Vegan Cheese Sauce

Vegan Cheese Sauce to go on EVERYTHING. Veggie burgers, nachos, tacos, roasted veggies, pasta, baked potatoes....the list goes on. No flour thickeners. LOVING this sauce! I'm toying with the idea of omitting nightshades (peppers, tomatoes...foods that cause inflammation in joints in the body) because I have what I call "runners knees" and because I had arthritic joints during both pregnancies. I'm just curious if food exacerbate the issue....anyway, that's why the tomato paste is optional. It adds a depth of flavor but is not necessary.

3/4 cup soaked raw cashews

1 cup roasted carrots

1T turmeric

1 med sized onion

1 clove garlic

1/2t salt

2 cups veggie broth

1T dijon mustard

3T nutritional yeast

1T tomato paste (optional)

1t dried italian herbs (optional)

To soak cashews: cover with water and let soak for at least 2 hours or overnight

To roast carrots: cut in half lengthwise and then half again across the width. toss in a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper and roast at 400* for 20-25 min, flipping half way through. Until fork-tender and a little browned.

-Chop and saute onion in medium sized pan over med-high heat. after a few minutes, add minced garlic and saute for another minute or so, until onion is translucent. 

-Put sauteed onion and garlic into blender.

-Add roasted carrot, cashews and the rest of the ingredients to blender. 

-Blend until smooth. If it's a little too thick, add more veggie broth 1T at a time until it reaches your desired consistency.  

Heat up the sauce on the stove if you wish. Keep in airtight container in fridge for up to a week.