Vegan Cheese Sauce

 Vegan Cheese Sauce

(Serves 6)

One of the hardest things for me switching to a more plant based diet was giving up cheese. I love cheese! But realizing that dairy was something that affected my body in a negative way meant I'd have to find a substitute for my favorites. Milk, Ice Cream, Yogurt, Whipped Cream, were all easy to switch to a non-dairy version, but I couldn't find a cheese that was. I don't really care for any of the vegan cheese options at the supermarket, so I set out to find one that I could make that tasted more like cheese and that I could use in my favorite recipes.  I tried quite a few before settling on this one! Now, eating a spoonful of this cheese sauce isn't like biting into a slice of cheddar, but for nachos, burritos, enchiladas, tacos, as a topping on a baked potato or drizzled over broccoli, I found this one tastes the best! The nutritional yeast gives it a cheesy flavor, while remaining pretty low in fat versus those made with cashews. 

Ingredients: 

2 c potatoes, peeled and diced

1 c carrots, peeled and diced

1/2 c water

1/3 c nutritional yeast

1/3 c plant milk

1 Tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

Boil or steam potatoes and carrots for about 20 minutes or until soft. Drain them and add them to a blender. Add all remaining ingredients and blend until smooth. Serve immediately substituting for cheese in any recipe.  Keep leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge for about 4-5 days.  You can also freeze it if you want. Just transfer the frozen container to the fridge the night before you want to use the cheese, that way it can defrost by itself. You can then reheat it in a sauce pan and add some milk or water if needed.