Recipe: Creamy garlic white sauce

This vegan sauce can be used as a topping for steamed or roasted vegetables, served over your favorite noodles, spaghetti squash or Zoodles, as a sauce on pizza or over your favorite fish.

Serves 10 (1/2 cup)

Ingredients

• 4 cups cauliflower florets plus stems
• 1 (15-ounce) can low-sodium white beans, drained and rinsed
• ½ large onion
• ½ cup raw unsalted cashews
• ¼ - ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
• ¼ - ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• 2-4 garlic cloves, minced/pressed
• ¼ - ½ teaspoon black pepper, more if desired
• ½ - ¾ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon lemon juice
• 1-2 bay leaf, optional

Directions 

Soak cashews in water for up to 24 hours.

In a double boiler steamer pan, place water, bay leaf and onion in the bottom pot. Add cauliflower to the top steamer and place on top of the bottom portion. Bring water to a boil and steam cauliflower until fork tender. Reserve the water and onion from the bottom pot.

Combine the drained white beans, soaked and drained cashews, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, fresh garlic, black pepper, salt, lemon juice and 1 ½ cups of onion and bay leaf water in a food processor. May need to add additional vegetable water to achieve desired consistency.

Remove the bay leaf, then add the boiled onion and steamed cauliflower to the food processor. Process until sauce-like consistency.

Nutrition Facts (per ½ cup serving):
90 calories, 3g fat, 290mg sodium, 12g carbohydrates, 4g protein, 4g fiber

Recipe from Cecelia Jacobson, Registered Dietitian for the Oregon Heart and Vascular Institute at PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend.