Pasta with Vegan Cashew, Lemon, and Garlic Sauce

This is a vegan version of Italian Pasta al Limone.
In this recipe, dairy products are replaced with cashew nut sauce.

Ingredients:

75 g cashews
⅛ cup olive oil
2-4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 strips of lemon zest
1 clove garlic
½ cup pasta water
pinch of salt
pasta of your choice

Directions:

1. Soak the cashews in hot water for about 15 minutes. Then drain and set aside.
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to the package instructions (to make the pasta “al dente” - firm). Set aside about 1 cup of the pasta liquid (you will need it later), and drain the remaining liquid. Set the pasta aside.
3. Prepare the lemon zest; to avoid a bitter taste, carefully cut the white pith from the lemon peel with a knife.
4. Prepare the sauce: In a high-speed blender, blend all the sauce ingredients until smooth and creamy (sauce ingredients: 75 g cashews, ⅛ cup olive oil, 2-4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, 2 strips of lemon zest, 1 clove garlic, ½ cup pasta water, pinch of salt).
5. If the sauce is too thick, add a little more of the pasta cooking liquid (to achieve the desired consistency of the sauce). You can add more lemon, salt or garlic to taste.
6. Mix the pasta and sauce: Transfer the sauce to a saucepan. Heat over low heat until warm. Stir occasionally. Add the pasta and mix well. Delicious!

Yield: 2 servings
Recipe: wholefoodsoulfoodkitchen.com