Cauliflower and Mushrooms with Bean Pasta and Cashew Cheese Sauce

For an easily elegant dinner, serve this creamy cauliflower and pasta dish with a simple green salad and finish off the meal with a fruity blended sorbet.

Ingredients:

For the cashew cheese sauce:

1 cup raw cashews
2 tablespoons hemp seeds
1/3 cup water
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
ground pepper, to taste

For the vegetables and pasta:

1 large onion, chopped
3-5 cloves garlic, minced
15 cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 red bell pepper, chopped finely in food processor
1 pound cauliflower florets, chopped (about 1 small head)
2 tablespoons vegizest or other no-salt seasoning blend, adjusted to taste
8 ounces bean pasta, any variety, cooked
6 ounces baby spinach

Instructions:

To make the cashew cheese sauce, blend cashews, hemp seeds, water, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, garlic, vinegar, mustard and ground black pepper in a high-powered blender until thick and creamy. It should be the consistency of soft cream cheese.

To make the stew, water saute the onions and garlic in a large saucepan or wok using 2-3 tablespoons water. Cook until the onions start to become transparent, about 2 minutes, add the mushrooms, cover and continue cooking for another 5 minutes. Add chopped cauliflower and red bell pepper, cover and cook until cauliflower is tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in Vegizest or other no-salt seasoning.

Add 1/4 cup of the cashew cheese sauce and the cooked bean pasta and cook until heated through, adding 2-3 tablespoons of water or more as needed to adjust consistency and additional sauce as desired. Stir in spinach and heat until spinach is wilted.

Save leftover sauce for other uses. It keeps in the refrigerator for 5 days.