Creamy Cashew Pasta

I've made it clear repeatedly that noodle dishes are my jam. From wheat noodles to rice and sweet potato starch pasta, I could eat 'em all. Sweet potato starch has become one of my favorites and I use it in place of flour pasta often. The texture of pastas does differ, so it takes some learning what can work where. The beautiful thing about the sweet potato ones for me is that they do not leave me feeling uncomfortably full or heavy after eating them, which I find flour pasta can do.

It's safe to say I'm a fan of the Amy's frozen meals. I find them to be high quality and they've given me a chance to try new styles. From what I've learned about the food, too, the recipes are made from trained chefs in the styles they make. While an Amy's meal is likely not the same Curry or Pad Thai you'll find in a restaurant, it gives people a chance to dabble in the flavors and then venture out and try more new foods. It's likely an unintended result of making them, but one I appreciate. It led me to become a Pad Thai and Curry lover, and now I've tried tons of different varieties of both and made homemade versions. 

One I had recently was a Chinese Noodles and Veggies in a Cashew Cream Sauce. I loved it. The cashew sauce was creamy and flavorful and it was jam packed with vegetables. I had to make it. I checked out a few different methods for soaking the cashews, and wound up grabbing some roasted cashews (they were easier to grab at the store than raw cashews) at Aldi that were seasoned only with sea salt. I figured the soak would take off the majority of the salt anyway. I heated up some water in the microwave, then added the cashews in and let them soak. Thirty minutes was the recommended time, but I stepped away to do a few things and they wound up getting a solid hour to soak.

I tossed them in the food processor and blended them a bit. They were ground up some, and with the addition of coconut milk, they became more fine after 2-3 minutes and I had the beginnings of a cream sauce. At this point I added some soy sauce (use tamari for gluten-free), rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, and miso.

In a large pan, I cooked the tofu in some oil first for about 10 minutes, flipping part way through. Then, I cooked some chopped onion and garlic for 3-5 minutes, then added some varied vegetables. This is totally flexible; the frozen one has mushrooms, broccoli, carrots, and green beans, but I used a mix of broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, sweet peppers, mushrooms, and zucchini. The more variation, the better, in my opinion. I cooked the veggies for 7-10 minutes to soften them.

I added what I used as a substitute for Chinese five spice powder, which was a mix of star anise, cinnamon, cloves, and szechuan peppercorns. I even busted out my mortar and pestle to grind everything up! I didn't have ground star anise or peppercorns. So basically, if you have Chinese five spice powder, just toss the veggies in some and save yourself the trouble.

So I tossed the veggies in the seasoning, let them cook another minute or so, and then poured in the cashew sauce. I had the heat on medium-low at this point.

Finally, I added the tofu into the mix and the noodles and let everything heat up on medium-low for about 5 minutes.

That cashew sauce feels like a magic trick.

Lovely dish, loaded with veggies, plus I get my tofu protein.

I think the surprising thing is how simple the cashew sauce wound up being. It did get my gears turning a bit - can this be used for a florentine? How about an alfredo? I knew cashew milk existed, but wow. I am still impressed with the transformation of cashews.

The flavor was quite good, though because I ground my own spices my dish was heavier on the anise flavor than I would have preferred. I tasted the sauce before adding it to the pan and oh my, it was good without the seasoning as well. My suggestion would be to make it all and finish the dish, then add a small amount of the spice mix and see how you like the flavor. Then you can adjust to your flavor.

For sure, glad to have this one in the rolodex. Thanks, Amy.

Creamy Cashew Pasta Recipe

Ingredients:

1 package firm tofu (this can be made with veggies only also or protein as desired)

4 tablespoons soy sauce (will be divided amongst recipe)

For the sauce:
1 cup roasted or raw cashews

1 1/2 cups water

1 1/2 cup coconut milk (or preferred milk)
2 tablespoons miso
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

Vegetables (swap out as desired - frozen vegetables work great)
1/2 cup chopped onion (about 1 medium onion)

2 tablespoons minced garlic

1/2 cup chopped zucchini (about 1 zucchini)
1/4 cup chopped broccoli

1/4 cup chopped cauliflower

1/4 cup chopped carrots
1/4 cup mushrooms

1/4 cup chopped sweet pepper

1/2 teaspoon Chinese 5 spice powder (optional - I used a mix of star anise, cinnamon, cloves, and Szechuan peppercorns ground up)

2 cups cooked rice or sweet potato starch noodles (approximately)

Instructions:

Drain tofu, then press for 25-30 minutes using a lightly weighted item while the tofu is between a few layers of paper towels. Heat 1 1/2 cups of water for 2 minutes in the microwave, then add 1 cup of cashews. Set aside to soak for 20-30 minutes.

After pressing, slice tofu into strips, then cook in 1-2 tablespoons of cooking oil in a large saucepan on medium heat for about 7-10 minutes, flipping half way through. Pour 1 tablespoon of soy sauce over the tofu while cooking to add flavor. Cook until lightly browned, then set aside on a plate.

To make the sauce, drain water from cashews and add softened cashews to a blender or food processor. Pulse for 30 seconds to chop cashews, then add 1 cup of the milk an pulse for 1 minute to chop more finely. Add miso, 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, and remaining milk and continue blending until consistent throughout.

Add onion and garlic to the pan and heat to medium-high. Cook for 1-2 minutes, then add remaining vegetables. Lower heat to medium and cook for 7-10 minutes, until vegetables are slightly softened. Add seasoning mix if desired and stir, then pour in cashew sauce. Stir in tofu and cooked pasta.

adapted from asian noodles in creamy cashew sauce and chinese five spice blend