Category: Sauces

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Macadamia Sour Cream

I made this Macadamia Sour Cream for a client that can not eat cashews. It is very similar to the Cashew Sour Cream that I make with a few adjustments to meet the needs of my client. I used this version to make a Chickpea Salad Spread, which is an adaptation of my Chick(en)pea Salad Nests. Even with the changes, this Macadamia Sour Cream is pretty tasty.

  • 1 c macadamia nuts, raw, soaked
  • 1/4 tsp Himalayan salt
  • 1/2 – 3/4 c water, or as needed
  • 2 1/2 tbsp lemon juice

Combine all the ingredients into a high-speed blender and blend until it is smooth and creamy. You may need to scrape the sides down and add additional water as needed.

Store in a sealable container in the refrigerator.

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Creamy Cilantro Sauce/Dressing

I came up with this recipe because what I thought was an epic fail turned out to be an amazing discovery. I attempted to make homemade yogurt with macadamia milk, which did not turn into yogurt, but Cultured Macadamia Milk.

Because macadamia nuts are to expensive to throw out I was determined to come up with a way to use this perceived failure. That is when I came up with the Creamy Cilantro Sauce/Dressing, which turned out to have incredible flavor.

  • 2 containers of Cultured Macadamia Milk
  • 1 1/2 c cashews, soaked
  • 1 lemon, zested, juiced
  • 1/2 c cilantro, remove stems
  • 1 tsp garlic, minced
  • 1/2 tsp Himalayan salt
  • pinch of pepper

Combine all the ingredients into a high-speed blender. Blend until smooth and creamy, about 60 seconds.

I’ve used this for a sauce for Falafels, bowls, burritos, salads. The possibilities are endless.

Serve. Eat. Enjoy.

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Spinach Pesto

Okay, I will be honest with you. I am not a big fan of parsley. I feel like I am eating grass. I am just not that keen of the flavor. Also, a little basil goes a long way for me. Too much basil and I feel like I am eating black licorice, and I really do not like black licorice at all. I shiver just thinking about it.

That is why I came up with this pesto that has nutrient packed spinach and a touch of basil. Just enough basil to get a little of the flavor, but not over powering. I served the pesto with some brown rice spaghetti and butter nut squash noodles – Delicious.

  • 2 tbsp, pine nuts, toasted
  • 1 tsp garlic, minced
  • 1 lemon, zested
  • 4 c baby spinach
  • 1/2 c basil
  • 3 tbsp Vegetable Stock
  • 1/4 c nutritional yeast
  • pinch of Himalayan salt and pepper

Toast the pine nuts of medium heat in a non-stick skillet. Be careful, and keep an eye on the pine nuts. They can easily burn if you walk away.

Combine all the ingredients into a food processor and process until it almost looks like a paste.

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You can thin it out with more vegetable stock or some pasta water. Both will work just fine.

Serve. Eat. Enjoy.

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JB’s Macadamia Béchamel – Raw White Sauce

I am really excited about this sauce. I have been wanting to make a béchamel sauce for JB. However, my normal Cashew Béchamel – Basic White Sauce was not going to work for them. I came up with this sauce with ingredients I knew that JB could have. This particular sauce is actually easier because there is no cooking in the initial process. You may want to heat it up to go with a dish, but otherwise there is no cooking.

Rinse the soaked macadamia nuts. Add nuts, water, oat flour, JB’s All-Purpose Seasoning and lemon juice to a high speed blender. Blend until smooth and creamy. Start with 1 cup of water and add more until it reaches your desired consistency. Store in the refrigerator in a sealable container.

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This recipe makes about 3-4 cups.

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Serve. Eat. Enjoy.

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The Best Mushroom Gravy

I have made mushroom gravy before, but I tweaked it and I can honestly say this is the Best Mushroom Gravy. It has a secret ingredient that makes the mushrooms pop in flavor.

  • 1/2 c onion, small dice
  • 8 oz. cremini mushrooms, whole, remove stems and mince the stems
  • 2 tsp garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp All-Purpose Seasoning
  • 1 tbsp miso paste
  • 1-2 c Basic Vegetable Stock – reserve 1c for slurry
  • 2 tsp porcini mushroom powder
  • 1 tbsp cornstarch

Note: Remove the stems of the mushrooms and mince. Slice the caps. Those will be added in another step.

In a large skillet sauté onion, minced mushrooms stems and All-Purpose Seasoning . Cook over medium heat until the onions are translucent. Add garlic to skillet and cook the garlic until it is fragrant. Deglaze the pan with vegetable stock as needed.

Note: The porcini powder is made by grinding dried porcini mushrooms into a powder.

Mix together 1 c of vegetable broth with cornstarch and porcini mushroom powder to make a slurry. Set aside.

Add the remaining vegetable broth and miso paste to the mushrooms in the skillet. Bring to a simmer.

Turn heat off and add slurry. Stir gravy until has thickened.

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Serve. Eat. Enjoy.

 

 

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Cashew Béchamel – Basic White Sauce

This sauce is my favorite sauce as of right now. It is very versatile and simple to make. The recipe is generous in portion, so you can use it in multiple recipes. I made this sauce and used it for creamed spinach, which I will share the recipe tomorrow. It was amazing. I also used a portion of this recipe for Creamed Spinach and Tomato Penne – Another outstanding dish. I still have some left, for at least one more meal. It also freezes well. You could portion it out into 1-2 cup portions and freeze it.

