Easy Vegan Alfredo

Going vegan was a tough decision. I love all the creamy pastas, creamy ice creams, and everything cheesy! Cutting out meat was no problem, although sometimes I still crave beef jerky. Thankfully I’ve found some tasty substitutes to suffice that. But the pasta sauces?!? I love me a good broccoli alfredo dish. When I finished the JMT that was one of the things I was craving big time. There’s finally a recipe for my pasta that solved my dilemma. Although, now I have a new dilemma, I have an easy to make and eat alfredo recipe. That means, it can be made more often than it probably should.

The recipe that I’m sharing isn’t mine. It’s actually a cheese sauce recipe, I’ll probably share the nacho cheese spin off with you someday too. I found it in a book that I received during a depression and anxiety recovery seminar. If you suffer from depression, I recommend you finding a local program. So much good information, and it really helped me learn how to keep my seasonal depression at bay.

Not only do the foods in this recipe qualify as vegan, but they also have nutritional properties that help with overall health. Some of these ingredients have become staples in my house for that reason, plus they seem to be used often in many vegan recipes. I love that the nutritional yeast helps give the sauce a cheesy flavor, without the cheese. #winning Eating with the intention of health, and feeling good does wonders for me. For instance, this pasta, it’s gluten free because I know that wheat/gluten irritates my system. If I take the cheap and easy route and buy regular pasta, I suffer the consequences. The texture takes a bit of getting used to but now I don’t even care that it’s not the regular stuff. Plus I know how much a serving is, about 1 cup cooked has 210 calories, but 4 grams of protein. Eating healthy seems difficult to begin with but adding in something new one step at a time makes it much more manageable, also easier to stick with.

I hope that you enjoy this sauce as much as I do. This recipe is definitely enough sauce for one box of pasta, but I double it because it’s delicious as a cream sauce on veggies, and it doesn’t feel so guilt filled because there are so many health benefits included.

Creamy Vegan Alfredo Sauce

• 2 c water
• 1/4 c raw cashews (contain monounsaturated fats, promotes good cardiovascular health)
• 1/4 c nutritional yeast (protein & B vitamins)
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 3 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp sesame tahini (high in iron)

1. Combine all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.
2. Heat in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly until thickened up.

Pro tip: If you don’t have a super blender, like a Vitamix, soaking the cashews in water before blending can help soften them up for a smoother consistency.