Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

Cashew substitutes: Cashews are my favorite fat source for creamy sauces, but if you can’t eat them, use another nut or seed. Cooked white potatoes, like Yukon Gold, may work too, but the sauce would not be as rich since potatoes are much lower in fat than nuts/seeds. I did try this recipe with tofu, and it works just fine. In both cases, tofu and potatoes, just add the water gradually in step 3 while blending (not in step 1), otherwise your sauce will be too thin (since tofu and cooked potatoes have water in them already and cashews do not).

Chipotle powder is made from dried, smoked, jalapeño peppers, and as Google so aptly states, “They are then crushed into powder form, in pure, simplistic flavor glory.” I don’t eat fresh jalapeños (too hot for me) but I love chipotle powder; the key is not to use too much, which is why I went with ¼ teaspoon (use more or less if you wish; or for a very mild flavor, use “mild” chili powder).

Red onion: I used a yellow onion the first time I made this and the color was a bright, unnatural orange, so I opted for a red onion instead to get a more authentic cheesier color. But white, yellow or red can be used.

In the air-fryer: I also made this in my Breville Air Frier, and found the following settings to work well: set dial to "Roast" and preheat to 400F. Once the oven is up to temperature, place the baking pan with veggies on it on the "Roast" lower rack, and roast for 20 minutes. Toward the end, I like to keep an eye on it so as not to over-do it.

Nutritional yeast: Nutritional yeast is a dry, yellow, flakey condiment often used in vegan cheese sauces, since it has a somewhat cheesy flavor. I don’t use it though (and TrueNorth, where I teach, also does not) because most brands can be problematic health-wise. Most (1) are genetically modified; (2) contain either added or naturally occurring MSG (monosodium glutamate), which many people have physical reactions to; and (3) are fortified with “folic acid,” which is a synthetic form of vitamin B9, and is not as effectively utilized by the body as “folate,” the natural form of B9. Dietary folate—the form found in whole foods—is preferable to the synthetic folic acid found in supplements and processed foods. Having said all that, if you still want nutritional yeast, consider buying it from Well Your World. They make one that is non-fortified, non-GMO, non-irradiated, and non-ETO (ETO means that it hasn't been sterilized with ethylene oxide, a gas that kills fungus and bacteria. The gas is a carcinogen, but the EPA says that in tiny amounts it is safe—yikes!).