vegansaurus!

Recipes: The most amazing, soy-free, gluten-free alfredo sauce!  »

Ladies and gentlemen, I’m patting myself on the back for this recipe. Now, normally I like to stay humble, but sometimes I have to throw that notion aside and exclaim that I am a GENIUS! Too much? Probably, but I assure you, this alfredo sauce is a crowd-pleaser. Plus, you can feed it to your allergy-ridden self or friends.

Ingredients
Heaping 2/3 cup raw, unsalted cashews
1 1/4 cup water
Juice of 1 lemon
About 2 Tbsp. olive oil, for sauteing
1 small yellow or white onion, finely chopped
4 to 6 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1/2 Tbsp. salt
3 scant Tbsp. nutritional yeast (large flakes)
1 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
2 tsp. coconut aminos, Braggs, or soy sauce (using soy sauce will no longer make it soy- or gluten-free)

Instructions
Preheat over to 350 degrees.

Boil your cashews until they are soft. I boil mine on medium heat, because I like the idea that it’s gentler on the cashews. It takes about 20 minutes. This will give you about 1 cup “soaked” cashews. Make sure you rinse the cashews before using them.

To make the cashew cream, I blend my cashews and 1 1/4 cup water to make 2 cups of cream. I use a Vita-Mix to make my cashew cream, but I understand not everyone owns one, as they are very expensive —but so worth it! Because cashews are a softer nut, you can use a food processor or run-of-the-mill blender. Your sauce may come out a little chunky, but some people like texture, right? A small immersion blender would probably work as well.

While your cashews are boiling, you can start sauteing the other ingredients. On medium heat, saute your chopped onion in olive oil. I like to take mine until caramelized, but you can go until they are transparent (depending on how much time you have). Next, add your chopped garlic and cook a couple of minutes, until fragrant. It’s important you do not let the garlic brown, as it becomes bitter. Add all your spices (salt, pepper, nutmeg, soy sauce, and nutritional yeast) and cook on medium-low heat for about three minutes. I am constantly turning the mixture with a spatula, as I don’t want it to burn, or the garlic to brown.


Onions, garlic, spices, nooch, lemon juice, and coconut aminos.

Now add the lemon juice. Cook until it’s hot, about a minute or two. If you haven’t made the cashew cream, do that. Then add your sauteed mixture to blender or food processor and blend until smooth! Taste. I like the seasoning mix I came up with, but we all have different palates. Do you like a cheesier flavor? More nooch! Not salty enough? Have at it! Adjust to your liking.

Inspired by Eat More Kale man, I decided to make a mushroom-kale mac ‘n’ cheese. I sauteed a red onion, one pound of mushrooms, and two bunches of kale, and added it to my alfredo-drenched penne pasta. I then baked until the top was slightly browned. What are you going to do with yours? Seriously, tell us, we want to know.

Homeroom, a new mac ‘n’ cheese restaurant in Oakland, serving up a VEGAN MAC ‘N’ CHEESE!  »

Oh hellllll yeah. Finally some vegan mac and cheese action up in this joint! I know of only two other places serving vegan mac and cheese in the entire Bay Area: Souley Vegan (some people love it, some people leave it) and Herbivore (If you held a gun to my head and forced me to eat either Herbivore mac and cheese or Hazel’s dog shit, I’d think reallllllly hard. And then I’d eat the mac and cheese but GOOD GOD, it’s the funk). If you know of others, please let a fat vegan know. And further, THANKS FOR HOLDING OUT, BITCH.* Anyway, Homeroom (adorable name) is opening on 40th street in Oakland on Tuesday, Feb. 15 and HOLY SHIT:

I said goddamn, GODDAMN! My only regret in life is that I’m on a fucking CLEANSE FROM HELL** until Feb. 21 and so I can’t partake in this deliciousness on opening day. Oh well; I’ll be there on the 22 with a bib and a dump truck. Let’s do this, Homeroom.

To learn more about this little mac ‘n’ cheese restaurant that could (it’s a good story) and to see their full menu (maybe more vegan stuff soon? oooh… like cookies and almond milk! or maybe a partnership with Scream Sorbet? It’s right down the street!), check out the lovely Carolyn’s reporting over at Eater SF. 

*I meant thanks for NOTHING, if that wasn’t clear. Also, cleanses make me feisty!
**More on this later but right now I need to finish eating my MASSAGED KALE SALAD. Later in the evening, I’m gonna beg Jonas to shoot me in the face until I’m dead.

[Hat-tip Gina, who also sent us this delightful video of a dog swimming with a dolphin!]