It can be challenging to find a sauce that is dairy-free and still tastes good. Kathy fixed this sauce on one of my visits to Ft. Myers, Florida. It is unbelievably adaptable by just tweaking a few ingredients.

This recipe can be used as a great substitute for mayonnaise, sour cream, savory sauce, Alfredo sauce, and even works as egg substitute in many recipes (e.g., scalloped potatoes, rice pudding).

Follow basic preparation below and then add seasonings depending on type of sauce desired.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup raw sunflower seeds (soaked in water for a few hours). Drain when ready to make the sauce. You may substitute raw cashews for up to a third of the sunflower seeds if desired.
  • 3 Tbsp lemon juice
  • 2/3 cup water (use 1 cup if choose not to soak sunflower seeds)

Preparation

Place sunflower seeds in a blender and whiz into fine crumbs.

Add lemon juice (whitens the color) and ¼ cup of the water to liquefy.

Blend until very smooth, stopping to scrape down sides with spatula as needed.

Slowly add remaining water with blender running. Blend until very smooth. Water amount can be varied to achieve desired consistency.

Add one of the seasoning options below, depending on the type of sauce desired. When blended, use and serve or pour into pint jar and store in refrigerator tightly covered. 

Seasonings Options

1. Mayonnaise or sour cream: add the following seasonings and blend until smooth.

  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp onion powder
  • ¼ tsp garlic powder
  • ¼ tsp celery seed or summer savory

2. Scalloped potatoes: add the following seasonings and blend until smooth.

  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp onion powder
  • ¼ tsp garlic powder
  • ¼ tsp celery seed or summer savory
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 1-2 garlic cloves

3. Savory Sauce: add the following seasonings, blend until smooth, then heat over medium heat, stirring frequently. Add 1 cup of diced, sautéed mushrooms before serving, if desired. Pour over cooked and drained pasta, meatless loaf, biscuits, mashed potatoes, etc.

  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp onion powder
  • ¼ tsp garlic powder
  • ¼ tsp celery seed or Summer Savory
  • 1 Tbsp Vegex®, Marmite, or equivalent

4. French toast: Add the following seasonings and blend until smooth then dip bread into sauce prior to cooking in frying pan sprayed with olive oil.

  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp real vanilla flavoring
  • ¼ tsp cinnamon (or almond or lemon extract or other flavoring to your taste)

5.  Dip for baked chips or toasted pieces of sourdough bread:  Add the following, mix well, and add more water as needed for consistency.

  • 1 cup your choice of salsa