Did you know that when you blend together cashews and nutritional yeast, magic happens? It's nearly hard to believe that this pasta sauce isn't actually cheese, but an extremely healthy, dairy-free substitute instead.
Nutritional yeast is actually made from a single-celled organism, Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, which is grown on molasses and then harvested, washed and dried with heat to 'deactivate' it. Because it's inactive, it doesn't froth or grow like baking yeast does.
Just like it's name, nutritional yeast is packed with nutrition, particularly B-vitamins, folic acid, selenium, zinc, and protein. So not only is it packed with vitamins and minerals, but it's nutty and cheesy flavor makes a great addition when sprinkled on salads, vegetables and popcorn, or simply added into soups or pastas.
So here I give you the healthiest mac n' cheese ever! It's gluten-free, dairy-free, and down-right amazing if you ask me.
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 1/2 cups raw cashews
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 3/4 cup water
- 1 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 small garlic clove
- pinch of turmeric
- pinch of cayenne pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon good-quality mustard (dijon or yellow)
-freshly ground black pepper and paprika, for garnish
*optional add-ins: roasted broccoli, sauteed mushrooms, wilted spinach, or any preferred vegetable
DIRECTIONS:
1. If you're wanting any optional add-ins, now would be the time to prepare that.
2. Bring a pot of water to a boil, and cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain and return pasta to the pot.
3. In a high-speed blender, add the first ten ingredients, and blend until smooth and creamy.
4. Pour sauce over pasta and gently stir to incorporate. Eat as is, or mix in any vegetables at this point.
5. Sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper, and paprika, and serve warm.
Enjoy!
Optional baking instructions (if you prefer a more firm texture):
1. Once you've mixed everything together, pour the mac n' cheese into an 8x8 square dish and garnish with pepper, and paprika. Bake in preheated oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Let cool for about 5 minutes before servings.
(Adapted recipe from here)
Do you soak the cashews first?
ReplyDeleteI don't soak my cashews for this recipe. (But 4 hours max for soaking cashews, if you choose to).
ReplyDeleteSo I am doing the allergy elimination diet at the request of a naturopathic doctor I recently started seeing. I have to avoid all things acidic. Do you think I could replace the lemon juice in this recipe with something else or leave it out all together?
ReplyDeleteHm, that's a tricky one. I do think the lemon aids in the flavor quite a bit, but I do think you could probably get away without it, and just increase the water. Sorry in advance if it doesn't taste quite right. (I wonder if a splash of vinegar could replace it??)
ReplyDelete