Spaghetti with Spicy Broccoli and Cashew Sauce

If I had to give a newbie vegan one piece of advice, it would be, ‘buy yourself a decent food processor’ (okay, I’d probably also give them a bit of info about nutrition, vitamins, etc. ;-)).  I use my food processor all the time to make pestos, vegan parm, hummus, curry pastes, and things like this gorgeous broccoli and cashew sauce.

This is my take on a recipe I found online. It couldn’t be easier to make (blitz a few ingredients, cook pasta, cook sauce, add pasta), making it a perfect weeknight meal. But I would also happily serve this if I had friends coming over for dinner. Adjust the heat to your own preference, or leave out altogether if you don’t like it hot.

Ingredients
– 200 g broccoli florets (cut smallish), blanched. Put the florets in a pot with salted water, bring to a rolling boil, then drain water immediately and leave the broccoli in the pan.
– 60 g raw cashews, soaked in boiling water for an hour, or as long as you have (even just fifteen minutes will soften them a bit).
– 10 g (¼ cup) nutritional yeast
– 1 tbsp dried Italian herbs
– 3 cloves of garlic, skin removed and chopped roughly
– 1 tsp onion powder
– ½ tsp salt
– 1 tsp chilli flakes (or to taste; I like it spicy)
– 250 ml good-quality almond milk
– 1 tbsp lemon juice
– 60 ml  water
-180 g (whole-grain) spaghetti

Preparation
– Blitz all the ingredients except the spaghetti in a food processor or blender.
– Cook spaghetti according to packet instructions.
– When the pasta has 5 minutes to go, heat a splash of oil in a skillet and cook the sauce, adding a small splash of water if necessary.
– Drain the cooked pasta and add to the skillet with the sauce. Mix and serve.