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Easy Vegan Cashew Cheese Sauce | 7 Ingredients

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The good ol’ days of broccoli and cheese sauce are making a comeback, this time in the form of this next-level raw vegan cashew cheese sauce.

Totally nostalgic…who’s with me on that?

In the attempt to get me to eat those veggies in any way possible… cheese sauce, and sometimes mayo, made it onto the plate beside those greens.

It worked like a dream, just like this new & improved eat-yo-veggies cashew cheese hack will.

Something special happens to broccoli when it’s paired with a creamy, tangy, cheesy sauce. Dip away with all the other veggies, and you’re easily munching away on greens like their goin’ outta style.

All you need to do for this recipe is soak the cashews, blend it all up, and then drizzle, spread, dip, scoop…

I’m all about the sauce.

If you’re looking for a veggie-based cheese sauce option, check out this Mind-Blowing Nut-Free cheese sauce recipe I posted not too long ago.

Either one is perfect for a colourful side dish for a holiday like……. Easter!

Benefits:

  • Cashews are packed with healthy fats (monounsaturated and polyunsaturated) to help the absorption of the fat soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and vitamin K) found in the nutrient-dense greens. Plus, these healthy fats help brain development and memory!
  • Nutritional Yeast (NOOCH) is a vegan’s best friend. Not only does it taste cheesy, but it also is packed with Vitamin B12 (which comes from microorganisms in soil), the one nutrient that you might be lacking in on a vegan diet.
  • Turmeric is a magical ingredient. Not only does it change any recipe into a smashingly colourful dish, but it’s also one of the most powerful anti-inflammatory ingredients out there. Add a bit of pepper to increase the bioavailability of the curcumin in the turmeric by 2000%!


Easy Vegan Cashew Cheese Sauce
 
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Answer that cheese craving with this super easy vegan cheese sauce, ready to be best friends with anything that calls for cheese. Pizza, pasta, veggies, nachos, you name it!
Author:
Recipe type: sauce, condiment, snack
Serves: 5
Ingredients
  • 1 cup raw cashews (soaked at least 30 minutes and rinsed)
  • ¼ cup nutritional yeast
  • 1 clove garlic, crushed
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • ⅛ tsp sea salt + pepper
  • ¼ tsp turmeric
  • ¼ cup + 2 tbsp plain unsweetened plant based milk (I used almond)
Instructions
  1. Blend all ingredients in high-speed blender until smooth! You might have to turn it off and scrape down the sides with a spatula every now and then...
  2. Use it for dipping, drizzling, spreading... anything! Pizza, pasta, cracker plates, or saucin' anything up!

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Creamy Vegan Spinach Artichoke White Bean Dip | 8 Ingredients

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Creaminess alert! I’m in love with this Vegan Spinach Artichoke Dip.

White beans come into play to create that creamy texture you’re craving, minus the dairy.

If you come across this dip in the store, the veg-sounding name will probably fool ya. The usual culprits show up in full force in the store-bought version… cream cheese, sour cream, mayo, and parmesano. Yup, it’s an overload of the type of creaminess that won’t do your body any favours.

That brings me to one of life’s must-knows.

 

There are 2 important aspects of the act of eating. The physical side & the mental side.

The way you love and appreciate your food makes a big difference in how your body is going to assimilate those nutrients. If you’re stressed out or worried about that thing you’re eating while you’re eating it (‘oh god, I shouldn’t be eating this…’), your digestion won’t run smoothly (because your adrenal system ~ AKA, your stress centre ~ simply cannot work at the same time as your digestive system).

Step 1 – you’ve got to love the taste.

Step 2- you’ve got to appreciate the food and feel good about eating it.

 

It’s a lot easier to follow through with step 2 when the food you’re eating is actually good for you, and it helps when it doesn’t taste like cardboard, am I right!?

That’s what it’s all about here. This dip is even better than ‘guilt-free’, I’ll go as far as saying it’s a ‘life-giving’ dip. It’s next-level awesome for your taste buds and your health.

And oooh man, does it ever taste good warmed up with a side of rye sourdough, crackers and veggies.

The white beans give this dip the dip-able texture we’re looking for.

Don’t limit it to a dip! Spread it all over your toast, sandwiches, wraps, or even make it into a pasta sauce by adding almond milk!

 

There’s just two steps to get to this deliciousness.

Blend

Bake

… that’s it.

