Two for the Price of One!!

So much prettier in real life!!

It was cool and rainy yesterday, so I decided to use up more of the half boxes of pasta lingering in my cupboard and make a roasted cherry tomato cashew Alfredo!! It turned out so much better than the picture. I even made sure to write down what I used, so I could share it! As a bonus, I also made an amazing homemade mask for my face that I slathered on while I vacuumed, and my face felt and looked so soft and moisturized. I was on the ball yesterday!
                                                           Avocado Turmeric Beauty Mask

1. 1/2 small, ripe avocado
2. 1 tsp. agave syrup
3. 1 1/2 tsp. turmeric
4. mix all ingredients until a smooth, mask like texture, slather on your beautiful face for about fifteen, twenty minutes, rinse with cool water and enjoy the glow!      

                                                       Roasted Cherry Tomato Cashew Alfredo

• 3/4 C raw cashews, soaked for at least two hours
• 2 C. cherry tomatoes
• 5 cloves garlic
• 1 1/2 tsp. olive oil
• 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
• 1/4 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp. dried basil
• 1/2 C. nutritional yeast
• 1 cup water- give or take depending on your blender

Put the cherry tomatoes,and garlic in a shallow baking dish, sprinkle with the olive oil, crushed red pepper, oregano and basil, and salt and pepper and bake at around 375 Fahrenheit for 45-50 minutes.
When your tomatoes and garlic are roasted to perfection, add the water, soaked cashews and the tomato garlic mixture to your blender, make sure you get every last drop of the tomato oil/liquid at the bottom of the dish, it's flavor! Start with 1/2 to 3/4 cup water, and add more as needed, depending on how thick you like your sauce. The cherry tomatoes turn so sweet and rich when they're roasted, not to mention roasted garlic! This sauce was really the best cashew Alfredo I have ever made. I'm so glad I wrote down the recipe, as I usually don't. So far, clearing out the pantry has been pretty fun and tasty! This is a sauce that I would proudly serve to any non vegan, provided they don't have a nut allergy! It's creamy, and rich with a deep flavor, and it has no faux anything, which can scare some non vegans. It's just really delicious.
The mask is a good use for when you have that half of an avocado sitting in the fridge, and it suddenly isn't green anymore, and you know it's still fine, but ooh it's brown, and you don't want to waste it, but you also don't really want to eat it. That is exactly what happened to me, and my skin was soooo happy it did! I've read many good things about turmeric for the skin, and I've read that brides in India use a turmeric mask so they look beautiful at the ceremony. I figure avocado and turmeric are both good for your inside, so why not the outside!
Duh, I kind of left off the tail end of the recipe. Blend for as long as it takes to get a thick, non-grainy luscious sauce. In my okay blender it took about three to four minutes. Then, it's ready to be used on pasta, or on a pizza or eaten with a spoon!