Wednesday, July 27, 2016

Cashew Beet Taco Sauce


We're making a HUGE change in our household.

We're going gluten free.

And dairy free.

And soy-free.

And peanut-free.

Which means I have been doing a lot of experimenting in the kitchen. Luckily, Sweet Husband and his friend Niel have been willing test subjects tasters.

Today, I made Navy Bean & Squash tacos for the guys' lunch (recipe coming soon!), and decided to test out a vegan sour cream recipe. Now the thing with dairy alternatives, is they will never EVER taste like the original product. If you're expecting vegan sour cream to taste like Daisy sour cream, you're in for a world of disappointment. Especially if you're just starting to cut out dairy.
In this case, I tried to keep expectations low by NOT calling it "sour cream". Instead I called it "Taco sauce"




I mixed up the recipe as it was written in a vegan cookbook. It was okay. It had the tanginess of sour cream, but the texture was rougher, and there was a bitter undertone.
Let's be honest, sour cream is made from a cultured liquid. That's why the texture floats across your tongue like silk. I was trying to make a taco sauce from nuts. I knew I was never going to get a texture as smooth and flawless as actual sour cream. I could either try to gloss over the differences, or I could embrace them.

I ran with it. I tossed in a couple cloves of garlic, a handful of coursely chopped cilantro, a generous dose of cumin and half of a roasted beet.




Heaven!

The beet not only turned it a vibrant, gorgeous shade of magenta, it smoothed out the bitter undertone.

The taste was fantastic! It was tangy and earthy, with a very subtle sweetness.
Luke was eating it with two spoons!
I think we can all agree, that Disney movies are more than just entertainment. They also provide us with valuable tools for ensuring healthy relationships. One tip that I have taken to heart, is when teaching life lessons, pouring my heart out in beautiful ballad is a surefire to make sure my family a)knows that I love them, and b)learns yet another valuable life skill.

Today, I harnessed all the deep emotions of the universe, and unleashed a powerful coming of age story, in song form.

Folding your own laundry
Is such an important ski-ill
It will serve you we-ell

When your mo-ther isn't around
Maybe when you're college bound
She can rest at ease
Knowing you have clean undies

Weirdly, none of my offspring have accepted or embraced the wisdom I'm trying to impart upon them.