This sauce is absolutely delicious and can transform any vegetable into an irresistible dish. Others will think you spent hours in the kitchen preparing it.  It’s easy and it’s guilt free.  It has a butter flavor without any butter.  It It looks creamy, but there is no cream, no cheese, and no milk.  It’s all organic and super healthy.  I use this sauce to make creamy collards, guilt-free broccoli casserole, Alfredo fettuccine, healthy mac and cheese, potato soup, and so much more.  I’ll post all of these recipes eventually, but today I’m putting it over quinoa pasta and sauteed spinach with roasted bell peppers.

The buttery taste of this sauce comes from the soaked cashews, and the creamy milk flavor comes from blending the chickpeas and avocado.  The chickpeas also provide protein while the avocado gives it the healthy fats.  However, cauliflower is the vegetable- star of this creamy concoction, and no picky eater in my family complains or even notices the taste of it in this sauce.  Cauliflower  is packed with so many cancer fighting antioxidants and phytonutrients.  Its fiber helps with satiety, weight loss and a healthy digestive tract.  It also contains choline that is essential for learning and memory as well as many other important nutrients.  What more can you ask from a sauce that tastes like Alfredo?

These are the ingredients for the sauce: a heaping cup of chickpeas, a cup of soaked raw cashews, a head of cauliflower, a sauteed onion, four cloves of garlic, an avocado, salt, white pepper, red pepper, and possibly a few herbs of your choice. I’ve used parsley, tarragon, or a sprinkle of Italian.  Sometimes I don’t use any herbs.  It just depends on what I’m blending with the sauce.  For example, mac and cheese has no herbs.

I chop the cauliflower and boil it in a couple of quarts of water. In a skillet, I saute’ the onion and garlic.  I like them almost caramelized to bring out the sweetness.  I put the cauliflower broth, the cauliflower, the sauteed onions and the rest of the ingredients in a high powered blender of food processor.  The result is amazing.

Pour it over pasta or vegetables or both or mix it in casseroles or quinoa.  Just be creative.

I always store a jar or two in my refrigerator for quick throw-together meals.  If I don’t use it within the week, I freeze it for later.  Like I said, it can be used for anything.  Try it and share your favorite recipes with me.

In the photos I’ve posted today, this is what I’ve done. I sauteed spinach and roasted a couple of fresh red bell peppers.  I put the spinach over quinoa noodles, poured the white sauce over the top, and I added a few peppers.  I sprinkled it with tarragon seasoning.  There were no leftovers.