Vegan Cacio e Pepe

A dairy free twist on a classic dish.

For the cashew cheese:

• 1/2 cup raw cashews

• 2 tbsp. nutritional yeast

• sea salt

• garlic powder

For the dish:

• Whole wheat spaghetti

• 2 tbsp. olive oil

• 1/2 cup of the cashew parmesan

• 1/2 cup of cooking water

• black pepper

• sea salt

• minced garlic

• garlic salt

I started by preparing the cashew "parmesan" while the water for the pasta was boiling. I used my Ninja to crush the 1/2 cup of cashews with 2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast, sea salt, and black pepper. I never actually measure anything when it comes to spices but prefer to season to taste since most recipes don't use enough spice to please my palette.

Setting that aside, I cooked a handful of whole wheat spaghetti - I don't measure noodles either thought the recipe calls for 1/2 pound. When draining the noodles, I saved a 1/2 cup of the water to add to the cashew mix to create the cheese sauce. Mixing the noodles, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and the crushed cashews in a bowl, I slowly added the water and mixed it all up as the recipe states. I found for my taste that the noodles needed more flavor, so I added 2 tablespoons of minced garlic and more sea salt and pepper, and a pinch more garlic salt. There should be some cashew mix left over to sprinkle on top. Top off with a little more black pepper, and voila! You have yourself a quick vegan noodle dish to eat alone or as a side with another yummy treat. I made a wrap to go with the noodles, using Beyond Meat Chicken Strips, pesto, chopped green peppers, white onions, green onions, and a bit of Italian salad dressing.

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