I think I’ve finally done it and I’m really excited.
I have made a LOT of cheesy sauces over the years. I mean, it’s crazy how many; recipes I’ve found and tweaked, recipes I’ve created, etc. After all, mac-n-cheese was my favorite food before I went vegan 10+ years ago. While I don’t crave the real thing, I still really love comforting foods like noodles with a creamy, cheese-like sauce. Anyway, all the recipes I tried were similar to each other, all yummy, but all left me feeling like I wasn’t there yet; that my quest for the perfect sauce wasn’t complete. Getting the perfect combination of texture, mouth-feel, flavor and nutrient profile was beginning to seem impossible.
Sure, there are rich and amazingly delicious sauces out there but many of them call for a ton of nuts or a bunch of oil. Any vegan food can taste delectable when adding a bunch of fat – there’s no creativity or skill in that. The real challenge and test lies in making something that’s healthy, rich and delicious without exceeding your daily fat quota in one meal.
Yep. I think I’ve finally done it.
- 1 cup mashed sweet potato orange-fleshed
- 6 ounces extra firm silken tofu See Notes
- 1.5-2 cups non-dairy milk I like almond milk
- 3/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 2 TBS lemon juice
- 1 TBS tahini
- 1/2 tsp dijon mustard
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- Peel and cube sweet potato and cover with water; boil and cook until tender; drain and add potatoes to blender.
- Add all other ingredients to blender. Blend until smooth; add more non-dairy milk to thin. It will thicken some as it cools.
For variety, add salsa or taco seasoning for nacho cheesy sauce; or liquid smoke for a smokey cheesy sauce.
Delicious on baked potatoes, greens, noodles, tortilla chips....endless possibilities!
I haven't tried it myself with this particular recipe but if you can't have soy, try subbing 1/2 cup white beans for the tofu. I'm sure it would be great.