Creamy Vegan Béchamel Sauce
1 Tablespoon olive oil
3 Tablespoons vegan margarine
4 Tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cups soy milk
3/4 cup water
veggie bullion for 2 cups liquid
1 package silken tofu
1/2 a tub of vegan cream cheese (Tofutti)
1-2 slices of vegan cheese slices (optional) (Tofutti)
pinch fresh nutmeg
black pepper
1. In a large bowl, blend together the soy milk, water, bullion, tofu, and cream "cheese".
2. Make a roux by heating the oil and melting the butter in a large saucepan. Add flour and whisk over medium-high heat for a few minutes, making sure it doesn't burn. Pour this mixture into the blended ingredients and mix.
3. Return ingredients to saucepan and whisk until it thickens a bit, then simmer on low for a minute or two. Add nutmeg, black pepper, and tofutti slices if using. Set aside until ready to use.
SO HOW'D IT GO?
Tonight I made this without the tofu because I didn't have any, adding 1-2 extra tablespoons of flour, and it seemed to me to improve the flavour a little and didn't make any difference to the consistency. I also added some french onion soup powder and nutritional yeast which made it more flavourful. I used it for tomato and mushroom lasagne.
I made this last night and agree with the others: the sauce would be great for a mock seafood dish. The actual dish itself was okay, but I think it needed a little extra kick somewhere with the seasoning. Maybe just a bit more salt or something. I added a little salt and balsamic this afternoon when heating up my leftovers and that seemed to do the trick. I think nutritional yeast would work well too or maybe a little cayenne pepper. Definitely a recipe I will repeat and experiment with!
This sauce had a nice creamy consistency but lacked in flavor. I had to add salt, a little nutritional yeast and a some vegan parmesan cheese. i also added some sun-dried tomatoes and fresh basil. Now its tasty. I served it over penne pasta.
This was a good basic white sauce. I served it over pasta and it didn't really knock my socks off...but it was a good base. It makes a lot, so I plan to use the leftover sauce as a base for the "tuna" casserole on here.
I made this for the tomato-mushroom pasta bake on here, and it's a really great white sauce. I think it would also go great in a mock-tuna casserole like the one on here by kmouse, topped with breadcrumbs. I didn't use the cheeze slices but it still turned out cheesy enough. Yum.