vegan alfredo sauce & zucchini noodles

me: i'm going to make alfredo this weekend.
zach: oh, great- i love your alfredo!
me: well, it's not exactly the kind of alfredo you're used to with butter, cream, and cheese...
zach: ... then don't call it alfredo.

if you couldn't tell, zach was not excited about this. he has been open to me adding vegan and vegetarian dishes to our meals, but he has been vocal is expressing his skepticism also. you know, if he wants to get in the kitchen and cook, he is more than welcome! until then, i'm going to keep experimenting =)

here we go...

::ingredients::

3 large zucchinis
1 cup raw cashews
3/4c water
1 Tbs lemon juice
1/4 tsp nutmeg (this is SUPER important to get the right flavor)
1 tsp thyme
2 garlic cloves
S&P

1. soak raw cashews in water for 20 minutes. i was able to find these at my local grocery store (read: not Publix). you might need to seek them out at a whole foods or somewhere like that.

2. while cashews soak, pull zucchinis and discard skin. then starting from one end of the zucchini, peel a long ribbon down to the other end. this is your "noodle". turn and repeat until you're left with a core that is difficult to peel. the recipe i followed actually had you leave the noodles just like this, raw. but i decided to boil them for a few minutes to soften them up! your choice!
3. to make alfredo sauce, combine the rest of the ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. that's it!!!

these are my boiled zuchinni noodles waiting for sauce

4. combine sauce and noodles. top with basil. season to taste. ENJOY!!

me: so, what do you think?
zach: (munch, munch, munch) this (munch, munch) is (munch) amazing!
...so, needless to say, the skeptic LOVED it!

we had some of the sauce leftover, so i boiled up some regular pasta. it was even delicious on that!

while it did not taste like traditional alfredo sauce, it is a delicious alternative and SO MUCH better for you! you'd be surprised by the creaminess of the sauce. hard to believe it's only cashews and water!