 

Benefits:

  • White beans (cannellini beans) are of the legume family. Enough said. Legumes have tons of antioxidants, inulin fibre (prebiotics), minerals, vitamins, and protein. They’re low in fat, cholesterol, and calories (in comparison to the meaty alternative). This is your time to get in yo’ beans! Soak them first, then rinse if you feel that you get gas from them.
  • Artichokes = antioxidants. They’re #7 on USDA’s antioxidant-rich foods list! Plus, Vitamin C in artichoke is going to help you absorb the iron in the spinach. What a combo.
  • Spinach. We all know it’s Pop-Eye’s fave. Why wouldn’t it be? It’s packed with the good stuff (iron, water content, fibre, plant protein, chlorophyll, plus… niacin, manganese, zinc, vitamins A, C, E and K, thiamin, vitamin B6, folate,potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, copper), but missing the bad stuff (saturated fat & cholesterol). A recipe for Pop-Eye’s physique.

 

Spinach Artichoke White Bean Dip | Vegan
 
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This dip is easy, but so impressive. We're keeping it on the lighter side by using beans as the base instead of nuts. It's creamy and delicious!
Author:
Recipe type: dip, appetizer, spread
Serves: 6
Ingredients
  • 1 can white cannellini beans (drained and rinsed)
  • ½ cup + 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • 1 tbsp onion powder
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice (about a ½ lemon)
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 1 cup packed spinach, roughly chopped
  • 1 cup artichoke hearts (about 1 can, drained), roughly chopped
Instructions
  1. Pre-heat your oven to 375°F.
  2. In your food processor, blend beans with ½ cup nutritional yeast, onion powder, garlic, lemon juice, and salt.
  3. In an oven safe serving dish, mix the bean mixture with the spinach and artichokes.
  4. Cover with tin foil, then bake for 12 minutes.
  5. Take the foil off, sprinkle with extra nutitional yeast (or vegan parmesan like Violife's or this recipe) and broil on high for 2 minutes.
  6. Serve this saucy goodness up with your favourite raw veggies, chips, crackers...you name it.

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Mind-Blowing Multi-Purpose Vegan Cheese Sauce (Nut-Free)

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This nut-free vegan cheese sauce may be the answer to all of your cheezy needs.

If nutty vegan cheese is too heavy for you to digest but you still want to curb that cheezy craving for all the things, you’ve come to the right place.

That cheezy pasta, or that cheezy dip for your chips, or that cheezy sauce all over your broccoli…

There’s not a thing in this world that I wouldn’t put this stuff on…well ok, maybe that’s a bit extreme.

While I may not douse my oatmeal or chocolate cake in this goodness…this stuff is still magic.

While surfin’ the waves of the inter web, you’ll come across vegan cheese sauce recipes based on cashews, sunflower seeds, or beans. This one, however, puts the veggie kingdom on the pedestal.

That’s right. Carrots and cauliflower can magically turn into cheese sauce. It’s possible, and it’s delicious.

What I love about this is sauce that you can devour a ton of it with zero guilt. It’s packed with nutrients + fibre, yet low in calories and fat. Sometimes the sauces made from nuts (as delicious as they are), can be a little heavy, ya know?

Vegan Cheese Sauce

To create a simple + yum pasta, just cook up your fave noodles, pan sear, then chop up some vegan sausages (the Gusta or Field Roast brands are yum), steam some broccoli florets, then mix everything together with this sauce. Top it all off with green onion and vegan parmesano (make this easy parm recipe, or find yourself some amazing Violife cheese to grate)!

Benefits:

  • Cauliflower is super nutritious, so don’t let the lack of colour fool ya’. This white magic is packed with folate, vitamin C, vitamin K, and vitamin B6. Plus, it’s a cruciferous vegetable, aka a cancer-fighting super veg with a good dose of antioxidants.
  • Carrots are known for their mega-dose of beta-carotene (an antioxidant that our body converts into vitamin A). What this means for you, is healthy skin and mucus membranes, a stronger immune system, and better eye health and vision.
  • Miso paste is an awesome addition, not only for the flava, but also because it’s fermented. Fermented foods do wonders for your gut aka microbiome aka microflora. This is where most of our bacteria lives! Since around 1/10 of our cells are human and 9/10 of our cells are bacteria, we’ve got to keep these bacterial cells happy by feeding them fermented foods. Eat that miso up.

