Romesco Mayo; Cashew Cheddar Cheeze Spread

Romesco Mayo tastebook.com

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 large clov garlic, thinly sliced

¼ cup blanched almonds, coarsely chopped

1 small onion, slivered

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 cup ripe diced plum tomatoes

1 tablespoon orange zest

3 tablespoons fresh orange juice

salt and pepper

1 cup mayonnaise or Miracle Whip

Heat the oil in a saucepan over low heat. Add the garlic and cook until pale golden; remove garlic and set aside. Place almonds in the pan, raise the heat slightly and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes or until golden; add to the garlic. Add onion and bell pepper; stir over low heat for 15 minutes. Add tomatoes, orange zest, orange juice, salt and pepper; cook 5 minutes. Add reserved garlic and almonds; cook 2 minutes more. Remove from heat; cool. Puree and stir into the mayonnaise. Refrigerate, coved, until time to use.

CASHEW CHEDDAR CHEEZE theveganronin.blogspot

1 C raw cashews, soaked 1 – 2 hrs., and drained

1/3 lg orange (or red) bell pepper

Juice of 1 lemon

1 t onion powder

1/2 t sea salt

1 T chili seasoning, or to taste (optional)Water to just cover cashews ***Pour in a little at a time, this is WAY too much water.* Combine all ingredients in the VitaMix (or a high-speed blender) and process until smooth.* Refrigerate for up to 1 week.It is best the next day I think, when the flavors have time to develop. Fresh, it still has a taste of cashews, but then the sharpness of the "cheddar cheeze" hits you. Yum. It has the texture of hummus, and is just as good on crackers and carrot sticks!It may be blasphemy to put a raw spread on a cooked food, but it's still delicious! I saved some to put on a grilled cheeze. Of course it's not ooey-gooey since it is a spread, but it has great flavor and you can pile it on because it is way healthier than the processed fake-cheezes.