Creamy Cashew Sauce with Asparagus and Shiitake Mushrooms

Creamy Cashew Sauce with Asparagus and Shiitake Mushrooms

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

  • Cashews - 1 cup, raw soaked for at least 4 hours, then rinsed

  • Bacon - 1 package

  • Water - 2 cups

  • Arrowroot flour - 2 tablespoons

  • Garlic - 2 cloves

  • Olive Oil - 1 tablespoon, cold pressed

  • Salt - 1 teaspoon

  • Pepper - dash

  • Asparagus - 1 bunch, chopped

  • Shiitake mushrooms - 1 cup, chopped

  • Basil - 1 tablespoon, fresh, chopped for garnish

  • 12oz package of pasta of your choice

Instructions

  1. Cook 12oz of pasta as per the directions on the package. I use Jovial Brown Rice pasta.

  2. Rinse the cashews under cold water until the water runs clear

  3. Place cashews, water, salt, pepper, arrowroot flour, garlic and 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a blender.

  4. Blend until smooth.

  5. Taste - adjust the salt and pepper if you need to.

  6. In a frying pan cook the bacon. When it’s done, remove the bacon from the pan, but leave the oil.  Degrease the bacon and chop it. Leave it aside for later.

  7. In the bacon fat, sautee the chopped shiitakes and asparagus for about 5 minutes or until soft. Keep the mixture moving so that the mushrooms don't stick to the bottom of the pan and the asparagus will get evenly cooked.

  8. Add in chopped bacon.

  9. Pour the cream sauce into the pan with the asparagus and mushrooms. Mix.

  10. Place pasta in a bowl, mix the sauce in, garnish with fresh basil and you're good to go.

 

Chef’s note: you can use any vegetables you want in this recipe. I personally love it with peas, mushrooms of all kinds, spinach, you name it.

You can also use prosciutto in place of bacon, or skip the meat altogether and sautee the vegetables in avocado oil or ghee.

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