Recipe: Arugula-Cashew Spread

Week 2 of my class on healthy living and whole food, we're talking about getting more greens and plants into our diet.  This is a a lot like pesto but it doesn't have any cheese, and when you taste it you won't even miss it.  We also made home made hummus, with garbanzo beans that we'd soaked and cooked until tender.  This is a link to the recipe I've posted before.  

One day last summer we went to a restaurant in Irvine called Native Foods Cafe for a cooking demonstration, this recipe was one of the things they served.  They called it a crudité but it’s really more of a spread or pesto.  I’ve made it a few times and it’s excellent as a pesto on spaghetti squash or pasta or as a dip for crackers or vegetables.

 

Arugula-Cashew Spread

Ingredients:
3 cups raw cashews
1/2 cup nutritional yeast (I used Braggs)
2 cloves of garlic
6 cups of arugula or baby spinach or a combination of both
1/2 cup olive oil
4 Tbsp lemon juice
pinch of salt
dash of fresh ground pepper
dash of red chili pepper (optional)
Directions:
In a food processor, pulse the cashews, nutritional yeast and garlic, so that the ingredients are mixed but the cashews are still crunchy. Empty into a medium sized bowl and set aside. In the food processor, add the olive oil and lemon juice first, then add the greens. Pulse to blend well. Mix the two together and add salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper. Serve with vegetables, crackers, or flat bread. Enjoy.