Cauliflower Cream Sauce

I am constantly scouting for some alternative pasta sauces.   One that I have been enjoying is this one.   It is a nice alternative to a cream sauce.


Ingredients:
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, sliced
2 tbsp dried basil  (use fresh if you can)
1/2 cup diced onion
1/4 tsp white pepper
1 head cauliflower, cut into small florets and stem diced
rice milk


Modification:
If you like pesto, an alternative is this:
4 cloves garlic instead of 3.
2 cups fresh basil leaves instead of the 2 tbsp
2 oz pine nuts (or any other nut that you enjoy)


Preparation:

Heat oil in a skillet over med heat.  Add garlic and cook until lightly browned.  Take care not to burn it or the oil will turn bitter.   Remove garlic from the oil and set aside.

Add basil and onion to the oil and cook, stirring, until translucent, about 5 min. 

Add cauliflower and stir well.  Add enough milk to cover ingredients and cover the pan.

Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until cauliflower is soft, 10 to 15 min.

Place cauliflower mix and garlic to a processor or blender.  Puree until smooth, adding water if necessary to achieve a creamy sauce.   Toss with hot pasta and additional fresh parsley and nuts if available.   Serve immediately.

If you are making the modified version, follow the instructions above, but toss in the pine nuts also when you are processing the mix.  

Caramel Dip

I love caramel, but since I  have been dairy free, it hasn't really been an option... until I discovered this post on "My New Roots Blog"!  I changed up her recipe a bit just because of some of my limitations and what I had in the kitchen, so please check out her post for the original recipe.


Ingredients
2 cups pitted medjool dates, soaked for at least 4 hours in water
1/4 cup nut butter (I used peanut butter, but I think it was too strong of a flavour, I think cashew, sesame, or sunflower butter would be good.)
4 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp vanilla powder
Soaking water as needed


Directions
1) Make sure you soaked your dates.
2) Drain dates, reserving the soak water. 
3) Add dates and all of the other ingredients except for soaking water into a food processor.   Blend on high until dates are smooth.  Add soaking water, 1 tbsp at a time until the desired consistency is reached.
4) Store in an airtight glass container in the fridge for up to a week.