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I have developed a little short cut to soaking the cashews, which cuts the time down dramatically.

  • 2 c raw cashews
  • water, just enough to cover the cashews
  • 1 c onion, diced
  • 1 tbsp garlic, minced
  • 1 1/2 c Vegetable Stock
  • 3/4 c pinot grigio, divided 1/2 c & 1/4 c (for sautéing)
  • 2 1/2 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • 1 tbsp onion granules

In a medium saucepan add cashews and water (just to cover) and bring to a boil. Once the water begins to boil turn off the heat and let the cashews soak in the water for about 10 minutes. Drain and transfer cashews to a high-speed blender. Set aside.

In the same saucepan add the onions and sauté over medium heat. Cook until onions are translucent and are soft. You do not want any color on them. Add garlic and sauté with onions until the garlic is fragrant, 1-2 minutes. Use the 1/4 c of wine as needed to sauté onions and garlic.

Add onion mixture to the cashews in the high-speed blender, along with the rest of the ingredients: vegetable stock, 1/2 c wine, nutritional yeast and the onion granules. Blend for about 60 seconds, until smooth and creamy.

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Note: You can use right away, refrigerate or freeze. The sauce will reduce and continue to thicken when using in recipes, so you may need to thin it out with some liquid.

 

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Red Pepper Pesto

This pesto is a nice change from the ordinary green pesto and it is also wonderful for a non-traditional pasta sauce. The peppers have been roasted, which enriches the flavor of the pesto. You could also use the pesto as a sandwich spread or mix it with some vegan mayonnaise and make an aioli. There are so many uses for this pesto.

The pesto can be made in a food processor or blender. Just combine ingredients and blend. Now that is an easy sauce.

  • 16 oz. jar roasted bell peppers, drained
  • 3 tbsp pine nuts
  • 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • 1/2 lemon, juiced
  • 2 tsp garlic clove(s), minced
  • 1 tsp All-Purpose Seasoning
  • 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

Combine all ingredients into a blender or food processor. blend until smooth.

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“Cheese” Sauce

This recipe is for those that cannot do dairy, yet miss the cheesy goodness. I promise this is a life saver in the cheese department. It is very easy to make too. I made this “cheese sauce to go in a Southwestern Bean and Rice Casserole, which I will share the recipe in an upcoming post.

  • 4 tbsp vegan butter
  • 1/3 c GF Flour blend
  • 3 c almond milk
  • 1/2 c nutritional yeast flakes
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp yellow mustard, dried
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • 1/4 tsp turmeric, ground
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice

In a large pan melt butter over medium heat. Add flour and cook butter/flour mixture until a paste forms, stirring continuously.

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Add milk, nutritional yeast flakes, tomato paste, salt, mustard and onion powder.

Bring to a boil, whisking frequently. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until sauce has thickened.

Add lemon juice and stir.

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This sauce can be used for so many different dishes.

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Enjoy.

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Alfredo Sauce – Vegan

I came up with this sauce because I wanted a creamy “cheesy” sauce for a sandwich I was going to make. Back in the day when our boys were young we would take the boys to Downtown Disney. I think it is called Disney Springs now. It was an inexpensive day trip. There was no admission charge, that was huge plus. There was a lego store, another huge plus. And, they had pontoon boats you could rent. Even with all those cool and fun things the favorite place we liked the most was the restaurant called Rainforest Cafe.

The boys loved all the animatronics. They would go and watch all the vignettes of animatronics. It was a lot of fun. The restaurant had a sandwich I ordered every time we went there. It was called a Plant Sandwich. I remember it having a giant portabella mushroom, a slice tomato and some greens. Those are a few of the ingredients that I remember. It has probably been at least 15-20 years since we have been there, but I still remember that sandwich.

Thinking of that time period inspired me to come up with my own plant sandwich (will post soon), and this sauce was just what I needed to complete that feat.

  • 1-2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 large onion, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 c raw cashews
  • 1 1/2 c water, hot
  • 2 tbsp white miso paste
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1/4 c nutritional yeast
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • fresh parsley, chopped, garnish

In a large skillet drizzle olive oil. Heat oil over medium. Add onions and garlic and cook until they are translucent and softened. Remove skillet from heat and set aside.

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In a blender add cashews and water. Let the cashew soak for at least 15 minutes.

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Add onion and garlic mixture, lemon juice and salt to cashews.

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Blend on high speed until smooth and creamy.

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Chinese Brown Sauce

This sauce should be a staple in your refrigerator, if it is not already. By using this sauce you can make stir-fried: noodles, rice, veggies and anything else your heart desires to stir fry. It goes with just about everything. I had all the ingredients in my pantry so I did not have to make a special trip to the store for any of the ingredients.

This recipe is a dump all the ingredients in a saucepan at once type of recipe – Easy. It is easy to double or triple the recipe so that you can have it ready to use whenever you want something quick and flavorful to help get a meal on the table.

I will be using this sauce to make Fried rice with Vegetables (post coming soon).

  • 1/3 c vegetable broth or water
  • 1/3 c coconut aminos
  • 2 tsp ginger, fresh, grated
  • 2 tsp garlic, minced
  • 2 tsp arrowroot or cornstarch
  • 1/4 c maple syrup or Date Paste

In a small saucepan combine all the ingredients. Heat over medium until thickened. Stir occasionally.

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