Believe it or not, you can make almost any dish without dairy. I don’t cut anything completely out of my diet, but I very rarely eat dairy for many reasons. The two biggest reasons are that it is hard to digest, and it is really……..just, dirty (antibiotics, hormones, puss, EW).
This weekend I was craving fettuccine alfredo and I knew I could satisfy that craving with a homemade, completely dairy and gluten free version. I modified a recipe from one of my favorite blogs, Nutrition Stripped, and it was delicious! Does it taste exactly the same? No – but it is pretty darn close and just as delightful. If you are still transitioning to dairy-free recipes, make this and top it with real parmesan cheese as a compromise. I added tons of fresh ground black pepper to mine to make it more like a cacio e pepe flavor.
Enjoy!
3 cups cauliflower (about 1 small head)
1 ½ cups cashews, soaked for 30+ minutes then drained and rinsed
1 ½ cups unsweetened almond milk
¼ cup + 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 ½ teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
juice from one small lemon
1 tablespoon olive oil, for sautéing
¼ cup onions, diced
2 large cloves garlic, minced
Pasta (I use brown rice fettuccine)
Steam the cauliflower until tender (via microwave or stovetop steamer basket/pot with 2-3 inches of water at the bottom)
While the cauliflower is steaming, heat a sauté pan to medium and add olive oil, onion and garlic and cook until tender (about 3 minutes)
Add almond milk to food processor (or capable blender) and add cauliflower bit by bit until it is all creamed together
Add remaining ingredients (except cashews) and blend
Finally, add cashews and blend until you have a creamy sauce. Add additional salt and pepper to taste. If you need to make the sauce thinner, add more almond milk.
Cook and drain pasta of choice
Spoon the sauce on top of the cooked pasta and mix around a bit to coat every noodle. Add additional toppings if you’d like (broccoli, peas, chicken)
When plated, top with more fresh ground pepper and a drizzle of olive oil