Battle Alfredo: Cashew vs. Cauliflower

If you follow me on Facebook, you would recognize the title of this post. To...

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If you follow me on Facebook, you would recognize the title of this post. To truly become Inspiralized, you need to not only rid your pantries of boxed pasta, but you need to pay special attention to the sauces you put on top of these veggie noodles. Of course, if you’re not as calorie conscious and just want to get more vegetables into your diet or eat more creatively, feel free to smother your zucchini noodles in a creamy alfredo, tomato sauce, or carbonara! You’ll still be eating pretty guiltlessly.

Speaking of Alfredo, there are two main ways that I used to recreate this sauce when I was vegan. Option A is a sauce made by boiling and making a cream out of cashews. Option B is a sauce made by boiling cauliflowers and blending them until creamy. Yesterday, I tested both options and have my theories, but for me, the winner was…… CAULIFLOWER! Picture to follow.

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Cauliflower Alfredo is more savory and seems more appropriate for a pasta sauce. Also, the sauce itself is creamier, whereas I found the Cashew Alfredo to be a bit gritty (I also don’t have a Vitamix, that might have made a difference). The cauliflower also, of course, is lower in calories. 1 cup of chopped cauliflower is about 30 calories, whereas 1 cup of cashews is about 720 calories. However, cashews have a lower fat content than most nuts and contains healthy monosaturated fats (similar ones found in olive oil!) Plus, nuts are high in antioxidants and cashews are especially high in copper and magnesium, essential for energy production and bone development. To me, as long as you’re staying clear of butter, cream and heavy amounts of cheese in your sauces, you’re making the right choice!

Cashew Alfredo will be great in a pasta with chicken. Hmmm… stay tuned?

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Recipes for Cauliflower and Cashew Alfredo Sauces

[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:8]

Cashew Alfredo

Prep Time 1 minute
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 11 minutes
Servings 1

Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup cashews
  • 1-2 tsp garlic powder
  • salt and pepper
  • 3/4 of almond milk
  • 1 tsp dijon mustard
  • juice of half a lemon

Instructions

  • In a small saucepan, boil enough water to cover your cashews. Add in cashews and boil for 7-8 minutes.
  • With a slotted spoon, transfer cashews to a food processor and add in the remaining almond milk (1/4 cup), dijon mustard, lemon, and more salt and pepper. Process until creamy.

 

with love, Ali

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    • CasandraWillis, thanks so much! Hope you enjoy - go out and get a spiralizer!
      • Oh I've got one and already love using it! It's a wonderful tool... you can do SO MUCH with it! :)
  • Both of these sound great, but are you missing a step in the cashew cream? It doesn't say what to do with the first 1/2 cup of the almond milk.
  • What about the best of both worlds? Cauliflower Alfredo using Cashew Milk (instead of the Almond Milk)?