Cashew Humus and Foodtini

As the Holidays approach, or if you are hosting a party you might be searching for a good GF Vegan Hors d'oeuvre. I recently hosted a baby shower and had these Foodtini humus appetizers. 

I offered two different humus varieties, one being a traditional chickpea variety and the other being a cashew variety. To easily identify the two, I put a black olive on the traditional humus and I made a mint/cilantro sauce for the cashew one.

Humus Ingredients:
2 cups cashews, soaked for an hour
2 lemons, juiced
1/4 cup tahini
1/8 cup olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
smoked sea salt to taste
1/4 - 1/2 cup water
* if you wish you can season with cumin, curry, fresh herbs or other seasonings of your choice

Directions:
1. Drain cashews
2. Add all ingredients to a blender. Add more water as needed
3. Mix until smooth and creamy

Mint Sauce Ingredients:
1. 1/2 cup soaked golden raisins
2. 1/2 cup mint (de-stemmed) can add more if you want a stronger mint taste
3. 1/2 cup cilantro (de-stemmed) can add more if you want a stronger cilantro taste
4. Lemon juice and salt to taste
5. 1/8 to 1/4 cup olive oil (can use coconut oil)

Directions:
1. Drain raisins (save the water)
2. Blend all ingredients adding the raisin water to make it a desired 
saucy consistency.

Just a dabble is needed for a burst of minty/cilantro taste. 

Creamy Gluten-Free Vegan Mac and Cheese

Recently, one of my grandchildren has found it necessary to become gluten-free in addition to dairy free. All she really wants is to just feel like a normal kid while eating normal kid food. Although my food is always GF and Vegan, I decided to explore the comfort foods kids love so much. This recipe has quickly become a favorite among everyone whether they are GF or Vegan or not. The ingredients are simple:

INGREDIENTS:
16 - 20 ounces of your favorite GF pasta
2 potatoes, peeled and diced
1 small onion, peeled and diced
1 cup of diced or shredded carrots
1 cup unsalted cashews, soaked in water for an hour
Juice from 1 to 2 lemons
5 Tablespoons of Nutritional Yeast
1/2 to 1 teaspoon of minced garlic (adjust to your preference)
1/2 cup alternative milk (almond, cashew, coconut, flax) This can be adjusted as needed.
Salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon smoked paprika

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Soak cashews until covered in water.
2. Boil potatoes, onion and carrots until tender.
3. Cook pasta according to directions, but on the al dente side.
4. While everything is cooking add milk, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper, half of the paprika and soaked cashews into a blender. When vegetables are done, use a slot spoon and put them into your blender too along with 1 to 2 cups of the potato water. Add the water as needed to gain desired consistency.
5. Pour sauce over your cooked macaroni and adjust spices to your taste.
6. Sprinkle remaining paprika on top.
*** I like to serve with lightly steamed or microwaved broccoli as well.

Yummy goodness!

You may have left over sauce- jar it and save it in the fridge for up to a week. Add to everything! Depending on the size of your potatoes, you may not need to use all of the potatoes. The ones I have pictured are very large!