pouring on the cheese sauce…can’t wait to dive in!
(recipe revised 2/15/18)
This sure is cheesy…in a good way, the best way possible. Don’t want to pat myself on the back but (who am I kidding? Of COURSE I want to pat myself on the back…) this vegan cheese sauce is the shite. It’s creamy, it’s dreamy, and will hands down make you screamy for more. And, kids, it is wicked-easy to make and uber-versatile! Just what the cheese-fairy ordered ;).
The key to this recipe’s success is a good blender or food processor. After hemming and hawing for over a year I finally broke down and got me a Vitamix (refurb, yes, but IT IS AWESOME!!) And, honestly guys, if you do any amount of smoothie-making or sauce-creating, it is a real game-changer. You can certainly make this vegan cheese sauce in another type of blender or food processor-you just might have to spin it a little longer to achieve the creaminess (that’s for you, Kitty!).
Back to how easy this is…just 10 ingredients and 20 minutes and you’re cheezin to go!
ingredients revised…NO OIL NECESSARY!
As an aside here, cheese, for many of us vegans, is the final frontier. By that I mean, it seems to be the last thing “given up” and, for a lot, the decision to stop eating cheese marks that transition from vegetarian to vegan. Please do not misunderstand and I really hate to use the expression”given up”, but being vegan has been a LOT more about expanding my views, my tastes and my palate, not depriving myself. Knowing the horrors of what occurs in the dairy industry as well as the negative impact dairy products have on health, the choice to forgo cheese was basically a no-brainer. That being said, I won’t pretend that I didn’t enjoy the flavors, textures and “mouth-feel” of cheeses before I came over to the dark side.
This vegan cheese sauce really captures that combination of flavors and smoothness that any good cheese sauce will offer. It is perfect with pasta for a classic mac ‘n cheez:
eaten immediately after this shot!
It’s a great topper or dippity do for veggies:
broccoli wearing it well!
And, this vegan cheese sauce (with the addition of some diced tomatoes and jalapeno) makes a truly bangin queso:
So, my friends, delay not a moment longer and get cheesin…
- 3/4 cup raw cashews *see Sound Bites for info about this cool drupe
- 1/4 cup diced carrots
- 1/3 cup diced onions
- 1 c vegetable broth I used Better Than Boullion
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup diced drained tomatoes
- diced jalapeño to taste
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Soak cashews in clean water over night. Or, do what I did and place them in a pot of boiling water for 20 min. Drain.
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While cashews are boiling, saute the carrot and onion in the olive oil until soft (about 10 min).
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In a small bowl whisk the cornstarch into the broth until dissolved.
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Place drained cashews, carrots, onions and the remaining ingredients into a blender and process on high speed until super smooth. Salt to taste.
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For the queso, mix in some diced tomatoes and jalapeños, a lot or a little depending on how spicy you like it.
OK, so did you guys know that the cashew is actually a kidney shaped seed that is found growing on the outside of a cashew apple, which grows on the cashew tree? Native to Brazil, cashews are good for the heart, super-high in copper and magnesium which protect against some cancers and support bone health respectively.Click here for a cool picture of the cashew in it's natural form as well as a little background on this fascinating drupe.
Well I just tasted this. Let me say I want more – a lot more!! The absolute best tasting sauce I’ve had not named A La Vodka. And it was actually better than ANY vodka sauce I’ve had so allow me to take that back already. Creamy, rich and a hint of smokiness (think notes of bacon) make this something you can imagine putting over just about anything. Heck, thin it out a little and call it Bisque. I cannot recommend enough. Thanks for sharing Chef.
Keith!! Thank you very much…and coming from a true chef, this is quite the compliment:)