This dish may sound and look complicated but you can prepare it in the time it takes to cook pasta! Minimal effort delivers great taste!
The raw marinara sauce depends on fresh, ripe, juicy tomatoes. I buy my chemical free or organic tomatoes at the farmers market and i need to leave them by the window on my kitchen counter for about a week before they fully ripen. Organic sun-dried tomatoes (dried, not in oil) add sweetness and a depth of flavour. I can not find any where I live without added salt so I do not add salt to the sauce. If you use unsalted sun-dried tomatoes, you may want to add a little salt. I use fresh onion and garlic but if you want a subtler, smoother flavour, try using dried garlic and onion powders. I love thyme but any fresh or dried herbs such as basil, parsley and oregano work beautifully as well.
The cashew nut ‘parmesan cheese’ takes minutes to make and it adds wonderful flavour to many dishes. I use it in lieu of parmesan cheese. I use activated cashews as they are easier to digest and taste delicious. Use dried herbs so that the ‘cheese’ will last for some time in the refrigerator. It is important to blend the nuts for just a few seconds until you have a fine meal. If you over blend it, you will find it starts to get damp and clumpy and eventually it starts to make cashew nut butter!
I use red lentil pasta here but this dish can be made with many grain free pastas - chickpea or cassava pasta and sweet potato noodles all work perfectly1
Raw Marinara Sauce
Ingredients
8 medium-sized ripe tomatoes
1 cup organic sun-dried tomatoes (dry) chopped
1 small red onion peeled and cut into 4 thick slices
2-3 cloves garlic crushed or 1 tsp garlic powder
1 1/2 tsp dried thyme or fresh
1 tsp grey sea salt
Method
In a powerful blender, put tomatoes quartered, peeled and sliced onion, chopped sun-dried tomatoes, crushed garlic, thyme and salt. Run on a smoothie setting or on high for about a minute.
Serve over spiralled zucchini or cucumber noodles for a raw spaghetti. Alternatively, serve over hot sweet potato or thick brown rice noodles for a warm delicious noodle dish.
This marinara is wonderful on pizza or in eggplant parmigiana and lasagna.
Cashew “Parmesan” Cheese
Ingredients
2 cup activated cashews
2 1/2 tsp grey sea salt
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
Method
Place all ingredients in a blender. Run on high until you have a ground consistency. Do not run too long as you do not want the cashews to start to release their oils making a nut butter. Adjust flavour according to your personal preferences.
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. You can also freeze.