Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups cashews (soak for 30 minutes before blending if you don't have a high-speed blender)

• 3 1/2 cups water

• 1/3 cup Nutritional Yeast

• 5 cloves garlic

• 1 tbsp lemon juice

• 2 tsp salt

• 1/8 tsp nutmeg (use no more than this!)

• 2 cups shiitake mushrooms (any mushrooms work well; a variety is even better)

• 1 lb pasta

Directions:

1. Cook pasta according to package instructions.

2. Add all sauce ingredients into a blender and blend until very smooth. A high-speed blender will do this in no time. With a normal blender, it may take some patience but keep blending until smooth and silky.

3. Transfer sauce to a pan over medium to low heat. This will thicken the sauce and allow the flavors to meld. Stir often to prevent the sauce from sticking to the bottom. Once the sauce thickens, keep on low heat, stirring occasionally. A film may form on top, that's okay, simply mix.

4. Clean mushrooms, slice, and sauté on a heated pan until cooked to your liking. Season with salt & pepper to bring out its flavors.

5. Once the pasta is done, add sauce, mix, and enjoy! 

Tips:

• This amount of sauce is the perfect amount for a typical box of pasta (1 pound)

• Store the sauce separately instead of mixing it with the cooked pasta and storing it in the fridge. (If the two are mixed and stored, the pasta will soak up all the sauce and it won't be the same!)
• I love adding fresh tarragon to this and red bell pepper - use your favorite herbs and veggies!