Wednesday, January 21, 2015

FettuZINI Non-Fredo! GF, Vegan, SCD & Paleo!

Pssst......

Ok guys. I have a serious secret to share with you....I mean, serious.

That is the extraordinary awesomeness that is SOAKED CASHEWS.



OK, pause. Before you scratch your head in confusion, let me explain.

I love cashews. I really do. But I always just buy them raw, grind them up in my food processor and fuggeduhboutit. I mean, I had always seen the recipes that call for "soaked cashews," but I never had the time or patience to plan ahead, and figured...how much of a difference could it really make? I mean, come on?

The answer? A LOT.



Yesterday, I knew I was going to have some time on my hands today. I have a shoot on Friday and am going to Sundance this weekend, so I knew I was going to create a little somethin'somethin' for my fave Happy Tummies today. :) So I thought, lemme just give it a try.




You. Guys. What happened to these raw cashews was nothing short of amazing. I took a picture to show you.




I soaked them in water for 24 hours. The right cashew is what they started out as. And here they are on the left, TRIPLED IN SIZE!

I couldn't believe it. They absorbed the water and became creamy and soft - seriously like the consistency of cream cheese or butter.



I've seen the light. I'm converted. :P

Anywho, given this revelation of the soaked cashew glory, I decided that it was time to tackle one of my former all-time favorite foods: Fettuccine Alfredo. Only this version would be SCD Friendly and VEGAN.




To all you who are shakin your head, or "SMH" as the youths today so eloquently put it, just hear me out. This dish was incredible.




You saw in my last post the power of Cauliflower in its ability to become irresistible sandwich bread. Well, friends, cauliflower is at it again! This time, it's transforming into a creamy and rich ALFREDO SAUCE!!



Yep! This alfredo sauce is Gluten and Grain Free, Vegan, Specific Carb Diet friendly, Body Ecology Diet friendly, and Paleo!


So then...it must taste like sawdust or cardboard, right?! ----- WRONG!!! It was superb!!!



Don't believe me? -- I dare you to give it a try :D

Here's what you need: (Serves 2)

1/3 cup raw cashews, soaked in water overnight or for 24 hours
1 cup cauliflower roasted
1 cup cauliflower steamed
1/2 vidalia onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
salt and pepper

optional:unsweetened regular almond milk - room temperature
optional: 1 grate/pinch of fresh nutmeg

1 zucchini, made into noodles
basil, chopped -garnish

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. On a tin foil-lined, olive oil-sprayed baking sheet, bake half (1 cup) of your cauliflower florets for 25 minutes, stirring once half-way through.

Meanwhile, steam the other cup of the cauliflower in a steamer basket, or in the microwave until very tender.

Also, saute your onions and garlic in 1-2 Tbsp EVOO, salt and pepper over medium heat until the onions are soft and beginning to caramelize. This will take about 8-10 minutes.

Put your soaked and drained cashews in the food processor and process them until they form a smooth paste. Add your roasted and steamed cauliflower, onions and garlic to the food processor, and process until smooth. It will be thick and creamy. You may need to scrape the sides. I find it best to do this when it is still hot, as the steam helps the sauce "come together." You may add 1-3 Tbsp almond milk if it is too thick. I did not. You may also add a grate of fresh nutmeg if desired.

Finally, with either a spiralizer, mandolin, or sharp knife, make your zucchini into noodles. You may also use any noodle of choice.



To plate, either top your noodles with the sauce and garnish with chopped fresh basil, or toss your noodles with the sauce, and plate.



My goodness, you guys. What a TREAT! Back in my gluten-consuming days, Fettuccine Alfredo was my favorite "special occasion" dinner. And this brought me right back to that "happy place!"





The sauce was so creamy and rich from the cashews. And the combination of the nuttiness from the roasted cauliflower with the onions and garlic made for just a remarkable flavor.




It's hard to believe that this dish is healthy because it tasted so darn decadent!

So, it may not be the belle of the ball as far as appearances go, but what it lacks in color, it definitely makes up for in flavor.

I will DEFINITELY be making this again!

What's your "happy place" food?



59 comments:

  1. This recipe looks so delicious!! I'm going to try it soon! My happy place food is probably tacos. :)

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    1. Thanks Lindsey! Gotta love taco night:) thanks for dropping by! Have a great afternoon!

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  2. I always thought soaking the cashews wouldn't make a difference also, but now you have me convinced I need to soak them! I love the name of this recipe too! Cauliflower is so versatile. :)

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    1. Thanks Jaclyn! I know I was shocked that something so simple and trivial could transform them like that! Glad you stopped by! Enjoy your afternoon!

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  3. Is it Sundance again already???

    Have you done the 'Oh She Glows' Avocado Pasta? That is some comforting goodness.

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    1. Hey shen! I know crazy huh? Seems like just yesterday. I haven't tried her pasta-I'll have to check it out. I have made a mean avocado-based pesto pasta that was pretty legit, but I'll have to try her recipe! Thanks for stopping by! Have a great night!

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  4. Isn't Cashew Cheeze delish? I second the OhSheGlows Avocado Pasta, its great. My happy food place is probably always going to be some form of pasta. It is what I grew up with and is always comfort food.

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    1. Thanks Lauren! yeah pasta is so yummy, isn't it? thanks for stopping by! have an awesome weekend!

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  5. I've read so much about soaked cashews, but like you, have never actually gone through and done it. Love cashews, nothing beats the flavor, but can't believe they kind of become creamy when soaked? That sounds amazing. I must try this. And I do think this alfredo sauce looks delicious. It's got the zucchini for green and tomato for red and honestly, the sauce looks super yummy. Ok, it's official. This is on my to do list! Thanks for sharing =) ohhh, and I'm in love that this is low carb!

