Skip to main content

Vegan Cashew "Mac and Cheese"

Next time it'll have roasted broccoli, too.


In an effort to minimize dairy because it makes me itchy, I decided it was time to jump on the cashew sauce bandwagon. I know I like these sauces, but I haven't made them before because I've read that they really require a good high-speed blender. My blending appliances are the food processor, magic bullet, and immersion blender, and I'm not sure any of those would cut it.

After some googling, I found the expensive secret - buy pre-made cashew butter and use that instead. The substitution is to use half the amount of cashew butter that you would have used raw cashews. This recipe used half of a $13 jar, and it made 5-6 servings, which for now is more reasonable than buying a new blender.

The consistency is pretty much like fake nacho cheese except less gross. Specifically, it doesn't congeal or separate into weirdness like fake nacho cheese does. The flavor isn't exactly like cheese, but it's definitely cheesy. The fresh lemon juice is delicious. The kick from the chili powder and pepper are a must.

It would be really good with roasted vegetables in it. This time, I served it alongside a salad with oil and vinegar, and the freshness and crunch were really good contrast to the pasta.

I followed this recipe from Detoxinista exactly, except substituting cashew butter for cashews and using a full clove of garlic. I also omitted the little bit of turmeric because the original recipe said it's really just for color, but maybe I'll toss it in next time.


The Recipe (from Detoxinista):
3/4 c cashew butter
1 large lemon, juiced
3/4 c water
1/4 c nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 clove garlic
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp mustard
16 oz whole-wheat pasta
pepper, to taste
sea salt, to taste
paprika for garnish
Optional: roasted vegetables on top

  • Cook pasta according to package
  • Blend all other ingredients except paprika in food processor or blender.
  • Combine pasta with sauce in warm pot and serve immediately with a sprinkling of paprika.

The Verdict:
Overall grade: A-
Overall reason: It doesn't quite fulfill a craving for cheese, but it's delicious and it's packed with protein and fiber. I felt good after eating it.
Time to prepare: 30 minutes
Husband quote: It's really really good. It's not mac and cheese, but it's a good sauce.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Kitchen renovation!

BEFORE: AFTER: Still to come: a beautiful new induction range and some wood shelving on the left side, above the backsplash. And maybe the shelving unit on the wall facing the cabinets should be green, but we're going to live with a while before making that decision.
2 comments
Read more

Adzuki Beans with Black Rice

I hope I don't turn any readers away by featuring cilantro in my first photo. My current food obsession is black rice. I was first introduced to it at  Sushi Pure . It's purple when cooked, and I was completely smitten when purple sushi arrived at our table. I mean, purple sushi! It was like my birthday or something. Actually, it might have been my birthday, because I pretty much always have sushi on my birthday, but anyway. It's kind of sweet and has this great chewy texture. When I learned  how healthy it is , my crush evolved to full-out love. Sushi Pure's Spicy Tuna Roll (photo from FoodSpotting.com) In my ongoing research for ingredients that are low in calories but high in nutrition, adzuki (also spelled azuki) beans came up. I learned that these are the sweet red beans used in Japanese desserts, including red bean ice cream, which I've been obsessed with since I was a kid. But since turning them into ice cream probably negates the health benef
2 comments
Read more

Cambodian Lemongrass Stir-Fry

  I recommend going heavy on the peanuts I recently finally branched out and tried something new at  Angkor Cambodian Restaurant , and now I'll never branch out ever again because my new favorite dish is too good. They call it Cha Krung, though I've seen a lot of other spellings in my attempt to find recipes. It's a lemongrass stir-fry and they do it with green beans, carrot, onion, and jalapeno, with peanuts on top. The peanuts are amazing in this, but I also really love the way they stir-fry the jalapeno as a vegetable, by removing the seeds and veins and slicing it thin. In my version above I used what I had, which was broccoli, eggplant from the garden, thai chilies instead of the jalapeno (but I'm going to grow jalapenos next year for this purpose), and fresh basil since I found a lot of recipes calling for it. And tofu, though it sounds like chicken is most traditional. I was a bit discouraged when researching recipes because I would need to acquire fresh lemongra
Post a Comment
Read more