Sauces and dressings

Oil-Free Pesto

karenwpullen Basics, Recipes, Salads, Sauces and dressings , , ,

Most pesto sauces are made with oil and parmesan cheese. But they are not essential, like basil is. In this recipe, the oil is replaced by walnuts, aquafaba, and nutritional yeast.

Prep Time10 minutes
Print Recipe

Pesto

Course: Sauces and dressings
Cuisine: Italian, Vegan
Servings: 0

Equipment

  • food processor

Ingredients

  • 3 cups fresh basil
  • 2 cups fresh spinach
  • 1/4 cup walnuts
  • 1 cloves garlic
  • 1/3 cup nutritional yeast
  • 1/4 cup aquafaba
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice

Instructions

  • Toast the walnuts until golden. I use a toaster oven but you can also do this in a skillet.
  • Put all the ingredients in a food processor and process until mostly smooth.

Notes

I like to make a big batch, apportion the pesto into a mini-muffin pan, and freeze. Then I put the all portions together into a ziploc bag. It’s easy to take out one at a time, to add to soup or pasta.
If you keep a portion of pesto in the refrigerator, a squirt of lemon juice on the top will keep it bright green.
Spinach isn’t necessary and can be replaced by more basil. The ratio of spinach to basil should be no more than 2:3 or the pesto will lose its flavor. 

Roasted Red Pepper Alfredo Sauce

karenwpullen Pasta, Recipes, Sauces and dressings , , ,

So easy, so delicious. It’s great on pasta, vegetables, or even as a soup if you add two cups of vegetable broth.

Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Print Recipe

Roasted Red Pepper Alfredo Sauce

Course: Sauces and dressings
Servings: 6 1/2-cup servings

Ingredients

  • 2 cups cauliflower
  • 1 12-oz jar roasted red peppers about two
  • 1/2 cup raw cashews
  • 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 cup cooking liquid from boiling cauliflower and cashews

Instructions

  • Bring a pot of water to a boil, add the cauliflower and cashews. At the same time, if you’re serving this with pasta, you can cook it in another pot.
  • Drain the jar of red peppers.
  • When the cauliflower and cashews are soft, add them into a high-speed blender like a Vitamix with 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Add in the nutritional yeast, garlic, salt, and roasted peppers. Blend sauce on high until completely smooth.
  • Toss pasta with sauce and enjoy!

Notes

This is a ridiculously easy sauce that goes on everything. A great way to get a cruciferous vegetable onto your plate.
You can store this alfredo in the fridge for 3-4 days.

Four No-Oil Salad Dressings

karenwpullen Recipes, Sauces and dressings , , ,

It’s nearly impossible to find a no-oil salad dressing for sale. Many say they are fat-free, but contain ingredients like this Ranch: Water, Corn Syrup, Vinegar, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Whey (from Milk*), Salt, Modified Food Starch, contains less than 2% of Garlic Juice, Onion Juice, Soybean Oil*, Xanthan Gum, Potassium Sorbate and Calcium Disodium EDTA as Preservatives, Artificial Color, Phosphoric Acid, Propylene Glycol Alginate, Natural Flavor, Dried Parsley, Dried Green Onions, Disodium Guanylate, Disodium Inosinate, Spice, Caramel Color, Yellow 5.*Trivial Source of Fat and Cholesterol.

No thank you!

Here are ingredients for four different salad dressings that are absolutely delicious. They would also make a nice dip or sauce. The strawberry vinaigrette is non-fat, but the others are not since they contain avocado, tofu, or walnuts, which all have healthy fats.

For each recipe, the instructions are the same: blend. Use a food processor, an immersion blender, or a regular blender. You could probably even use a fork.

Prep Time10 minutes
Print Recipe

Four No-Oil Salad Dressings

Course: Salad, Sauces and dressings
Servings: 0

Equipment

  • blender or food processor

Ingredients

Avocado Herb Dressing – makes about 1 cup

  • 1 avocado peeled and pitted
  • 5 large basil leaves chopped
  • 1/4 cup chives loosely packed
  • 1/2 lemon juiced
  • 1/4 red onion chopped
  • 2 green onions chopped
  • 1 clove garlic chopped
  • salt & pepper to taste

Agave Mustard – makes 1 cup

  • 1/3 cup silken tofu
  • 1/3 cup stone ground mustard
  • 1/4 cup agave syrup
  • 1 pinch salt or to taste
  • 1 pinch freshly ground black pepper or to taste

Strawberry Vinaigrette – makes about ½ cup

  • 8 large strawberries
  • 2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
  • 1/4 cup agave syrup
  • 1 pinch black pepper freshly ground

Dr. Joel Fuhrman’s Walnut Vinaigrette – makes about 1 cup

  • 1/4 cup raisins
  • 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 1/2 cup cup water
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 garlic clove chopped
  • 1/4 teaspoon thyme
  • 1/4 cup walnuts chopped

Instructions

  • To make one of these dressings, add the ingredients to a blender or food processor and puree.

Notes

These are all quick and easy twists on dressings, and much less expensive than buying them bottled.