Almost-Raw Cheez Sauce

The only items in this sauce that aren’t raw in this luscious almost-raw vegan cheese sauce are the nutritional yeast and the rice milk or hemp milk. There’s no non-dairy cheese of any sort in this; so it’s amazing how very cheesy it tastes!

Makes about 2 cups (serving size: about 1/4 cup to 1/3 cup)

• 1 cup baby carrots or peeled, roughly chopped carrot
• 1 cup raw cashews
• 1/4 cup raw hemp seeds
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 1 cup plain rice milk or hemp milk
• 1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
• 1 teaspoon salt

Combine all the ingredients in a high-speed blender and let it run until the mixture is smooth and cream and you feel the container getting nice and warm.

Serve on pasta, raw squash “noodles,” as a sauce for baked potatoes, or on lightly steamed vegetables. Especially yummy on broccoli and cauliflower!

• For more vegan cheese-like recipes, go to Vegan Cheese-y Delights.