Dairy-Free 'Carbonara'

Bacon Carbonara with Dairy Free Sauce & Spelt Pasta

I love Bacon Carbonara, but I can't use cream in mine because of my dairy intolerance, and I try not to have bacon too often because it's full of those nasty nitrates and nitrites. So here's my version, with lots of mushrooms, and baby spinach - it's still tasty and creamy! By the way, if you can't bear it without bacon, only use a little, and serve it with antioxidants such as fresh orange juice or a tomato salad - this helps to minimise the harmful effects of nitrosamines.

If your kids love cheese but can't have it, you can make this look really cheesey by using arrowroot for the thickener - it makes the creamy sauce all 'stringy' - the first time I did it, my kids really thought there was cheese in it!

1. Chop onion & garlic (and bacon if using) in Thermomix on speed 5 for 5 seconds:

- 1 large onion, halved

- 2 cloves garlic

- a couple of rashers of bacon (don't chop, just pull off the rind & throw it in!)

2. Scrape down sides, add butter/oil, and cook for 2 minutes at 100 degrees on speed 2:

- 30g butter or olive oil

3. Add sliced mushrooms (or throw in whole and chop for 3 seconds on speed 3), and cook another 2 minutes at 100 degrees on speed 2:

- 2 to 4 cups sliced mushrooms (however many you want)

4. Add spinach, extra butter (opt.), flour, milk and seasonings and cook for 7 minutes at 100 degrees speed 2, or until sauce is thickened:

- a couple of handfuls of baby spinach

- 2 Tblspns butter or olive oil

- 2 Tblspns arrowroot (or rice/cornflour/spelt) flour

- 2 cups rice/almond milk

- a couple of splashes of tamari (or soy sauce)

- 2 tsp chicken or vege stock concentrate

- sea salt & freshly ground pepper to taste

5. Check seasonings, and serve over spelt or gluten free pasta.