Vegan Spicy Creamy Kale Pasta

I have finally gotten around to posting the "real" version of my "made up" recipe. I made this exactly one week after the first one and like I mentioned before, I kind of liked my version better. I'm guessing that has something to do with the fact that the other recipe had cream cheese and this one...had none. But that's okay! I did at least discover a newfound respect for using cashews as part of sauces instead of just as snack items. So I at least consider that a success unto itself.

If you are not a "spicy foods" type of person, don't worry about this one being super-spicy. Though it alludes to a certain level of spiciness in the name, there were only a few bites that had a little kick to them. On the other hand, if you are a "spicy foods" type of person, then I would say you should up the amount of chile powder and definitely increase the amount of red pepper flakes. It was to our liking, however, based on the title, we were expecting something with a little bit more of a punch.

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Cooking Notes: We substituted parmesan cheese for nutritional yeast because while we try not to eat too much meat, we are definitely not on the path to be vegans. We also used 2% milk instead of the unsweetened non-dairy milk the recipe called for. The original recipe also called for optional salsa, which we decided to skip out on-it just didn't seem to us like it would fit.

(Almost) Vegan Spicy Creamy Kale Pasta (adapted from Cheap and Simple Vegan Recipes; serves 2)
8 oz. penne pasta
3/4 cup cashews
1/4 onion, chopped
1/2 bunch of kale
1 tbsp nutritional yeast OR 1/3 cup parmesan cheese
1/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp paprika
1 tsp chile powder
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp garlic salt/powder
A dash of salt
Olive oil

Cook pasta according to directions. In a large pan, warm a few tablespoons of olive oil. Toss in chopped onions and kale and saute until kale has cooked down completely. In a blender, add cashes, nutritional yeast/cheese, spices, and milk. Blend until you have a creamy consistency, adding more milk or water if too thick. After draining pasta, add cooked kale mixture to pasta pot and toss with cream sauce. Sprinkle with a dash of chile powder for some color!

Recipe: Cheap and Simple Vegan Recipes: Vegan Spicy Creamy Kale Pasta