking and eating and embraced it “cold turkey.” (Yes, I recognize the irony in that statement). I dropped a ton of weight and started training for a marathon and cycling. It was transformative. I developed a love and passion for plant-based cooking and where it could take me. For a while I had to battle some internal demons because I was still a chef in a company that loves food and not everyone wants to be plant-based. But now I have a niche. I’ve been a plant-based chef for a wide variety of technology and creative companies in Northern and Southern California and now I get to train and inspire teams in plant-based techniques.

Where I work now, at a major Bay Area technology company, there’s a lot of interest in and support for plant-based cooking. While the entire program isn’t plant-based, the executive chef and the whole culinary team are really interested in learning how to make delicious plant-based food. When I’m introducing chefs to plant-based cooking, I encourage them to use a lot of the techniques they already know and would use for meat-focused dishes to make food that’s just as delicious, beautiful, and technically sound. Like if you’re doing a pasta carbonara, instead of the bacon or pancetta, you can caramelize mushrooms and get them really crispy and have a similar effect. Lately we’ve been making a butternut squash soup that has depth and complexity from a smoked butternut squash and a texture from cashews that mimics cream. I prefer to show people how to use whole vegetables and grains like beets, mushrooms, and quinoa to make interesting dishes rather than relying on vegan meat alternatives. At home, my wife and I make a spicy dish with eggplant and mushrooms that have a similar character to chorizo, though we don’t call it that.

The dish I’m sharing is a wild mushroom carbonara. Its smoky flavor pairs with the crispy texture of the mushrooms and gives you flavor and textural elements that resemble bacon or pancetta. Traditionally this dish is created with regular semolina flour, however a suitable alternative is to use whole wheat or even whole grain pasta such as a quinoa-based one. I love this dish because it gives me everything that I’m looking for in a sexy, satisfying Italian pasta dish without having to add meat or the traditional dairy products.

I love educating people about plant-based cooking and introducing them to new dishes. There are so many different cuisines around the world that don’t rely on meat-based proteins. Indian food is one of my top loves. Ethiopian, Thai, and even Italian food for that matter have a lot of recipes that don’t require meat. I think getting people to try something new is the best way to get them interested in eating more plant-based and plant-forward foods. I’ll come out into the café with samples of dishes we’ve created so our guests can taste test them. I’m always honest that we’re not trying to fool people. We’re not trying to replace meat, but this is something that’s incredibly tasty that you should try. I don’t expect everyone to be plant-based or plant-forward, but if you open yourself up to experiences and make a little bit of change, you’re going to get interested in something new that is good for your health and good for the planet.