Seitan Noodle Casserole

"Seitan Noodle Casserole" (page 316) is definitely comfort food. Noodles, peas, seitan and mushrooms wrapped in a creamy sauce, sprinkled with vegan parmesan cheese, and baked in the oven until hot and bubbly, it doesn't get much better than that.  Although a bit preparation intensive, and using several pots and pans for boiling the pasta, sautéing mushrooms, cooking the sauce, and finally transferring everything to the baking dish, it turns out to be wonderful and worth it. (Interestingly, the recipe describes this dish as "a cinch to put together".) Initially I was unsure how I would get around the ¼ cup margarine (46 grams of solid fat!) called for in the white sauce, but after giving it some thought, I came up with a great alternative.  I simply put the broth, sherry, and flour in the blender, along with 2 tablespoons tahini (my addition to replace the margarine) and processed slightly until smooth.  I transferred this to a sauce pan and cooked and stirred until thick, then added the parsley and thyme.  Thick, creamy and delicious without any added fat.  Because I like most dishes saucier than called for (I think I've mentioned this before), the final outcome was not quite as "wet" as I would have liked.  Next time I make this I will increase the amount of sauce.