Tonight I made this amazing dairy free Alfredo sauce. It was so rich and creamy! It tasted like real, actual dairy Alfredo. And this culinary magic was the result of cauliflower and cashews! I made mine with chicken broth because I have yet to find a vegetable broth without nightshades or other allergens. But you could easily make this vegan by substituting vegetable broth or even water. I served mine with rice spaghetti, roasted balsamic carrots, and sauteed red chard. The balsamic carrots were probably a little overpowering for this creamy pasta. Steamed broccoli would be a better choice for a side dish.
Dairy Free/Vegan Alfredo Sauce
serves 4-6
1 head of cauliflower, chopped/broken into florets
2 cups broth (veggie or chicken)
1 small onion
5-6 cloves of garlic (about 2 Tbsp)
1/2 cup raw cashews, soaked in water overnight
Salt to taste
(You'll have to plan ahead for this one and soak your cashews overnight.)
In a medium sauce pan, combine broth and cauliflower florets. Cook until very tender. Meanwhile, Saute onion until golden. You really want a good onion base for that umami flavor that you would normally get from the Parmesan cheese. Add in garlic and continue to cook for another minute. Drain your cashews and rinse well. Combine onion, garlic, cashews, cauliflower, and broth in a blender (preferably a high powered type, like Vitamix, to get it really smooth). Blend on high until very smooth and creamy. You can thin with more broth if you'd like. I had enough to do a pound of spaghetti with enough left to coat maybe a half pound of penne (which has less surface area). The flavor is pretty intense on its own, but just perfect on the pasta! Serve with fresh cracked pepper.
The leftovers (lunch this week! yay!):
This looks great! It's amazing what we can do with cauliflower these days!
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