Pasta Sauce - Cashew, Garlic, Spinach and Mushroom - Dairy Free

This is a take on the vegan cashew-based creamy sauces.  Google cashew sauce and there are thousands of versions.

Most of the vegan sauces have nutritional yeast, however I have omitted nutritional yeast as the flavor can be somewhat over powering.

To get the cashews to blend well into a sauce consistency, you need to soak them in water. Other cashew sauce recipes advise to soak the cashews for up to an hour in room temperature. For this recipe, just to fast track things, I used slightly cooled boiled water, and soaked them for about 20 minutes. It is also advised not to soak the cashews over night or they will be too watery.

It's important to use raw cashews, and ensure they are not roasted or salted.

Also, you can blend up the cashews after they've soaked using a food processor. Since I don't own a food processor, I use a wizz stick, and it works just as well.

A heads up about this recipe, the sauce can turn a gray/green colour as the cashew sauce can take on some of the colour from the mushrooms and spinach. Also if it's left sitting, it needs to be stirred as it may start to dry out.


Ingredients
1 cup of raw cashews, soaked in water for 20-60 minutes
1/2 to 1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, diced
salt & pepper to taste
8-10 mushrooms, sliced
2 cups of baby spinach leaves (I used a whole packet)
1 chicken stock cube, in boiling 1/2 cup water

Method
1) Measure 1 cup of raw cashews. Pour water to just to cover the cashews. Soak for 20-60 minutes depending on the temperature of water used.

2) Meanwhile, drizzle olive oil into a saucepan, and on a medium heat, brown the onion garlic with salt and pepper to taste.

3) Add the mushroom, and cook until browned and softened. Add the spinach leaves, and cook until just about melted.

4) While cooking the veg, muzz the cashews in a food processor or by using a wizz stick. Do not drain the water they have been soaking in. They should muzz up to a paste like consistency.

5) Add the cashew paste to the veg and lower the temperature.

6) Slowly, teaspoon by teaspoon, add the stock while stirring to combined into a sauce like consistency. Add the stock until it is the consistency desired. Be careful not too add too much too quickly and make the sauce too watery. If it is too thick after adding all of the stock, add a bit extra water.

Serve with pasta, or as a white sauce in a veggie lasagna, or in a veggie bake, on roasted vegetables, or google cashew sauce for thousands of other ideas.