Zucchini Noodles with Cashew Cream

This dish just became my new favorite meal. It's about one of the quickest things to make. You can prepare the vegetables and the cream sauce and store separately for about a week or so and make it fresh on the fly in under 30 minutes. This has all of the green and red flavors of summer. I had nearly all of them growing in my garden, except the cashews. As far as vegan, gluten free pastas go, this is a serious WINNER. I served the cashew cream on my son's favorite pasta and he devoured it. And my kids are major macaroni and cheese professionals. Remember my previous post about Summer Pasta Two Ways where I explained my cauliflower alfredo? Pretty sure this sauce has that one beat. The only tool you need other than a chef's knife is a vegetable peeler for the zucchini and a blender for the cream.

INGREDIENTS
2 medium zucchini, the straighter the better
grape or cherry tomatoes
carrot, diced
your choice of bell pepper, julienned
red onion, diced
garlic, minced
fresh parsley and basil
salt + pepper
olive oil

CASHEW CREAM
1 cup raw, organic cashews
1|2 cup water, a little more if needed
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon lemon juice
lemon zest
2 cloves garlic
pinch of salt

DIRECTIONS
Using a a vegetable peeler, peel the green skin of the zucchini and discard it. Continue peeling in a circular direction all the way around the zucchini until you reach the seeds. Chop up the heart. Cut the grape tomatoes into halves. Prepare the rest of the vegetables and set aside. Rough chop the herbs. Make the cashew cream using a blender. Start with all of the cashews and part of the water to get it going. Add the rest of the ingredients and slowly the rest of the water until it is smooth and creamy.

Warm the olive oil and start your sautee with the onion, carrot and bell pepper. After about a minute, add the tomato, garlic and zucchini. Season with salt + pepper and herbs. This takes maybe two or three minutes tops. Add in a couple spoonfuls of the cashew cream and stir just long enough to warm everything up. You're done!

Serve this with a raw salad of spinach or your favorite mix of greens and sprouts and some sprouted or gluten free toast.

ENJOY!