ISO: A non-dairy sauce for steamed vegetables

[Kerry Beal]

On 8/24/2020 at 7:55 PM, Darienne said:

I'm like heidih, in that my memories of margarine go back to the 60s and 70s when we could not afford butter.  Here in Ontario, the margarine came in a tough plastic bag, and was a dead white color.  Not very appetizing to look at.   Each bag contained a breakable color button and the  purchaser had the option of coloring the margarine so that it looked more like butter.  From the day we decided we could afford to buy butter....I've never looked back. 

I spent many hours squeezing the margarine to incorporate the colour - loved that task - hated the margarine!

Edited August 28, 2020 by Kerry Beal (log)

[CeeCee]

A Spanish potato based aïoli or a Levantine toum might work. Garlic is suppose to be nature's antibiotic, so if there's ever an excuse... The first uses egg, but the latter can be made without. With the right potato and a potato ricer you can get an extra nice texture. You could also up the savoury flavour with a bit of nutritional yeast or a hint of fish sauce. If looking for something creamier, maybe mash in some avocado or a different nut butter. There's more than tahini. Cashew, almond or a ready made mixture for instance.

Or try silken tofu, which comes in shelf stable cartons as well. A very convenient back up and it's a breeze to whip up with practically anything. 

 

Another option when looking for fat, is to use a little bit of meat. Fry small pieces of bacon or chorizo to render out the fat and let crisp them up. Coat the vegetables in the fat and distribute the crunchy flecks evenly through out the veg. You could try a vegan option and fry up some chopped smoked almonds.

 

All the best for Ed and his sinus problems, I hope he'll feel better soon!

[dtremit]

@CeeCee – another thought that fits between your ideas might be the Greek skordalia. On the thin side, obviously.

[CeeCee]

On 8/31/2020 at 11:19 PM, dtremit said:

@CeeCee – another thought that fits between your ideas might be the Greek skordalia. On the thin side, obviously.

 

Great suggestion! This crossed my mind, but all the skordalia here seems dairy based. Looking up the details, I'm reminded of a Turkish tarator as well. This can consist of walnuts and some old bread.

White beans could also be used as base. I like to spike it with something smokey to ham it up, like smoked garlic or smoked paprika.

[dtremit]

@CeeCee — for the skordalia I was thinking of something simple like this one — vegan, even. I'm assuming one could adjust the liquid to solid ratio to make it more pourable.