Cheese Sauce from The China Study Family Cookbook

Makes about 2 1/2 cups

1 1/2 cups finely diced russet potatoes (about 1 medium potato)
1/4 cup finely diced red bell pepper
1/2 small yellow onion, diced
2 tablespoons raw cashews
2 tablespoons tahini
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
2 tablespoons arrowroot powder
1 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste

1. Combine the potato, red bell pepper, onion, and cashews in a small saucepan and cover with water. Bring the water to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to medium, and cook until the potatoes are very tender, about 10 minutes. Drain the vegetables, reserving 3/4 cup of the cooking water.
2. Combine the potato mixture, reserved cooking water, tahini, lemon juice, nutritional yeast flakes, arrowroot powder, and salt in a blender. Process on high until everything is smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes. Store the sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

NOTES FOR THE COOK

• Potatoes are hard to cut, even for many adults. The key to cutting them safely is carefully cutting them in half so that they sit with stability on the work surface, and then cutting each half as you wish.
• The secret to a creamy cheese sauce is in making sure the potatoes are well cooked (they should be very tender when poked with a fork), and then pureeing the potato mixture for several minutes to break down the starch in the potatoes.