Mind Blowing Vegan Cheese Sauce (without nuts)

Mind-Blowing Vegan Cheese Sauce (No Nuts)
 
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This nut-free, vegan sauce is a light option for that cheezy comfort food feel. It's perfect for pasta or a dip with veggies and chips!
Author:
Recipe type: Comfort Food, dinner, lunch, appetizer
Serves: 5 cups
Ingredients
  • 1 head cauliflower, roughly chopped
  • 6 carrots, chopped
  • ¾ cup nutritional yeast
  • ½ large sweet onion, diced (or 1 tbsp onion powder)
  • 2 cloves garlic (or 1 tbsp garlic powder)
  • 1 tbsp dijon mustard
  • 1 tbsp miso paste
  • ¼ tsp turmeric
  • ⅛ tsp smoked paprika (optional, but gives it a nice smokey flavour)
  • 1 cup plain almond milk (or any other plain plant-based milk)
Instructions
  1. Steam the cauliflower and carrots until soft (about 10 minutes)
  2. Meanwhile, (unless you're using onion and garlic powder), oil-free sauté the onion and garlic for about 7 minutes. Heat the element to medium, then add the chopped onions and garlic. Let the bottom of the pan brown, then add 1-2 tbsp of water to de-glaze the pan. As the onions cook, continue adding bits of water to prevent sticking if needed
  3. Add the onion, steamed cauliflower, and carrots to the blender with the the rest of the ingredients
  4. Blend until smooth!
  5. If using as a dip, put in and oven safe dish and broil on high for 3 minutes.
  6. Or, mix in with pasta, pour over roasted veggies, or just eat it by the spoonful 😉

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Roasted Garlic Oil-Free Hummus

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Roasted garlic hummus is a staple that should be waiting for you in your fridge at all times.

Spread it, dip it, smother it all over everything.

Even add a tablespoon to some water, and voila: salad dressing!

The flavour and texture of this hummus is on point, and will bring any bland sandwiches, wraps, macro bowls, or veggies to life.

What I love about this hummus, is the oil-free action. Unless you’re suffering from heart disease, you’re fine to have some oil here and there. But when it comes down to it, oil is refined fat with the fibre and water content stripped from what ever  whole food ingredient it’s made of. I always say to eat the whole food instead of the refined version (olives, instead of olive oil, sesame seeds instead of sesame seed oil, flax seeds instead of flax oil, avocados instead of avocado oil… you get my drift).

Adding oil to dressings and sauces is a good way to gain some weight if you need to, but limiting it by making versions of your favourite condiments without oil is a great way to shed some pounds, if that’s what you’re going for.

I personally can’t stop dipping my veggies if there’s hummus kicking around. So, the less refined fat calories there are in the stuff, the better (keep on dippin’ baby!)

The roasted garlic gives this hummus a creamy feel and deep flavour.

Other magical ingredients to add to your hummus for flavour, minus the oil, are:

  • miso paste
  • tamari
  • nutritional yeast
  • coconut aminos
  • pickle juice
  • Worcestershire sauce
  • fresh herbs and spices (dill, paprika, cumin, curry, chipotle, parsley, chives…)
  • Sriracha

 

Roasted Garlic Oil-Free Hummus
 
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A hummus with exceptional flavour, but no refined oils, so you can snack on for days.
Author:
Recipe type: snack, appetizer
Serves: 1 cup
Ingredients
  • 1 can chickpeas, drained (keep aquafaba/chickpea liquid in your fridge for other recipes)
  • 1 head of garlic
  • 2 tbsp tahini
  • 1 tbsp miso paste
  • Juice of 1 lemon juice (about ¼ cup of juice)
  • Optional: Nutritional yeast to taste (for a cheezier flavour)
Instructions
  1. Heat the oven to 375°F
  2. First, cut off the top of the head of garlic (so you can see the tops of each individual clove).
  3. Peel off the loose outer layers of garlic paper and wrap it up tight in aluminum foil
  4. Place it in the middle rack and roast for approximately forty-five minutes or until you can easily pierce the garlic with a sharp knife. The cloves should look caramelized and brown.
  5. Squeeze the roasted garlic cloves out and add them to a food processor with all the other ingredients.
  6. Blend until smooth!

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Peppermint Goji Pistachio Chocolate Bark | Raw Vegan & from Scratch

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Raw Chocolate Bark! With a kick of peppermint, a sprinkle of goji berries and dusting of pistachios…all from scratch.

