Feeling a little nutty

I wish I could take credit for this one, but it's a recipe from Bauman College's Natural Chef curriculum.  I'm back in the fold, working as the kitchen manager at the Penngrove campus, and it makes my mind and my belly happy, happy, happy.  It's great to be able to essentially go through the Natural Chef program again without any of the stress I felt as a student.....and have them pay ME this time!  Even better, is getting to experience all those delicious recipes again;  recipes like this Nut & Seed Cream Sauce.  It's a fantastic, dairy-free cream sauce, much like an Alfredo.  Great on pasta (obviously), on roasted veggies, over grilled chicken, served cold as a dip.....heck, you could put it on a shoe and it would be delish!  I need all my shoes, so I tossed it with spaghetti squash, fresh English peas and toasted walnuts.  They only changes I made to the sauce were that I used my French Herb salt to give it more flavor and finished it with a healthy pinch of freshly grated nutmeg - buy the whole nutmeg and shave it with a microplane.... soooo much better than the ground nutmeg in a bottle.

If you've never cooked spaghetti squash, give it a try, especially if you have kids.  It's a great way to get extra veggies into them in a familiar kind of way.  Cut it in half, scoop out the seeds and bake it cut side down for 30-45 minutes at 375, depending on the size of the squash.  When the squash is cooked through it will give gently when squeezed.  Let it cool, and then scrape out the flesh with a fork.  Simply toss with sauce and any other ingredients you'd like.....

Nut & Seed Cream Sauce

1/2 cup cashews
1/2 cup macadamia nuts
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon celery seed
1 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup olive oil
white pepper to taste

Add all ingredients besides oil and pepper to a blender and puree until smooth.
With the motor running, drizzle in the oil.
Transfer to a saucepan and simmer on low heat for about 10 minutes until thickened and warmed through.
Season with white pepper to taste.
Try not to eat the whole thing yourself!