Béchamel White Sauce

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~ raw, vegan, gluten-free ~

Ok, first of all, melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until the paste cooks and bubbles a bit, but don’t let it brown — about 2 minutes. Add the hot milk, continuing to stir as the sauce thickens. Bring it to a boil…

Wait this is a raw food site!

I think I woke up feeling a little frisky today. :) Not to worry… you won’t be using, butter, flour, pots n’ pans, or bring anything to a boil!  Instead, we are going to use raw ingredients and raw techniques to create this lovely sauce.

So first off, to mimic the creaminess of the cooked version, I used soaked cashews that were blended to an ultra-smooth consistency.  The soaking process also helps to reduce the phytic acid levels, so it’s a win-win situation.

To develop the rich flavor I used coconut amino’s, nutmeg, garlic, onion and a few other spices. If you don’t have coconut amino’s, you can use Braggs amino’s, Tamari, or any other soy sauce substitute. This added depth to the overall taste.

Béchamel doesn’t have a strong cheesy flavor but it has a savory taste that might be hard to put your finger on.  That is why I used non-GMO, non-fortified nutritional yeast. With the use of this, you will experience the umami sensation.

If you are looking for an example of how to use Béchamel sauce, go check out my Pastitsio Greek Lasagna. To name a few other ideas, this sauce would be wonderful folded into a bowl of fresh spiralized zucchini noodles, used as a dip for cut veggies,  or as a spread on sandwich wraps.  I hope you enjoy this simple sauce. Please comment below and have a wonderful day, amie sue

Ingredients:

yields 1 1/4 cups

• 1 cup (140 g) cashews, soaked 2+ hours
• 1/2 cup (108 g) water or almond milk
• 1 small clove garlic or 1/8 tsp (<1 g) garlic powder
• 2 Tbsp (20 g) olive oil
• 1 Tbsp (10 g) coconut amino’s
• 1 Tbsp (3 g) nutritional yeast
• 2 Tbsp (16 g) onion granules
• 1/2 tsp (3 g) Himalayan pink salt
• 1/8-1/4 tsp (2 g) freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp (2 g) white or black pepper

Preparation:

1. After soaking the cashews, drain and rinse them.
2. In the blender combine the; cashews, garlic, olive oil, coconut aminos, nutritional yeast, onion granules, salt, nutmeg, and white pepper.
   • Coconut aminos is a substitute for soy sauce. So feel free to use; Braggs aminos, Tamari, etc.
   • A couple of teaspoons of chickpea white miso is good to add if you have it. I wanted to add it but didn’t have any.
3. Once creamy, pour into a bowl.  This will keep for roughly 3 days.
   •  You can thin the sauce by adding a little almond milk or water.

Tags: Dairy Free, Gluten Free, No Dehydration Required, Refined Sugar Free, Vegan