PESTO CASHEW CREAM SAUCE | V

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today’s prep sauce is a good one. a bit indulgent, insanely tasty, and like all our prep sauce sunday sauces, it’s easily used for multiple meals. it’s what i like to call a do-it-all sauce. this creamy pesto is put together by essentially making 2 separate sauces, and combining them to make one phenomenal sauce. we start by blending a simple savory cashew cream - raw cashews, water, vinegar, garlic, salt & pepper. it’s luscious and creamy, and lends the perfect velvety texture to this pesto. next, we blend up our pesto. you can use whatever combination of greens and herbs you like, but i went with a basil/arugula combo just because i love these 2 flavors together. then we add the usual suspects: toasted pine nuts, garlic, lemon juice, s & p , and evoo. then, then best part, we stir in a good bit of cashew cream. we generally eat in pasta, but you could drizzle it over grilled poultry, fish, or vegetable kebabs. it could definitely be used for dipping - cut up veg, or even grilled (or toasted) bread would be a dream. and this creamy pesto could easily be thinned out a bit and used as dressing for salads, roasted vegetables, a leaf-less salad like this one, or even used for potato salad.

and before i sign off, i wanted to link to a recipe on my instagram feed that you won’t find here on the blog. it’s for yet another indulgent recipe for chocolate chip peanut butter blondies. they are chewy and dense, just like a good blondie is. plus, there’s peanut butter and chocolate - can’t really go wrong with either one!

lastly, i wanted to share the Always Pan, by Our Place. full disclosure, it was gifted to me. but it’s an 8-in-one ceramic skillet that i absolutely love cooking with. if you’re on the market for a new fry pan/steamer/saucier head over to my post here for a code for $10 off.

sunday hugs ❤️

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pesto cashew cream sauce | v

| makes 1 heaping cup |

print the recipe!

notes: the cashew cream makes plenty extra for other uses. some of my favorite include: use leftover cashew sauce as sour cream, blend it with 1/2 chipotle pepper to make vegan chipotle crema, add it to tomato sauce to make an even more delicious creamy tomato sauce, add it to dressings for a creamier consistency, add to soups, or blend in some herbs and make a dip!

method

1. in a container of a food processor fitted with a metal “s” blade, add the basil, arugula, pine nuts, lemon juice, garlic, a few pinches salt, and a few grinds of pepper. with the motor running, drizzle in the olive oil. stop and scrape down the sides of the food processor and blend. taste and adjust, adding more salt, or lemon juice if need be.

2. transfer the pesto to a mixing bowl. stir in 3 tablespoons of cashew cream until fully combined. add another tablespoon if you want it creamier. use right away, or store in a tightly fitted jar in your refrigerator for up to 1 week.

make cashew cream

1. place the cashews in the container of high-speed upright blender. add the water, vinegar, garlic, salt, and a few cracks of pepper. blend everything on high for a couple of minutes, stopping to scrape down the sides of the container, as needed. blend until the cashew sauce is silky smooth. store in a lidded container for up to 1 week.

ingredients

• 2 cups fresh basil leaves

• 1 cup baby arugula

• 2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts

• 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

• 1 clove garlic, peeled and smashed

• salt & cracked pepper, to taste

• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

• 3 tablespoons - 1/4 cup cashew cream (recipe below)

cashew cream (makes extra)

• 1 1/2 cups raw cashews, soaked overnight (or at least 4 hours), drained and rinsed

• 1/2 cup filtered water

• 2 1/2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

• 1 clove garlic

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• cracked pepper, to taste

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LETTUCE TACO CUPS W/ CHIPOTLE-SPICED WILD SALMON

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hi friends, it’s been a while. before we get to our recipe i wanted to take a minute to let you know where my head and thoughts are at. we’re currently living through the largest civil rights moment of our lives, and since this blog, my recipes, and current events shape and inform my thinking, it’s necessary that i make a few comments here and how i am going to continue anti-racism work - In and off this platform. i started my blog years ago in hopes of creating community; a community that could share in conversations, in cooking together, in forging positivity and relationships. but i want to acknowledge that through my own ignorance and privilege, I didn’t create an inclusive community. i didn’t take an active role to diversify the blogs or cookbooks i read, or the social accounts i followed. i wasn’t an ally to the voices of the Black and POC community in this way. going forward that is changing.

typical content will continue here (however infrequent that is these days 🙃). but, know that I’m here to do long-term work and growth. i’m committed to doing better. with that, let’s get to our recipe.

there’s a local taco spot that frank and i love. they have legitimately gooood tacos. pre-COVID we would order them every weekend. since we love them so much, i made a riff of the ones i typically order. i swapped in some roasted wild salmon, added grilled avocado (grilling it is optional, but it adds a nice smoky flavor), pickled red onions, and some homemade chipotle cashew crema. while Mexican crema is typically made with sour cream, buttermilk or heavy cream, for a dairy-free version we use soaked cashews to achieve a similar texture. to flavor it, all we add is some fiery chipotle peppers in adobo ( jalapeños that have been smoke and dried and stored in an adobo sauce), a bit of acidity, salt, and some water. and bonus, it can made ahead of time so you’re not preparing everything on the same day. i love them in a lettuce cup situation, frank not so much. if you’re like him, grab yourself some tortillas and you’ll be good to go 😉

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lettuce taco cups w/ chipotle-spiced wild salmon | gf/df

notes:

-i roasted the salmon here, but since it’s bbq season, grilling would also be a great way to prepare it. i would try to cook the filet whole, to avoid drying it out. let it cool for a few, then slice the filet into taco-sized pieces.

-if you don’t have salmon/don’t like it you could use halibut or shrimp as well

print the recipe!

| serves roughly 4-6 |

• 1 pound wild salmon filet

• 2 teaspoons avocado oil

• 1 teaspoon chipotle powder

• salt, to taste

• 1 head bibb lettuce, leaves washed and pat dried (or gluten-free tortillas of choice)

• 1/2 cup chipotle cashew crema

• lime juice

optional toppings:

• grilled or sliced avocado

• pickled red onions

• chopped cilantro

method

1. preheat oven to 450°F. place the salmon skin side down in a large baking pan, drizzle the salmon with the avocado oil, chipotle powder, and season with salt. bake in the center of your oven for 15-20 minutes, until the salmon is cooked through. let the salmon sit until room temperature, about 30 minutes.

2. assemble the taco cups. place the bibb lettuce cups on a large platter. start by pulling or cutting 2-3-inch pieces of salmon and fitting them in the cups. add grilled or sliced avocado (if using), and pickled red onions (if using). drizzle with chipotle cashew crema, a squeeze of lime juice, and a pinch of salt. garnish with chopped cilantro (if using). eat immediately.

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