Yup, this time it’s more than just melting a store bought chocolate bar. We’re using the raw form of chocolate to keep it extra nutritious and magical.

Cacao butter is the magic I’m talking about.

You can get cacao butter at your local health food store, or Spud.ca carries it (the code ‘crvan-murjub’ at the check out will get you some $ off).

By melting half of this down, adding some raw cacao powder then swirling in the other half to create a galaxy of Christmas swirls, be prepared to be the star of the New Year’s Party this year!

Quality, nutrient-dense ingredients, it’s fancy looking, tastes delicious, and festive.

And YES it is actually good for you. Chocolate in it’s pure form is extremely beneficial in so many ways. It’s what’s added to the cacao in the commercial chocolate making process that makes most chocolate from the store something to skip (I’m talking added dairy, refined sugars, and the process of high heat roasting the cacao goes through to become a commercial chocolate to be sold). Raw cacao, on the other hand, is so beneficial that it once was used as currency in Mexico!

Benefits:

  • Raw Cacao comes in the form of nibs, powder, and butter… all extracted from the fermentation of the cacao bean. It’s PACKED with antioxidants (40x the amount of blueberries!), which wards of disease, slows down aging and fights off free radicals and inflammation. Raw cacao also has phenylethylamine, which is responsible for increasing the receptors of the feelings of pleasure (like the way we feel when we’re in love). It increases your mental alertness as well as your mood!
  • Goji berries contain about 2-4 times the amount of antioxidants than blueberries, and 500 times more vitamin C than oranges to boost the immune system!
  • Pistachios are also packed with antioxidants to ward off free radicals. Out of all the nuts, they contain the most lutein and zeaxanthin for healthy eyes. They’re also packed with fibre, protein and b6!

To simplify this recipe even further, just ditch the swirls and just give the dark chocolate all spotlight. Sprinkle it with shredded coconut, and you have Christmas in the form of chocolate!

Happy Holidays!! I hope you can share this deliciousness with the ones you love deeeeaaarly.

Don’t be afraid to serve it up as an appetizer with bubbles!


Raw Peppermint Chocolate Bark | From Scratch
 
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Bring this everywhere you go this Holiday! This peppermint bark made from raw cacao is delicious, simple, festive and elegant.
Author:
Recipe type: dessert, snack
Cuisine: christmas, holidays, sweets
Serves: 10
Ingredients
  • 2 cups cacao butter
  • ⅓ cup raw cacao powder
  • ¼ cup maple syrup
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • ¼ tsp peppermint extract
  • ½ cup goji berries
  • ½ cup raw or roasted pistachios, chopped (shells removed)
Instructions
  1. Cover a pan or plate (about 7 inches wide) with parchment paper.
  2. Set up two double boilers (one will be for the white chocolate, one for the dark): add two inches of water to 2 saucepans and bring them to a simmer. Place a heat proof bowl (glass, stainless steel, or another pot (if it fits without falling into the water)) on top of the simmering water in the sauce pan (there should be about 1-2 inches of space between the water and bottom of the bowl).
  3. Separate the cacao butter in half, then add one half to each of the double boilers. Stir until melted.
  4. In the first bowl, add all of the cacao powder, half of the maple syrup, half of the vanilla, and half of the peppermint.
  5. In the second bowl, add the other half of the maple syrup, vanilla and peppermint.
  6. Whisk each until mixed thoroughly (cleaning the whisk between bowl switches).
  7. Remove the dark chocolate bowl, and dry the bottom of the bowl on a kitchen towel; this will prevent steamy water drops from mixing in with your dark chocolate.
  8. Pour the dark chocolate over the parchment covered pan.
  9. Remove the white chocolate in the same way, and dry the bowl. With a spoon, pour dollops of white chocolate in the dark. Try to create 1 inch polka dots of white all over the dark.
  10. With a chopstick or the end of a spoon, swirl the chocolates together (SO satisfying).
  11. Place the plate in the fridge for 10 minutes.
  12. Take it out and sprinkle the goji berries and pistachios all over. Feel free to add anything else you want here!
  13. Place the plate in the fridge for 1 hour, or freezer for 30 minutes.
  14. Once solid, break apart into bark.
  15. Store in a Tupperware in the fridge. Bring to all the Christmas parties.
  16. **Simplify this recipe by taking out the swirls to make it solid dark chocolate. Just use one double broiler and add the ingredients to the bowl as you would normally for the dark chocolate part. **

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