Today for lunch, I steamed a beautiful head of cauliflower to go along with our white bean stew and rice. I could eat it plain but I love adding a creamy sauce with cauliflower. A plant-based cheezy sauce would be a delicious way to enjoy this high-fiber vegetable. But I didn’t have any red peppers in the house, so I thought, “How about a hummus sauce?” Not a thick dip but a thin dressing that would be lighter in fat and look smooth and creamy.
I started out with a can of garbanzos and dumped the whole thing into my Vitamix. I wanted the liquid too because the aquafaba (as it’s often called by vegan chefs) could help thicken the sauce I wanted to make. I then added the liquids along with a little tahini. Not too much tahini because I wanted a light hummus sauce, one that is lower in fat. I whizzed those 4 ingredients together until the mixture was smooth and creamy.
It didn’t look super thick–but that was okay because I’m not trying to make a dip. I wanted a slightly thick and creamy sauce. Next, I added the seasonings–just a teaspoon of salt and a couple teaspoons of garlic powder. I could have added a couple teaspoons of dillweed–that’s a favorite seasoning of mine, especially when I’m making sauces. It’s probably my Polish blood. But I like to add a little green herb in many sauces–it boosts the antioxidant power that way. But this time, I decided I’d add some parsley as a garnish.
If you want a more golden color to the sauce, you could also add a teaspoon or two of turmeric. That will give it a lovely, golden color and add to the tang. But I went with a white sauce today, so no turmeric this time. I also mixed in 3 tablespoons of ground flax seed to thicken the sauce a little more. It did a terrific job! You could also add to the creaminess, if you blend in a few cauliflower florets. Since I was serving it over cauliflower, I thought I’d give that a try. But that’s totally up to you.
It only took a few minutes to whip this up. I poured the sauce over the cauliflower and then sprinkled on some dried parsley. And we were ready to serve. What a delicious treat this was! It hit all my boxes–full of flavor, creamy, a good source of fiber and low in fat. It got thumbs-up at our house and I hope it will at yours.
This sauce would be super tasty over rice, pasta, broccoli, potatoes, and many other cooked vegetables.
Light Hummus Cream Sauce
Ingredients
- 15 ounce can of garbanzos including the liquid
- 2 T lemon juice
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 T tahini
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 T ground flaxseed
- 2 tsp dillweed optional
- 1 tsp turmeric optional
- 2-3 T dried or fresh parsley for a garnish
Instructions
- Add the first 4 ingredients to your blender. Process until smooth and creamy. Add salt, garlic powder and flaxseed. If you want a golden color for your sauce, add the turmeric in now. Whiz until all is well mixed.
- Pour over cauliflower, broccoli or other vegetables. This is great on potatoes as well as rice or whole grain pasta. Serve immediately. Garnish your vegetables with some fresh or dried parsley or dill.
