Start by soaking cashews in a bowl of water. This way, they have time to get extra creamy and less grainy while you prep the other ingredients. 

While the cashews are soaking, you can (or can not) wash your mushrooms. I know some people don’t, and that’s a personal preference. I guess if you want a little dirt in there then go for it, skip the wash. But I always do it. I don’t know why you wouldn’t.

Chop the mushrooms into whatever size looks good to eat. I don’t worry too much about mushroom size and uniformity, since they are kind of a difficult food to cut all the same size. 

Next, mince the garlic. 

Before you cook the garlic, you’ll want the cashew milk ready to go. This way, if you’re in any danger of a pan that’s too hot or leaving the garlic without liquid for too long, you will have the milk ready to save the day.

To make the cashew milk, drain the cashews that have been soaking and discard the soaking water. Add the cashews to a blender with water and blender until creamy–a minute or two is great, the longer your blender can do, the better. (The creamier.)

Warm a little oil in a pan. (I use coconut, but olive oil or avocado oil work well, too.) Then add in the garlic and saute for about 10-30 seconds. You want to release the aroma of the garlic without burning it. 

Add the mushrooms to the pan and saute until they are darkened and soft. Then add cashew milk and cook an additional ten minutes for all the flavors to get together (okay, it can be done in five if you’re in a rush).

This next step is optional, but I often use an immersion blender at the end to blend some of the sauce but keep some mushroom pieces intact. This makes the sauce extra creamy while retaining all that umami mushroom flavor.