Book of Yum

Do you ever have happy accidents in the kitchen? The other night I wanted a creamy pasta type recipe. Since I’m not actually eating pasta (as I’m corn and rice free right now), I made spaghetti squash. And then it came to the cream sauce. Lately I’ve been indulging in sesame, and so I thought of using tahini as the base for a creamy sauce. I didn’t want a traditional tahini sauce, but something more like a vegan nut-cheese, so I added nutritional yeast and a little water to facilitate blending. Next I was going to add some vinegar or citrus juice when it occurred to me that I had some dill dressing left over from the night before. I added it to the blender, along with a few other seasonings- and something magical happened. The additional oil and lime juice made the tahini extremely creamy and thick- just like cream cheese in texture. Tahini is an assertive ingredient, so it gives more personality than a nut based “butter” but if you adjust the sweet, sour, and salty elements to your liking, I think this un-cream cheese recipe is pretty darned tasty. The fresh herb shortens the longevity of the recipe, so plan to use it all in a day or two or just add the herb to the portion you are immediately using. I used it on some spaghetti squash the first two days. Then I baked up some shallot-dill amaranth flatbread and used this as a creamy spread base for a gorgeous veggie avocado sandwich. The flatbread recipe is coming soon, but for now, enjoy this yummy casein, nut, and soy-free cheese recipe

Looking for more allergen-free un-cheese recipes?
Try my Smoked un-cheddar sauce recipe
Or Karina’s Cheesy Un-cheese sauce recipe
Or my Sunflower-seed based Dill Havarti Substitute Spread
And here’s my very popular Recipe for pine nut cheese, perfect for lasagna

Tahini un-cream cheese recipe Sauces & Condiments  American

Ingredients 1/3 cup tahini 1/3 cup nutritional yeast water as needed Juice of 1/2 lemon or lime 1-2 tsp. Annies gluten-free mustard 2 tsp agave nectar, honey, maple syrup, or simple syrup 3 tbsp. minced fresh basil 1/3 cup chilled lemon dill dressing as follows: 1/6 cup canola oil 1/6 cup lemon or lime juice 1 tsp dill weed dash of agave nectar sprinkle of salt Directions Whisk lemon dill dressing ingredients together and chill in refrigerator (or freezer if you are trying to hurry this). Pour tahini into a small food processor or blender. Add nutritional yeast and lemon or lime juice. Process. Add fresh basil, mustard, agave, and enough water to keep the ingredients blending together but not enough to make it soupy. When you have a smooth paste, add your chilled lemon dressing. Process. You should have a creamy sauce that resembles the texture of cream cheese. You want it thick enough that you can scoop in balls with an ice cream scoop and spread it thickly on gluten-free toast if desired. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Notes Delicious on baked spaghetti squash, pasta, or as a topping for sandwiches. Just add veggies!

Rating:  8 Original Source:  My original creation. Please do not replicate anywhere without my permission. Thanks! Recipe ID:  1515 Added:  August 31, 2010 Last Modified:  September 8, 2010

I don’t know if you’ve noticed by now, but I have a huge weakness for peanut sauce. Nothing makes me happier than a fresh spring roll dipped in creamy, salty, sweet gingery peanut sauce. I take them to dinner parties, assemble them on picnics, and have even been known to throw spring roll making parties just for an excuse to eat the sauce. I could eat the stuff straight, honestly, but usually try to pacify my calorie-conscious guilty conscience by eating it with fresh veggies. I have whipped up many different batches of peanut sauce, with the occasional nod to almond butter as a more allergy-friendly base.

But with my new top-allergen free diet for baby yum, it has been many a sad, sauce-less day since I last enjoyed a big saucer of peanut sauce. Today I decided that had to change. I looked into the fridge and pulled out a long-neglected jar of Sunbutter. The good news? This stuff is completely Peanut, Tree-Nut Free, and Gluten Free and produced in a dedicated facility. The bad news for those highly sensitive to soy is that their facility DOES produce soybeans. However, although I’m not eating soy these days just in case it would bother Baby Yum, she never reacted to soy as far as I could tell, and so I thought Sunbutter was worth a try. *Although Sunbutter is the brand-name variety, I actually used the less expensive Trader Joe’s version of this product.* If you do react to traces of soy, you can make your own Sunbutter recipe. I played around with some of the traditional ingredients used in peanut sauce and came up with this highly satisfying sunflower seed un-peanut sauce. It would be wonderful on spring rolls, but I enjoyed mine drizzled over sauteed yellow pepper strips and zucchini and wrapped in a gluten-free amaranth crepe. Who says eating gluten free and top eight allergen free has to be boring?

Looking for more fun things to do with sunflower seeds?
Try this Vegan Sunflower spreads with red pepper variations and more
Depressed over a new rice allergy or interested in raw foods? Try Rice-free Sunflower-seed Sushi Recipe
Did you know you can make Sunflower Seed Milk?

Peanut-free Sauce Recipe with sunflower seeds Sauces & Condiments  American

Ingredients 2 tbsp. sunbutter (or homemade sunflower seed butter) 1/4 cup hot water 1/4 tsp salt 1 tsp. cider vinegar 1 tsp maple syrup 1/4 tsp powdered ginger or freshly grated ginger pulp Directions Whisk together ingredients in a small bowl. Pour into small sauccepan and heat on low until thickened and bubbling. Take off heat, whisk again, and serve.

Rating:  8 Original Source:  Contents of my brain. Please do not replicate without my permission. Recipe ID:  1477 Added:  January 1, 2010 Last Modified:  January 1, 2010