Cashew Surprise

by Claudia

This should be called "Macaroni with Zucchini, Mushrooms & Cashews" but after the kids played at trying to differentiate the cashews from the macaroni noodles, we all thought "Cashew Surprise" was more fitting. You can't tell when you'll get a soft-yet-crunchy little cashew in your mouth!

2 zucchinis, grated
3 cloves garlic, minced
pinch of sea salt and black pepper
2 Tbsp each hemp seeds and grated parmesan
2 cups mushrooms (cremini, or your choice), cut into 8ths
handful of whole raw cashews
pinch of sea salt
olive oil
plenty of cooked whole wheat macaroni (or small noodles of your choice)

In a large skillet, heat some olive oil and saute zucchini with garlic until soft and cooked through, adding salt and pepper halfway through. When done, spoon out zucchini and set aside.

In the same now-empty skillet heat a little more oil and saute mushrooms for 5 minutes, then add the pinch of sea salt plus whole cashews. Continue cooking til mushrooms are nicely browned and softened and cashews are juicy and toasted.

Puree cooked zucchini with hemp seeds and parmesan, adding a bit of water to thin out if necessary. Stir into cooked noodles along with mushrooms and cashews. Serve warm.

Some kids didn't even touch the mushrooms, so you can decide whether or not to make and include mushrooms or replace with something else (cubes of cheese?) or leave out entirely. Everyone loved the noodles and cashews, though :-)