Summer Veg, Vegan "Carbonara"

The second recipe in @milliemackintosh and mine’s FAST FOOD series. This is a “creamy” tasting pasta sauce without the heaviness of cream using soaked cashews. You can swap in any quick-cook veggies you have and we used a brown rice pasta. It would also be great in winter with mushrooms and a truffle oil! The perfect plant based dinner while watching the Wimbledon.

Serves 2

Ingredients

200g brown rice pasta

150g peas

1 courgette, thinly sliced with a mandolin

150g asparagus, ends trimmed

3-4 tbsp olive oil

For the sauce (this is enough for 4 people)

200g cashews, soaked in water for a few hours or soaked in newly boiled water for 15 minutes

200ml almond milk, (cashew, hazelnut or soya works)

4-5 tbsp nutritional yeast (this can usually be found in health food shops like Holland and Barrett)

Few gratings nutmeg

1/2 garlic clove, grated

Sea salt and black pepper

Put a large saucepan to boil and salt the water.  When boiling, add the asparagus and boil for 3 minutes before adding in the peas and cook for another minute.  Drain and save the cooking water.  Place water back on the boil and then add in the pasta and cook re the packet’s instructions.  Drain and put to one side.

While the pasta is cooking, you can fry the courgette.  Set a frying pan to a medium to high heat add two tablespoons of olive oil.  Use a mandolin to slice half the courgette straight into the pan and season with salt and pepper.  After 2 minutes flip everything around the pan so that all the pieces are cooked.  This will take another 2 minutes and scrape onto a plate while you finish the rest of the courgette.  

Next drain the soaked cashews and place into a blender along with all the other ingredients for the sauce.  Blend for about 2 minutes until you reach a smooth consistency.  Taste to check the seasoning adding in more salt, pepper or nutmeg if needed.  Put the frying pan back onto a medium heat and add everything into the pan and toss together.  You can loosen the sauce with a little more nut milk if needed as it tends to thicken quite quickly.  Serve hot!  

The sauce can be made ahead and keeps well in the fridge for 2 days.