Wow, it's been a while! I've been very busy here at VeganCoach.com, and hope that you're enjoying every moment of my site. Today I'd like to share a sauce I whipped up in minutes, Tangy Horseradish Sauce. It's chock full of delectable and healthy ingredients that will make you drool.
First off, the sauce can be changed up each and every time. And very easily at that. I'm going to show you how to build the sauce from scratch, and why I chose the ingredients I did. This will give you a basic idea that you can build on to create your own vegan sauces.
There are MANY foods you can use as a base for your sauce. One of my old standby faves is cashews. Why? Because they're a healthy fat that you need, and they whip into a very smooth and creamy sauce.
My next step is to add ingredients that will balance the flavor of the sauce. These are sweet, sour, spicy/pungent and salty.
But before you go there, check out the flavors that will match with your finished dish. Since I was making a Quinoa and Spinach Wrap, I looked over the Spinach "Vegan Flavor Matches", but I could have also zeroed in on the Quinoa "Vegan Flavor Matches" and the results would have been just as fantastic. Just choose one main ingredient from your finished dish, as this will be sufficient.
What are "Vegan Flavor Matches"? A list of ingredients that match with your chosen food perfectly. This helps you to whip up vegan dishes and sauces on-the-fly using what you have in your cupboard at any given time. SOOOOO EASY!
So, armed with my Spinach "Vegan Flavor Matches", and keeping flavor balancing (sweet, sour, spicy, salty) in mind, here's how my sauce came together.
SWEET - You can use any sweetener you like here, such as maple syrup or a granulated sweetener. I like agave nectar because it doesn't cause your blood sugar to spike -- very helpful for those who have blood sugar problems or are trying to lose weight. ;O)
SOUR - I like to add a foodie acid, such as lemon juice or apple cider vinegar. But scour your cupboards for other ideas, such as sauerkraut juice, for instance.
SPICY/PUNGENT - Garlic is sort of my go-to for a pungent flavor, so I added a clove. And upon noticing that horseradish (spicy) is a flavor that matches well with spinach, I tossed some into my sauce.
SALTY - I used sea salt here, but you can use Bragg's Liquid Aminos, soy sauce, miso -- any ingredient with an overriding salty taste.
And to add a little zip, I added some green olives since olives are a great match for spinach too.
Some nutritional yeast really helps it to have more of a "cheesy" flavor.
And then water is added at the end until I was happy with the thickness -- it should be thin enough to pour, yet thick enough to give it a rich, yummy mouth feel.
Sea salt and pepper finish it off.
Of course, you're going to taste your sauce as you go along. At the end, give it another taste -- does it need anything? More sweetener? More of a sour taste? Always remember, there's no right or wrong way to do this. Just follow these few simple ideas with a big dose of intuition and you'll find success. :O)
Here's what my finished sauce looked like when all was said and done...
Tangy Horseradish Sauce
2 large handfuls cashews (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/3 cup nutritional yeast
1 clove garlic
2 large pimento-stuffed green olives
1 Tablespoon agave nectar
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon horseradish
Water, to desired consistency
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Add all ingredients to a blender, and process until completely smooth.
Hope you've found this primer on how to quickly and easily create a vegan sauce helpful. As you can see, you don't need a recipe, just a couple tools to help you along. Be sure to visit the VeganCoach.com Vegan Cooking page for a list of main ingredients (veggies, grains, beans, fruits) that contain the "Vegan Flavor Matches" you'll need to assist you in your sauce creation.
And be sure to sign up for the upcoming Get Sauced With Sass, a vegan sauce tutorial that will show you how to make sauces without recipes. Thanks for your interest.
Vegan Tangy Horseradish Sauce
Happy cooking! :O)
Don't you just LOVE pizza? Me too. I could eat it every day for every meal for the rest of my life. But sadly, most pizza places don't offer a Vegan Pizza, complete with tons-o-vegetables and non-dairy cheese. But you can make the best Vegan Pizza right at home. And it's easy and fun, and always has the amount of toppings you want -- can most pizza places say that?
Back when I went vegan (1994) there weren't any of the fun non-dairy cheeses that are out now, so my pizzas were pretty much cheeseless -- which, by the way, can be fabulous (and usually works on a thicker crust). These days, you can find non-dairy cheeses in most natural foods stores, but most of them are expensive, and many of them aren't vegan since they contain casein (a milk protein). Those that ARE vegan, are usually lacking in something, whether it's taste or the ooey gooey consistency of cheese -- although there are more and more making an appearance that are coming pretty close to the real thing.
Now, please know, this is a delectable white sauce, but it's not going to be stretchy or salty or greasy, like cow's milk cheese. This is simply a nutritious and delicious white sauce that will help to satisfy your pizza craving, and can actually be quite addicting!
Since "quick" is the operative word here, buy a pre-made pizza crust . I always have some in the freezer ready to go for a pizza emergency. In particular, I like those with cornmeal in them (Vicolo makes a fantastic one -- ask your store to carry it), but any ol' vegan pizza crust will do. And if you can't find plain pizza crusts, then feel free to buy a basic pre-made veggie pizza with no cheese, and then add your own toppings.
Note: I didn't measure out my ingredients this time, but this will be a fun one for you to play around with until it's juuuuuust right for your tastebuds.
Smoky White Sauce
Cashews (or macadamia nuts)
Lemon juice
Agave nectar
Nutritional yeast
Onion powder
Garlic powder
Bragg's Liquid Aminos (or soy sauce)
Extra-virgin olive oil
Liquid Smoke
Salt & Pepper
Water, to desired consistency
1. Okay, so there's the list of ingredients. Start with the cashews or macadamias (about 3 handfuls for 2 small pizzas). Next, add the following ingredients, a little at a time, remembering that you can always add more. Add water VERY slowly -- at this point you're needing just enough water to allow your sauce to blend easily. Be especially careful with the Liquid Smoke -- you really only need a touch. Taste as you go...does it need to be more sour? Then add more lemon juice. More salty? Add more Bragg's or salt.
2. When you have the taste just right, continue to add water to reach the desired consistency. You'll be surprised at how little water you need to make this pourable, which is your goal. Be VERY careful about adding too much water -- if it's too thin, it won't firm up in the heat of the oven.
3. Now your pizza crust is ready to be decorated. Spread some of your favorite marinara over the crust. Pour or dollop white sauce over the marinara, spreading it with a spoon if desired.
4. Top with your favorite ingredients. I love love love olives, so I used both green and black olives (healthy fats!). A little chopped onion and some raw spinach (calcium!) and my pizza was ready to be baked. Follow package directions for the length of time your crust should bake, usually 400-450F for 10-15 minutes. Your sauce will thicken up a bit and turn a beautiful rich golden color.
And don't be sad if your sauce doesn't turn out right the first time you make it. Try, try again. It's definitely worth it! :O)
I usually make two pizzas, one for me with my fave toppings, and one for Jeff with his favorites. Leftovers freeze beautifully, but they usually don't stick around that long!
Smoky Vegan Pizza
Happy cooking!
