Creamy Vegan Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce

I love alfredo sauce. I love it too much. I’d put it on everything if it was socially acceptable. Unfortunately, not only is it heart attack in sauce form, but because of the massive amounts of dairy it contains, alfredo sauce is a very cruel food choice. If you aren’t already aware, the dairy industry is one of the most horrific and abusive places for an animal to be. Plus, dairy is very unhealthy for humans to consume. It’s an inflammatory, which is why our bodies aren’t made to consume it, and therefore causes a myriad of health issues including cancer and heart disease.

But wait! There’s hope for all you compassionate, alfredo-sauce-loving people out there. A brilliant woman named Lindsay over at Pinch Of Yum created a plant-based version of this creamy sauce. She even created an eCookbook dedicated to creamy cauliflower sauce recipes! To clarify, Lindsay’s recipe does call for 2 tbsp of butter and 1/2 a cup of milk, but I loved the idea of using a vegetable as the base instead of dairy, so I decided to completely veganize it! And it’s super easy!

First things first, let’s briefly discuss the benefits of eating cauliflower:

• It contains sulforaphane, a sulfur compound that has been shown to kill cancer stem cells.
• Sulforaphane also improves blood pressure and kidney function.
• Cauliflower contains nutrients that help prevent inflammatory responses in the body (inflammation causes disease).
• One serving of cauliflower contains 77% of the recommended daily value of vitamin C.
• It’s also a good source of vitamin K, protein, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, magnesium, phosphorus, fiber, vitamin B6, folate, pantothenic acid, potassium, and manganese.
• It contains choline, which supports healthy brain development.
• Cauliflower aids your body’s ability to detox.
• The fiber promotes a healthy digestive system, and the sulforaphane protects the lining of the stomach and also prevents bacterial overgrowth in the stomach.
• It’s packed with antioxidants.

Wow! This cruciferous veggie is quite the superfood, am I right? And enjoying it in a creamy sauce form makes it even more awesome. Let’s get started!

I took the original recipe and cut it in half. It still makes a large quantity, but feel free to go all out and make a huge batch. You could probably freeze it and use as needed.

Saute 4 cloves of minced garlic with 1 tablespoon of Earth Balance vegan butter (or olive oil). Once the garlic is browned (but not burned, it will add a bitter taste to the sauce), set aside. Cut up about 3 cups of cauliflower into small florets. Bring 3 cups of water to a boil and add the florets. Cook covered 7-10 minutes or until fork tender. Do NOT drain!

Use a slotted spoon to add the cooked florets to the blender. Add the sauteed garlic, 1/2 cup of veggie broth (or the cooking liquid from the cauliflower), 1/4 cup of non-dairy milk, a couple tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, and salt & pepper to taste. I also added some garlic powder because I really love garlic!

Blend for several minutes until the sauce is very smooth. Depending on the consistency you want, add more liquid. I didn’t want a super thick sauce, so I ended up adding more cooking liquid and olive oil.

I decided to try out my new alfredo sauce by adding it to gluten free pasta and sauteing mushrooms and spinach.

Here is the end result. It was very tasty and so filling! I ended up sprinkling some nutritional yeast on top for an extra cheesy taste, but vegan cheese like Daiya would be sooo good as well!

I even let Josie lick my plate afterwards and she gave it two paws up 🙂

Let me know if you try this recipe, how it turns out, and if you have any suggestions on other ways to use this tasty, compassionate sauce!

Jillian♥

 

Sources:

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/02/22/cauliflower-health-benefits.aspx