This recipe was not meant to be the star of lunch today. It was just meant to accompany the Roasted Carrot Hummus from my new amazing cookbook, Chloe Flavor: Saucy, Crispy, Spicy, Vegan, however, it was just so delicious I had to share it.

 

 

Creamy Italian pasta has always been one of my favourite foods.  When I got my dairy intolerance diagnosis I was crushed. However eight years on, I’ve managed to learn to works well as a substitute. Cashew cream is always my go-to for luscious creamy pasta sauce. If you haven’t tried it,  you don’t have a nut allergy and you’ve got a high-speed blender then put it on your to-do list. I promise you won’t know the difference. Cashews are a great healthy alternative. They are also full of vitamins E, K, and B6, good fats and copper, phosphorus, zinc, magnesium, iron, and selenium.

I’m also crazy about Garlic infused EVO at the moment. I recently listened to Gastropod podcast, Green Gold: Our Love Affair with Olive Oil. This reigned my love affair with olive oil and I thought I should be enjoying good quality EVO more often. I promptly bought some Cobrum’s Garlic Infused EVO and I’ve been drizzling it on everything ever since. It goes great with this pasta dish, but any other good quality garlic or lemon infused EVO taste would go well.

 

Pasta with Lemon Cashew Cream Sauce,

Mushroom and Zucchini

(vegan,  gluten-free option)

Ingredients:

1 cup cashew cream (made with raw cashews and water)

3 serves of fusilli or other prefered pasta, use gluten-free if you prefer

1-2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 red or white onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, diced

1/2 green capsicum, diced ( optional)

2 cups sliced mushrooms

1 zucchini, cubed

juice of half a small lemon

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

a handful of Italian parsley, diced (optional)

Garlic infused EVO (optional)

Method:

1. If you haven’t already prepared your cashew cream do this first. It’s best to soak the cashews overnight. Otherwise, you can boil for 10 minutes or just blend them for a little bit longer in a high-speed blender. Blend with about a 1/4 cup of water and then add more as you need to get a creamy consistency.
2. Boil salted water and cook pasta according to packet directions.
3. Saute olive oil in a large pan and then add onions.
4. When the onions start to brown a little add the capsicum and garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes further.
5. Add sliced mushrooms and once they start to soften add the zucchini. Cook until the zucchini is tender.
6. Add the cashew cream, lemon juice and sea salt. Heat through until combined, then add the pasta.
7. Serve with Italian parsley and a drizzle of garlic infused oil.