Cashew Cheese Sauce

This is our current recipe. Note the sesame seeds? They are for flavour. If you do not own a high speed blender, or a coffee grinder which will grind the sesame seeds, then you can omit the seeds and use a little splash of sesame oil if you like. We have always found toasted sesame oil to be a great flavouring agent in the absence of bacon. Of course a very good smoked paprika could have the same flavouring profile, and would add a little colour.

As an aside, we do not eat any part of a pig. Growing up with pork as a normal part of the family menu, I do occasionally have a little fight against the aroma of cooking bacon. However since learning about pork more than 20 years ago, I have not let one little bit past my lips. Read this, and your temptation might diminish too. Firstly, the Bible tells us in the Old Testament that a pig is not a clean animal to eat.

This must have been important to God, for He has recorded the instruction about "unclean" pig (swine) in the book of Leviticus and the book of Deuteronomy. By the way, unclean does not necessarily mean Miss Piggy doesn't have a shower every day, or has dirty fingernails. The "unclean" description by God refers to their internal biology and what purpose Jesus intended the animal to serve on the planet. Think about what a pig is happy to eat - anything and everything! Rotten food, stinking food, other animal flesh and so forth. This means their digestive tract and indeed their entire body was created to be a rubbish bin. Read that again...the pig was created to be a rubbish bin. Not a piece of roast pork on a lovely serving dish on your table! The word "unclean" in ancient Hebrew means "defiled, polluted, utterly unclean" according to Strongs Concordance. (word number 2931). Remember God gave these commands standing in the stream of time, looking backwards and forwards. He does not change.

Check it out for yourself: Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14.

God's rules come first.

Secondly, and this is a real turnoff, there is somewhere, an early pioneer record of an indigenous race of people and their diet. Apparently, the flesh of a man tastes similar to the flesh of a pig. G.r.e.a.t. Now I've ruined your day, back to the recipe.

Cashew Cheese Sauce

As described above, this is quickest and easiest made in a high speed blender like a Vitamix.

To use a normal speed blender or food processor do this: Soak cashews overnight or for at least three hours, precook the carrot in a little pot with water. Omit the sesame seed and add in a small splash of toasted sesame oil. Then using cool water instead of boiling, blend or process everything in a blender or food processor. Finally pour the mixture into a larger pot and cook over medium heat until thickened and absolutely delish! We have done it this way several times, and demonstrated the recipe at cooking classes, so it does work.)

3/4 cup of raw cashew nuts (you can also use sunflower seeds - so much more economical, and still pretty good flavour)

3 Tablespoons of sesame seed

1 medium carrot, washed and sliced into chunks

3 Tablespoons lemon juice

1/2 - 2/3 cup of potato starch (you can use arrowroot or tapioca, but may need a little more)

3 teaspoons of good salt (look for Pink salt or the grey celtic salt)

1-2 teaspoons of dried basil

1-2 Tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

about 1 pint or 500ml of boiling water (use cool water without a high speed blender)

In the Vitamix add all ingredients except the water. Boil the kettle. Make sure you have the Vitamix lid ready to put on quickly.

Measure the boiled water and quickly pour into the Vitamix jug, push the lid on and turn vitamix onto medium and then quickly up to high.

Plunge the mixture (while singing your favourite song because no one will hear you because of the loud noise), plunging through the hole in the lid as the vitamix whizzes, blends and cooks. It is cooked when the sound of the motor changes due to the mixture thickening. You can easily adjust the thickness of the sauce by adding a little more water if too thick, or a little more potato starch if too thin. 

That's it!

If you thinking making cashew cheese sauce is a bit of a hassle read this: Quite a few years ago, I was intent on starting a healthy school lunch programme at a local primary school, to replace the industrial pies, sausage rolls and doughnuts bought in once a week. Parents were unhappy, they wanted their children to be able to partake of industrial foods instead of home cooked "treat" meals. Anway, nuts were out (sigh),  so we would need to make cheese sauce using cow cheese (aargh, I am allergic to dairy protein). Anyway, I remember it took absolutely ages to make a pot of cheese sauce for macaroni cheese, and concluded that making cashew cheese sauce was actually easier and cleaner. (And I wouldn't get bleary eyes, and start falling about the place!)