Cook your pasta. While the pasta is cooking, using a strainer, submerge your raw cashews in the boiling water for about a minute. This will help soften them.

Transfer drained, cooked pasta (steamy and hot) to a large mixing bowl. Add in the vegan cheese shreds. Fold them in so they melt a bit. Set aside.

Bring another pot of water to boil and add the asparagus for just 1-3 minutes, until they darken in color. Drain and add to the pasta bowl.

For the shiitake mushrooms, you can either add then raw to the pasta bowl (they will cook in the oven) or for extra flavor, you can saute them in 1 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil for a few minutes, then add them to the pasta. Both options work, it just depends on if you want your shiitakes to have a caramelized flavor (for an oil saute) or a basic soft baked mushroom flavor.

Next, in a high speed blender, add all the cashew cream ingredients and blend until smooth and velvety.

Pour the cashew cream into the pasta bowl and toss everything well. tip: add a pinch of lemon zest too for extra lemon flavor!

Pour the pasta into a glass casserole dish. Add the lemon slices on top. Cover with foil. You can either place in the fridge to bake at a later time, or if serving right away, place in a 350 oven and bake for 15-20 minutes. This softens the pasta and allows the sauce to soak into the pasta and veggies.

Serve warm and steamy with those baked lemon slices as garnish. Fresh black pepper over top. Optional: add fresh basil as a spring garnish!