I love the flavour of sun-dried tomatoes and with a bit of cashew cream it can go from good to amazing! You can use it as a dip or spread, add it to pizzas/wraps or stir through cooked pasta for a delicious and easy meal.
I usually use dehydrated sun-dried tomatoes which need to be soaked before use to add moisture. I soak them in hot water for about 30 mins before cooking. If you buy the ones that are already in oil you won't need to soak them. I like to soak the cashews for a good 4 to 5 hours to get them really soft but if you forget to, you can speed soak them in boiling water for about 1 hour.
Recipe:
1/4 cup raw cashews, soaked
1/4 cup sum-dried tomatoes (soaked if dehydrated) 1 can chopped tomatoes 2 cloves garlic 1 tbsp nutritional yeast juice of half a lemon
1 tsp olive oil salt & pepper to taste
1. To make the cashew cream, combine the soaked cashews, garlic, nutritional yeast, olive oil and lemon juice in a processor or blender. Mix until you have a smooth and creamy texture. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside.
2. Blend the sun-dried tomatoes into a paste using a processor, you can add some olive oil to get it to a smooth texture.
3. In a small pot on medium heat, add the sun-dried tomato paste and canned tomatoes. Stir and cook for a few mins. Season with salt and pepper (you can add dried Italian herbs too) add the cashew cream to the sauce and stir. Let it simmer on a low heat for about 15-20 mins.
4. Use as a spread or dip or stir it through some cooked pasta - yum! Store in the refrigerator but probably best to use within a couple of days.