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    1. hahaha thanks Laura! i hope you love it!! I know, it's like the cashews are hiding a secret:) lol thanks for stopping by! have a terrific weekend!

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  6. Simply damn delcious!!!
    i ust made raw cashew sauce and it's taste really good...

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    1. Haha thank you so much! Yeah it was pretty tasty! Thanks for stopping by! Have a great night!

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    2. you should try making curry (for replacing coconut cream) or pesto out of it,
      Simply damn delicious!!!
      Dedy@Dentist Chef

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  7. OMG, I'm a big fan of pasta. This just looks mouthwatering. I bet this tastes really good. Plus it's healthy! It's a win-win situation.

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    1. hah thanks so much! You're right-a win win:) thanks for stopping by!have a great night!

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  8. This is so phenomenal! I am not much of a pasta fan, but with zucchini noodles, I am certain I would love this! Also, I am enjoying a glass of Menage a Trois wine right now, it's a goodie!

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    1. isn't that the best wine!? thanks for stopping by, Cara! Have a great evening!

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  9. OMG this looks superb girl. You have definitely outdone yourself. and I just love vidalia onions.

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    1. haha thanks :) yeah it was a fun recipe! thanks for stopping by! have a great night!

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  10. What a fantastic revelation! And you've convinced me to take my spiralizer out of the box!

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    1. haha thans Liz. yeah there's nothing quite like a spiralizer! thanks for stopping by! have a great night!

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    1. Haha thanks Gigi! Tell lil Wayne I say hi;) hahahha thanks for stopping by! Have a great night!

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    1. thanks so much Christina! i appreciate that:) glad you stopped by! have a great afternoon!

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  13. Wow...this looks delicious! I've never soaked cashews before, but I totally want to give it a shot. I was literally just thinking, "hmmm, I think I have some cashews hanging out down in the kitchen...I should try this little trick out!" That "pasta" looks delicious...love it!

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    1. thanks David! oh yeah, you should totally try it out! thanks for stopping by! have a great afternoon!

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  14. Wow that's incredible!!! Who would have thought they would get so big!!!
    :-)

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    1. thank you so much Lucy! i know it's crazy! thanks for stopping by! Have a great night :)

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  15. I've never soaked cashews, but after reading this you better believe I'm going to try. This dish is a terrific substitute for Fettuccine Alfredo! I have to play with those cashews -- so many fun things one could do with them. Great stuff -- thanks.

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    1. thank you so much! i know they're super versatile! glad you stopped by! have a great night!

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  16. Oh my cashews! This looks so amazing, I'm at a bit of a loss for words... All I can say is that I adore cauliflower and zucchini noodles, so combining the two with a bit of cashew goodness thrown into the mix has to be simply transcendent. This one is going in the file for later (but not too much later, I can promise you that.)

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    1. haha thanks so much Hannah! yeah, cashews are Heaven sent! haha thanks for stopping by! have a great afternoon!

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  17. I've never heard of this! You are a genius with coming up with this GF/vegan stuff.

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    1. aw, thanks Jane! I appreciate that! have a great day! glad you stopped by!

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  18. I've heard SO many good things about soakd cashews and how magical they are!! Must try this!

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    1. Hey Joanne! I hope you do! glad you stopped by! have a great afternoon!

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  19. I love alfredo sauce made with cashews! This post reminds me that I haven't made it in a while and need to try it again soon. Love the creaminess of the sauce!

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    1. Thanks Ashley! yeah, it's suuuuuper creamy! thanks for stopping by! have a great day!

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  20. Hi Caralyn!
    I missed one of your delicious recipes.
    I am impressed with the result, nothing better than this.

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    1. thanks Maribel! glad you stopped by! hope you're having a terrific week!

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  21. This looks so creamy and delicious! I love zucchini noodles,and it sounds amazing with the cashew alfredo sauce!

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    1. thanks Kelly! It was definitely creamy! thanks for stopping by! enjoy your afternoon!

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  22. I love using soaked cashews for creaminess! I just used them for a soup I'm testing for the blog!

    This looks sooo good!

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    1. Thanks Ashley! Ooh I bet they would add a delicious richness to soup! Thanks for stopping by! Have a great night!

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  23. I love cashews and pasta; the perfect combination!
    www.LUXESSED.com

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    1. thanks Anouk! yeah, it's pretty delicious! thanks for stopping by! have a great day!

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  24. I had no idea that soaking them made them triple in size like that! Yum!!

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    1. Hi Lauren, I know, isn't it crazy!? Thanks for stopping by! enjoy your day!

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  25. This is the first time I'm at your new location! Welcome to blogspot where you'll find the likes of me! Ha ha. Anyhow, soaked cashews are supposed to be really good. I've sprouted a bunch of things, but I've yet to soak cashews. I'm sold before I even try them. :-)

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    1. Thank you so much! oh yes, definitely gotta put soaked cashews on your culinary bucket list! so glad you stopped by! have a great weekend!

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  26. the zucchini noodles look amazing ,<3

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    1. Thank you gina! I appreciate that:) thanks for stopping by! have a great day!

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  27. Looks and sounds delish! :-)

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    1. Thanks so much, Paz! Glad you stopped by Have a great week!

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  28. We've been spiralizing zucchini for a while now, but your non-fredo looks amazing! Will definitely be trying it!

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    1. Thanks so much! yeah, it's a neat trick:) Thanks for stopping by! Happy Monday!

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  30. I fell in love with cashew cheese after biting into my first raw cheesecake! I'll look into this! <3

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Thanks for the comments! They make my day!