Vegan Mushroom Stroganoff

*Soak cashews for an hour before cooking*

• Chop the mushrooms into quarters, aubergine into small cubes and onions into thin pieces.
• Add 1 tbsp olive oil to pan on a high heat and add the mushrooms and aubergines. I did mine in batches so I could get as much browning as possible but this step is optional.
• After around 8 minutes, the mushrooms & aubergine should have taken on some colour. At this point, reduce the heat and add the onions and fresh thyme. The thyme that I got this time was very soft so I didn’t destem it, just used my scissors to cut the thyme into small pieces. Continue to fry gently for another 5 minutes. During this time, add the pasta to salted water.
• 4.When the pasta is almost ready (two minutes from cook time), drain it while reserving the pasta water to use in the sauce.
• Blend the soaked cashews, soy sauce, garlic granules, veggie stock cube and with few ladles of pasta water to make the creamy cashew sauce.
• Combine the mushroom mix with the pasta, cashew cream and an additional 200ml of pasta water. Stir to form the creamy mix on a low heat, if the sauce seams too thick, keep adding the pasta water. Cook until the pasta is al dente and you’re ready to eat! Serve up with lots of black pepper and a pinch of salt.

Reheat info: Before popping in the microwave for 2 minutes, add two tbsp of water into the bowl to help to loosen the sauce. This will help you’ll get it back to the smooth creamy consistency that it was when you first cooked it so don’t be alarmed if it looks super thick and rigid before reheating.