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Recipe: Creamy vegan "cheese" sauce

| Recipes | Healthy You | Eating Right

cheese sauce with raw broccoli

This delicious substitute for dairy-based sauces calls for a handful of simple ingredients.

If you want more plant-based meals on your menu, try this recipe for vegan "cheese" sauce. 

It's not real "cheese" because the recipe doesn't call for any dairy. But the bright orange/yellow color makes it look like cheese. The texture and consistency are also similar to traditional sauces.

Spice it up, depending on what you like. In addition to using this sauce over veggies, it also makes a nice thick, creamy soup. 

Serves 24

Ingredients:

  • 3/4 – 1 pound yams, peeled
  • 1 large carrot, peeled
  • ½ large sweet onion
  • ½ cup raw unsalted cashews
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 clove of garlic, minced/pressed
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 bunch of scallions, as a garnish

Directions:

Boil peeled and chopped sweet potato, carrot and onion until able to pierce with a fork.

Combine raw unsalted cashews, garlic powder, fresh garlic, onion powder, salt and 1 ½ cup of vegetable water in a food processor (May need to add additional vegetable water to thin to desired consistency). Add the boiled sweet potato, carrot and onion. Processes all ingredients until smooth (consistency of a sauce). Note:  if you like it spicy, consider adding seeded jalapeno, chili pepper and red bell pepper.   

Use the sauce to top steamed and/or roasted vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, and asparagus).

Nutrition information:  53 calories, 1g total fat, 20 mg sodium, 10g carbs, 1g protein

Recipe from Cecelia JacobsonRegistered Dietitian for the Oregon Heart and Vascular Institute at PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend.