I’ve learned the hard way that my stomach just doesn’t like dairy, sugar, gluten, or processed foods. My cravings and my tastebuds do, but my stomach ends up throwing a tantrum. Since moving to California, I’ve been eating a more vegetarian diet. Both because there are simply more vegetarian options around me and because I’ve been trying to avoid purchasing factory-farmed meat. The more I eat vegetarian or vegan, the less I like the taste of meat. I never thought I’d say that!

Funnily, my two favorite vegan and vegetarian restaurants are The Butcher’s Son in Berkeley and The Butcher’s Daughter in Venice Beach. Apparently the Butcher’s kids are trying to make up for his barbaric ways (bad joke, I know).

When I visited Venice Beach last week, I loved the vibe and decor of The Butcher’s Daughter. But I especially loved the two things I ordered: the Golden State latte and the Angel Hair Carbonara. The Golden State was essentially golden milk made of turmeric, maple syrup, black pepper, and warm foamy almond milk. The carbonara consisted of “thinly shredded spaghetti squash, topped with cracked black pepper, cashew ricotta, ‘bacon’, cherry tomatoes, and wilted arugula.” I’m still thinking about that delicious meal.

Back home, I tried to recreate the carbonara dish and I mainly needed to nail the cashew ricotta. Here’s how I made it:

Ingredients

• 1.5 cups of raw cashews, soaked

• Juice of 1 large lemon or 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar

• 2-3 tablespoons of nutritional yeast

• 4 garlic cloves (or more depending on taste)

• Dash of onion powder

• Salt and pepper (to taste)

Instructions

1. I either soak my cashews overnight or in hot water for an hour.

2. Throw everything into a Vitamix.

3. Add a little bit of the leftover cashew water to the Vitamix if the mixture is too thick.

4. Mix until the texture is a coarse paste.

5. Store in an airtight container for up to a week, but it will likely be consumed well before that!