Vegetarian alfredo

I bought a bunch of tofu on sale for 99 cents. Then I had to figure out what to do with it. I found a recipe for tofu alfredo on Spark People and modified it a little bit ... with trepidation. But (ta-dah!) it was actually good! Here's what I did before having B's book club at my house last night, which by the way will be a post unto itself.

For the tofu, I think you could use any firmness; you're just going to puree it anyway, and although people usually recommend soft or silken tofu for that, I happened to have extra firm and it worked fine.

I used canned chicken broth, but if you're a real vegetarian obviously you're not going to want to do that. This would be a vegan recipe if you did that, then skipped the cheese. It would still be very good. The garlic and oil and the salt from the broth somehow make the tofu taste quite cheesy even without cheese. Cheesy is good, in my book.

Tofu Alfredo with Peas

1 lb spiral pasta, cooked (Eden Organic, I tell ya, it's good stuff)

2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 large cloves garlic, rough chopped

1 lb tofu
1 1/3 c broth or stock of your choice

1/2 bag frozen petite green peas

Grated Parmesan cheese

Saute onion and celery in olive oil in a large skillet until softened. Add garlic and stir one minute. Don't burn the garlic!

Place sauteed vegetables in your blender along with tofu and broth. Puree.

Return to skillet over low heat. Add peas. Heat through. Salt and pepper to taste.

Serve over pasta, with parmesan cheese if desired. (You could puree the cheese in with the sauce, but I love my parmesan so much I like to know exactly where it is. I think that way I can enjoy it better.)

Baby salad greens with tomatoes and balsamic vinegar on the side make it a perfect meal. So very healthful!