Naraya Cooking Health Recipe

coconut, ginger + mint tart with kiwi

4:55 PM

Sriracha Cashew Cream Sauce

8:11 PM

Sriracha is spicy with a touch of sweetness making it irresistible to those who try it and this cashew cream sauce is another way for us sriracha fans to get our fix. This recipe is so simple, versatile and can be used in many different ways. Use it as a pasta cream sauce or as a sauce to drizzle on roasted vegetables and baked sweet potatoes (recipes coming soon). You can use it as a dip or as a salad dressing. This is also fantastic as a spread on burgers, sandwiches or any place you may use mayo type products. Even tacos, burritos and quesadillas would benefit from a drizzle of this sriracha cashew cream sauce. And don't forget to add it to vegan sushi rolls, this makes for a great dragon sauce. Make it as spicy as you like or keep it on the mellow side with the amount of ingredients I have listed below. I found that one teaspoon of sriracha was just the right starting point to taste the flavors while adding a nice subtle punch to your meals, on a scale from 1 -10 the 1 teaspoon of chili sauce ranks in at about a 2, mild. I made it a second time using 2 teaspoons of sriracha and it kicked it up to 3-4. This is one of my favorite cashew sauces so far as it is so versatile and so good !

Sriracha Cashew Cream Sauce

Ingredients (makes about 2/3 cups or 3 servings)

1/2 cup raw cashews, preferably soaked for 2-3 hours
1/4 cup water, + 1-2 tablespoons as needed for thinning
1 garlic clove
2 teaspoons nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon sriracha chili sauce, + more to taste

Place all ingredients into a small blender (I used a magic bullet for this job). Blend until creamy, taste for flavor adding extra chili sauce if needed. Thin with water to desired consistency using one tablespoon at a time. If you find it's too watery add a few cashews and blend again until smooth. Store leftovers in an air tight container in the refrigerator for up to six days.

Notes: Add as much sririacha as you like to suit your taste. The one tsp I have listed here is a good starting point for a mellow flavor. I also didn't add in any salt but feel free to add salt to taste. Lastly, I usually use 1 tablespoon of lemon juice in my cashew creams but didn't add any in this recipe, I didn't feel it needed either. You may try adding 1 tablespoon if you have it on hand for another layer of flavor.

Serve however you like! I hope you find many uses for this sauce. I have many in mind and will be sharing within the recipes as they come up.

Here are a few options for using this flavorful cream...

Baked Stuffed Sweet Potato + Sriracha Cashew Cheese Sauce

Avocado and Black Bean Torta (in recipe as spread)

Portabello & Kale Calzone (replace the garlic-miso cream)

Street Tacos (drizzle on top)

Mac & Cheese Bake (would be great as the base)

Vegan Sushi Rolls (add some to the center or drizzle on top)

Tofu Scramble Stuffed Poblano Peppers

Sriracha can be found in the Asian section of most stores.

Enjoy!

balls

walnut bliss balls with chia, coconut + carob

12:46 PM

curry

Curry Red Lentil Stew with Kale & Chickpeas

10:20 PM

Coming to the end of fall and thought a nice lentil stew was in order. I happen to have all these ingredients on hand and decided to put them all together...it was a delicious success. I served this a couple ways. One was over a bed of rice, in a bowl all by itself. For the third way, I combined the leftover rice and stew together creating another wonderful way to enjoy leftovers. I topped my leftover stew with sliced avocado on top, I highly recommend doing this! Avocado is such a nice addition to almost any dish. All ways were hearty and filling while being full of wholesome nutrition. This recipe is easy to put together and is ready in under an hour.

I do have a few spices in here which include ginger, red pepper flakes, turmeric, curry and cumin. Feel free to simplify by just using curry and maybe another spice or two. You can still pull off a flavorful lentil stew with simply using curry alone as well. As with all recipes, adjust spices to taste adding anything more or less to your liking.

Curry Red Lentil Stew with Kale & Chickpeas

Ingredients (serves 6)

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, diced
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 - 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced
1 - 2 tablespoons curry, to taste
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon turmeric
himalayan salt to taste
1 tablespoons red pepper flakes, optional
1 can (15 oz) fire roasted tomatoes or two cups fresh tomatoes, diced
2 cups dry red lentils, rinsed and picked over
1 1/2 cups cooked garbanzo beans or 1 can (15 oz) garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
6 cups water or vegetable broth, + more as needed
3 cups kale, julienned
juice of one lemon, optional
cooked basmati, brown or jasmine rice, as much as needed

In large pot or stock pot, heat your oil over medium heat, saute onion and garlic until onion becomes transparent. Add spices, tomatoes, lentils, garbanzo beans and 6 cups of liquids, bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes. Add in the kale and optional lemon juice, continue to cook for 10 minutes or until kale softens and wilts.

Serve alone, over rice or grain of choice...

Enjoy!