Mushroom Scallops with Garlic Pasta and Asparagus

Here’s a confession! I’ve never had scallops before. I gave up seafood after seeing the Little Mermaid as a kid, plus I accidentally ate shellfish once and found out I’m super allergic. I have eaten a ton of mushrooms in my life, and think King Oyster Mushrooms are everything! I decided to mix mine with a creamy garlic sauce and some asparagus to get some greens in there. This is how we made it:

Mushroom Scallops with Garlic Pasta and Asparagus

Ingredients:

4 large stems of king oyster mushrooms

2 cups veggie broth

1 tbsp Braggs Liquid Aminos

1 package asparagus, woody ends trimmed

1 package 14 oz gluten free fettuccine

3 tbsp olive oil, divided

½ onion, finely diced

4 cloves of garlic, minced and divided

2 tbsp chickpea flour or cornstarch

2 ½ cups unsweetened plant based milk

½ tsp salt

½ tsp red pepper flakes

Pepper to taste

Directions:

Bring your veggie broth to a boil in a small pan. Add the Braggs liquid aminos, a clove of garlic, and a little salt and pepper. Reduce to a simmer.

In the meantime, rinse your oyster mushrooms and cut off the tops. Save the tops to use in another dish, because they are not cheap and they are delicious! Cut the stems into about 1” cross sections so you have oyster mushroom coins.

Add the oyster mushroom slices to the veggie broth and simmer for about 15 minutes.

Drain the oyster mushrooms, but keep the veggie stock mix,

Heat a small skillet over medium and add a tablespoon of olive oil. Add the mushrooms and cook on the first side for a few minutes or until the sides of the mushrooms are pretty and brown. Flip the mushrooms, cook for a few minutes until the other side begins to brown, and then drizzle with about a ¼ cup of the veggie broth mix. Stir the mushrooms and let them soak up most of the veggie broth. Set aside.

In the same skillet, add a little more oil and heat over medium. Add your asparagus and season with a clove of garlic, salt, and pepper. Cook until the asparagus turns bright green and is soft, or about 5-7 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook your pasta according to the package instructions. Drain, and get ready to add your sauce!

Now, let’s make the garlic sauce. In the same small pan as the veggie broth, heat a tbsp of olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and the 2 cloves of garlic, and cook until both are soft, or about 5 minutes. Add in the chickpea flour or cornstarch and stir. Let it cook for about a minute while continuing to stir. Now, get ready to whisk for your life. No one likes a lumpy white sauce! Gradually add the milk about ¼ to ½ cup at a time while whisking continuously and taking breaks from adding the milk to make sure you really dissolve all of the flour. Bring this mixture to a simmer, and then cook for a few minutes. Add the red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. The sauce will thicken a bit as it cools, but we’re aiming for just a bit thinner than an alfredo, so we don’t overwhelm our mushrooms.

Add the sauce to the pasta and stir. Serve the pasta topped asparagus and mushrooms.

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