Vegan "Cheese" Sauce- Oil-Free

Cheese Sauce Anyone? 

Vegans don't eat cheese, but they do eat plant-based creamy sauces made entirely from vegetables and nutritional yeast (which tastes cheesy). It's uncanny how much a creamy sauce can mimic the "look of cheese sauce" and be used for dips, nachos, and toppings for vegetables. 

I made this sauce from a base of potatoes and carrots. You have to trust me on this one. Together with spices and some nutritional yeast (which many say tastes like cheese), might fool even the most discriminating cheese lover. (I said it might). 

In addition, this type of sauce enhances and adds a richness as a topping for ordinary vegetables including potatoes. 

There are many people who have high cholesterol or heart disease. They may have been told by their doctor to eliminate cheese. This may be a workable alternative in such a situation.

This is how I would use this type of sauce. 

For example- try filling a baked potato with chopped broccoli, fresh salsa and this "cheese" sauce- YUM! 

If you are not vegan but need to cut back on dairy or cholesterol laden foods, this sauce might work for you too. 

Ok- truthfully it's a far stretch for me to say it tastes like cheese- it looks like cheese sauce and provides a flavorful sauce when needed. Some feel it's a match for cheese- I don't. However, I still do like it.

I've seen this type of cheese on many WFPB sites- sometimes its made with cashew nuts as a base and sometimes it is made with just the potatoes as a base. It's always basically a similar recipe. 

This is what I did for my "cheese sauce."

Ingredients: 

2 cups of peeled diced potatoes

1 and 1/2 cups of diced organic carrots 

2 cups of water for steaming (save the water)

1/2 cup of unfortified nutritional yeast 

1 teaspoon of garlic powder 

1 teaspoon of onion powder 

1 tablespoon of lemon juice

optional: 1/2 teaspoon (or more) of chili powder 

salt if you desire 

Directions: 

Place potatoes and carrots in a steamer basket in a saucepan. Add 2 cups of water, bring to a boil and turn the heat to a simmer. Cover and allow to steam until potatoes and carrots are soft. Remove potatoes and carrots, but save the water. 

Add potatoes and carrots to a blender. Add the spices, lemon juice, and nutritional yeast. Add 1 cup of the reserved water and blend. Add a little more water if needed. 

Notes: 

1. Recipes after February 2021 my recipes are all oil-free and most previous recipes can be adapted to eliminate the oil. For example, I have found that if a recipe says to saute in olive oil, I can sauté in vegetable broth or a hot pan with a little water.

** I have eliminated using oil because oil is extremely caloric and offers no essential fiber and limited nutrients. In fact, many doctors suggest any kind of oil may not really be good for the heart. 

Good fats from Whole Foods such as  avocado, olives, nuts, and seeds offer not only substantial amounts of fiber but also healthy nutrients. Many doctors now recommend skipping the oil and eating the whole food fats such as those mentioned above.

I have not noticed a significant difference in my cooking by eliminating oil except when roasting vegetables. 

2. My recipes are always gluten-free 

3. Most of my recipes are dairy free and vegan especially after 2020.