Saucy Sauces!

Sauces are the key to making a delicious Nearly Raw Foods dish. Gone are the days when sauces meant heavy cream and thigh-thickening butter. Nuts, which contain "healthy fats," are the foundation for my creamy sauces.

Almost Alfredo Sauce

1 cup raw cashews, soaked at least 45 minutes (but overnight is better)
1/4 to 1/2 small onion
1 clove garlic, peeled
1/8 cup nutritional yeast (NOT a raw food, but adds a creamy, cheesy flavor)
1 tsp. Real Salt (more or less to taste)
1 to 2 T. Raw Soy Sauce (more or less to taste)
Water

Place all ingredients in a blender along with 1/2 cup water. Puree on highest setting until smooth, adding more water as necessary to meet desired consistency. We prefer a thinner sauce.

Serving Suggestion: Serve atop grated raw zucchini and carrots. A regular cheese grater with large holes works magic for making vegetable "noodles." Can also be served with a small amount of cooked spaghetti noodles (whole wheat noodles are better than the regular, starchy stuff) for picky eaters. Sprinkle with Hemp Seeds or Raw Sunflower seeds for an added nutritional boost.

Why soak nuts? There may be another reason for this, but the bottom line is that they simply process easier when soaked. The nuts absorb the water making them easier to puree into a creamy mixture. I've also heard that soaking, or "germinating," helps eliminate some unwanted compounds. Not real sure about this, though, so I'll stick to my "they're easier to process" answer.