Pumpkin and cashew pesto

Here's a superb creamy pasta sauce for your toddler if you're out of idea for his meals. I love making my own pasta sauces for my little J because this way, I can control the amount of seasoning that's added in, and I know exactly what's inside the sauce. The usual ones that I make are the bolognese and the creamy mushroom sauce. The pasta sauces I make are usually very simple cos I don't have too much time in the morning to prepare them, and other than these I also needed to make another dish for his breakfast. This morning, for an example, I made this delicious pumpkin and cashew pesto for his pasta lunch and I have also made a nice soft and fluffy pandan kikaku (hei pan) for his breakfast and late afternoon treat.  

I usually make extra portion of these pasta sauces, so that I can use them again for another pasta dish later on in the week. These pasta sauces are also okay to be kept frozen and are usually consumed within a week or two. 

For this creamy pumpkin and cashew pesto sauce, I have added in lots of garlic for seasoning purpose and also for a boost to his immune. Here's the recipe: 

• 3-4 tbsp raw organic cashew nuts, dry dried in a frying pan until they turn golden brown. Leave aside. 
• 2tbsp cooking oil, I used organic grapeseed oil 
• 3-5 cloves of garlic, finely minced 
• Seasoning eg herbs and salt 
• 200g pumpkin, cut into little cubes 
• 2 tomato, skin peeled and cut into little cubes 
• 1/2 cup of water 

Method: 

1. Heat the oil in a cooking pan. 
2. Stir in garlic, fry until fragrant but not too brown, stir in cubed pumpkin and tomato. Cover with lid to simmer for a few minutes. 
3. Pour in water to simmer for another few minutes. Season accordingly. 
4. Cool down and blend with toasted cashew nuts until it reaches a creamy consistency. Serve with pasta.