Despite my fumbling and bumbling around the kitchen, somehow a colorful masterpiece burst into existence and rattled my entire culinary existence. I haven’t been this proud of a creation since my 25 page research report in my last semester of college. Last night, I was so thrilled with this sauce, I threw some in a tupperware and drove 30 minutes away to force feed it to a friend. Between bites, he let me know that it tasted like alfredo sauce, but possibly even better. FTW, my friends, for the WIN.
Did I mention it’s bright pink?
Maybe two semesters of organic chemistry paid off. Nah. I’ll never use that again. I’m going to be a famous vegan chef. Aspiration 10% acheived.
Wooooooo!
Pink Dairy-Free Alfredo Sauce
Ingredients
- butter beans, 1 large can (don’t judge the name… it’s just a type of bean, I swear!)
- 1 large yellow onion
- 2 tbsp of minced garlic
- ½ cup of white wine (pino grigio works well)
- ½ cup of vegetable broth
- 1 small can of beets, sliced
- olive oil, enough to fry the onion and garlic
- salt, pepper, and other seasonings to taste
The first step, which I forgot to do first in my excitement of pureeing beans, is to mince the onion and start frying it in olive oil in a large sauce pan. Onion frying is almost always the slowest step in a recipe, so be sure to do this first.
Once the onion looks browned, throw in the minced garlic and fry it until you want to gobble the entire thing up. Now, restrain yourself. This is for the sauce.
The butter beans will need to be cooked on the stove. I cooked them in a small pot, in the fluids they were canned in. You can replace it with water, if you want, but I see no harm in heating them in their own juices. Once they’re heated and starting to burst their skins, puree them in your favorite blender or food processor until extremely smooth. Because they’re cooked, this shouldn’t take too long. Add the resulting paste to your onion and garlic mixture.
Quickly add the ½ cup of vegetable broth and the ½ cup of white wine. Also, turn the heat to low. You don’t want your sauce to go above a slight simmer or the bottom could burn. Ekgh. That would be a horrible disaster.
While your sauce is barely simmering, take out your blender for another whirlwind pureeing adventure. Open the small can of beets and puree them until perfectly smooth. Plop those pureed beets straight into your sauce. Oo la la! This is where your sauce gets its pretty pink tint.
This is where it gets a little difficult. You’ll have to add broth, wine and spices to taste. I added a bit more broth, some salt and pepper and then other spices, primarily parsley.
Keep this mixture on the stove until it’s thick enough to be called sauce, not soup. If you have to, add a teaspoon of sifted flour at a time to thicken it up. I didn’t have to, so I don’t think you will, either.
The sauce is a little chunky, but it’s sure delicious. My roommate said it tasted like a mild cheese sauce, with a sweet aftertaste. Fantastic!
Next time, to better the recipe, I think I’d puree the onions and garlic before adding the liquids and other things, just so it has a smoother consistency. If you make this sauce, please let me know how it turns out! I’d be thrilled to hear from you. 🙂
Signing off,
McSass
Om nom. Nom nom. Nom.
No Lait, S'il Vous Plaît! 
November 3rd, 2011 → 4:39 pm
[…] case you want a pink recipe that’s also a great dairy-free alfredo alternative, try my Bright Pink Dairy-Free Alfredo Sauce. The kid’s will love it, […]