Tips to get you started:

• Wash all produce before using. To wash mushrooms, do not rinse or submerge in water. Instead, use a damp paper towel to wipe off debris and dirt. Alternately, you may rinse the mushrooms and spin them dry in a salad spinner to remove excess water before cooking. Trim the stems or break them off altogether if they are too dry and woody in texture.

• Costco seasonally carries mushrooms in bulk at a much lower price than most national brand markets, so check there for great quality product.

• If you do not have a vegetable spiralizer, you can use a vegetable peeler to get wide noodle strips sliced from the squash. In addition, some markets stock spiralized vegetables in the pre-prepared produce section near the salads, I recommend using butternut for the sturdiness of the noodle as well as the subtle sweetness that it adds to the dish.

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 20 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

1-2 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)

1/8 Cup earth balance original spread

2 Cups yellow onion, sliced thinly

5 oz shiitake mushrooms sliced to about ¼ inch thick, vertically

8 oz baby Bella mushrooms sliced to about ¼ inch thick, vertically

3 Cups vegetable broth

1 1/2 Tablespoons tamari

1/2 Cup vegan sour cream

1/4 Cup all-purpose flour

1 Teaspoon dried thyme

1 Tablespoon prepared Dijon mustard

1/4 Teaspoon black pepper

4 Cups spiral cut butternut squash, long strands cut down to approximately 4 inches as needed to even out the noodle length

Salt, to taste

Optional: Dash of Truffle Zest and Fresh sage for garnish

Part one: In a large frying pan or cast-iron skillet, heat the earth balance spread over medium heat. When the spread is hot but not smoking, add mushrooms and onions, let this cook for 3 minutes before stirring, cook an additional 5-8 minutes to obtain even browning over the onion and mushrooms.

Part two: To the pan, add 1/4 cup flour and stir to make a rue. Cook this for about 1 minute and then add the broth, Tamari, thyme, black pepper and Dijon. Allow this to come to a simmer and then add the sour cream. Stir to combine and cook until any blobs of sour cream have melted.

Note: If the resulting mix is too thick for your preference, it may be thinned with water or additional broth, I recommend doing this in small amounts until your desired sauce thickness has been reached. Once desired texture has been reached, turn the heat under this pan to the lowest setting and stir occasionally while you cook the butternut noodles.

Part three: In a large frying pan over medium high heat, heat 1-2 Tablespoons of EVOO until it is shimmering hot but not smoking. Add butternut and a light sprinkle of salt to the pan. Cook, turning and tossing the noodles frequently with tongs to get an even cook on all noodles. 3-5 minutes should get you just a kiss of caramelization and a nice toothy al dente bite to the noodles.

Serving suggestion: Toss the noodles in the mushroom and sour cream sauce, garnish with fresh chopped sage and a dash of truffle zest and enjoy!

Tiny chefs in the house? They can help:

• Wash the produce

• Pull sage leaves off the stems

• Measure ingredients

• Mix the ingredients together

Nutrition per serving: Total Calories: 260 // Total Fat: 11 // Cholesterol: 0 // Sodium: 1146 mg // Total Carbohydrates: 31 // Sugars: 4 // Protein: 6

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist's advice.