Dairy-Free 'Cheese' Sauce

DAIRY FREE CHEESE SAUCE

I don't know about you, but I love cheese! It's one of my favourite foods because of the variety and combinations of what you can do with it.

You may not be able to relate to this due to having a vegan diet or having certain allergies but personally, as an individual with no allergies or dietary requirements, eating copious amounts of cheese is not the best for your health due to its high fat and calorie content ( for example, 1.5 ounces of cheddar cheese gives you 173 calories, and approx 14g of fat). Half of this fat content is saturated fat, which in turn is one of the main culprits of raising cholesterol. High blood cholesterol levels may boost your risk of heart disease and stroke [1].

The Substitute: Nutritional Yeast

You may then be thinking, well how do you make a cheesy tasting sauce, without cheese?! Let me introduce you to Nutritional Yeast. Nutritional yeast is an inactive yeast that is yellow in colour and has a nutty cheesy flavour [2].

Unlike baker’s yeast and brewer’s yeast which are both living, nutritional yeast has been deactivated. Its main health benefit is being a rich source of B vitamins (specifically B12) and minerals, and hence, its name. It is also a cholesterol-free alternative to real cheese and a good source of fibre (below the nutritional facts may not seem like much, but if you make the recipe below, you are consuming approx 4-5g of fibre).

Nutrition Facts: A one tablespoon serving of nutritional yeast is 20 calories, with 0g of fat, 1g of carbs, 1g of fibre, and 2g of protein [3].

With any type of food, there are always potential dangers to nutritional yeast consumption, however likelihood of developing any negative effects are minimal. These include: allergy risk, gas and bloating, may worsen Crohn’s disease and may be bad for autoimmune diseases [4]. It is also important to note that Nutritional yeast can’t give you a yeast infection, since the yeast is dead. With raw brewers and baking yeast, there is a risk of infection.

Where do I get it and How do I use it?

You can purchase nutritional yeast in any health food store or big supermarket. I have pictured the brand I use below.

This sauce can be used to stir into pasta's, used in lasagnes, topped on pizzas or just use as a dip! It is very versatile and you can adjust the thickness of it in accordance with what you are using the sauce for!

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Serves: approx. 3/4 cup of cheese sauce. Cooking Time: 10 minutes

INGREDIENTS

- 2 tablespoons coconut oil (you can also use a vegan butter/margarine)

- 1/3 cup wholewheat plain flour (however all-purpose plain flour, of GF flour also works)

- 1/3 cup nutritional yeast

- 1/2 cup water

- 1/2 teaspoon salt

- 1/4 teaspoon mild curry powder

- 1/4 teaspoon paprika powder

- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

- Pinch of garlic powder

METHOD

1. Heat the coconut oil or butter in a small pan on low heat.

2. Add the salt, pepper, paprika powder, curry powder & garlic powder and stir in with the oil/butter.

3. Add in the flour to the pot and whisk.

4. Add nutritional yeast, and whisk again until the mixture becomes 'clumpy'.

5. Add the water and whisk on low heat for a few minutes. If it gets too thick you can add a little bit more water and whisk again - your desired consistency may vary depending on what you are using the sauce for.

6. Use as desired - my favourite is stirred in with cooked wholewheat pasta, and fried mushrooms, red pepper and garden peas.

Happy Cooking!

Ruth xxx