MOVE OVER SOUR CREAM, THERE’S A NEW TOPPER IN TOWN!
You’re trying not to eat dairy and soy, but you want something creamy to top a potato or an enchilada or to dress up sautéed veggies or to just enjoy as-is with a spoon—what do you choose?
It’s a good question! One I can answer from experience: At the moment, I am in week one of my 21-Day New Year’s Cleanse and my detoxers are looking around for creamy things to dress up their meals. Below are two of the recipes I offer. Based on high-protein sunflower seeds, Sunflower Seed Crème and Sunflower Seed Sauce are terrific kitchen staples. I like to make a batch of one or the other on a Friday, when I tend to do a lot of my big batch cooking for the weekend—a time when my sons and husband are home and we typically have a house filled with friends. Both recipes are easy-peasy, fast and use ingredients that you may already have on hand. Feel free to try both of these with pepitas (green hulled pumpkin seeds) if you’d like.
Sunflower Seed Crème
Makes a little over a cup
1 cup rawsunflower seeds
1 cup water
4 tablespoons lemon juice
1 garlic clove
Optional: 3/4 teaspoon herb or spice of your choice
3/4 teaspoon salt
1. Place ingredients in blender or food processor and whiz until completely smooth.
2. If consistancy is thick, add a bit more water (or lemon juice if more zing is needed).
3, Adjust seasoning, to taste.
4. Great for baked potatoes, as a dip, as a sandwhich spread and in place of mayo or sour cream. You can even puree in up to a cup of chopped cooked veggies (use whatever is in the fridge), avocado or beans.
5. Store in a covered container in the fridge for up to five days.
Sunflower Seed Crème Sauce
Makes 4 to 6 servings
This creamy sauce is a great stand in for a classic béchamel or cheese sauce or cream gravy. Try it with mashed potato, over cooked veggies or grains, drizzled over fish or poultry or meat, or any other way that you would like.
1 cup raw sunflower seeds
2 cups water
4-5 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
1 tablepsoon paprika powder
1 teaspoon curry powder
Optional: About 3 tablespoons coconut or olive or another oil
Optional: 1 onion
Optional: 3 cloves of garlic
1. Place sunflower seeds, water soy sauce, paprika, and curry powder in a blender or food processor. Process for a couple of minutes until completely smooth.
2. Optional: Heat optional oil in a pan. Add thinly sliced onions. Cook for a couple of minutes. Add chopped garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the blended sauce, stir and let it simmer for a couple of minutes. Return to the blender and process again until smooth.
3. Store in a covered container in the fridge for up to five days.
