How to Make a Creamy Sauce - 5 Step Template + Cashew-Cilantro Recipe (whole food vegan, oil-free)

On this episode of Healthytarian Living host Evita Ochel (www.evitaochel.com) shares a 5-step template to make optimally healthy creamy sauces to suit any meal, which are whole-food, plant-based, vegan.
Video Tutorial Content
Step 1 (2:09)
-- Quality (2:42)
-- Quantity (4:29)
Step 2 (5:22)
-- Quantity (6:10)
Step 3 (6:47)
-- Quantity (8:10)
Step 4 (9:39)
-- Quantity (10:33)
Step 5 (11:27)
-- Quantity (11:44)
Health & Nutrition Benefits (12:42)
Practical Demo (14:40)
-- how to make the Creamy Cashew-Cilantro Sauce
-- how to store (16:56)
Final Tips (17:26)
More sauce recipes:
1. Creamy Cashew All-Purpose Sauce (www.evolvingwellness.com/post/...)
2. Spicy Sumac Sauce (www.evolvingwellness.com/post/...)
3. Yellow Savory Peanut Sauce (www.evolvingwellness.com/post/...)
4. Lemon-Ginger Poppy Seed Sauce (www.evolvingwellness.com/post/...)

[@maryl2008]

Thanks Evita for teaching us the template. I’ve transitioned from vegetarian to vegan a year ago and it has been the best thing ever. Now I am focus more on incorporating raw vegan food . Thanks to your classes, I so look forward to my green smoothie, homemade cashew dressing and salads every day.

[@Healthytarian]

My sincere pleasure, and that is really great to hear. Thank you! Wishing you ongoing success and enjoyment from those nourishing and healing dietary choices :)

[@AA-lq5pu]

I am so glad I have found this channel! If feel that the rest of my life and well being is going to be greatly improved thanks to this channel. The template idea is awesome! Thank you so much for the time you took to put this together.

[@Healthytarian]

You are so very welcome, and thank you for your nice comment.

[@josecancela8579]

So much knowledge in such a little time. You're a great teacher. Thanks!

[@Healthytarian]

My sincere pleasure, and thank you very much for your kind feedback!

[@Michelle-bk5uq]

This is great! I love the template idea to customize either by what you feel like for by what you might have on hand. Thank you for sharing!

[@Healthytarian]

My pleasure Michelle! This is what I have found to be most practical indeed, where as long as we are buying the "right foods" on a regular basis, we are always bound to have what we need to create great, optimally healthy meals :)

[@aliataya5125]

Watching your videos got me back to class ,I sometimes have to pause it and take notes!thank you very much for sharing

[@Healthytarian]

You are most welcome Ali. The teacher in me loves sharing content to educate and empower others :)

[@purewater77887]

So happy to see you again!

[@Healthytarian]

Thank you so much!

[@johnthomasdoyle1964]

I'm so happy I found this channel as I'm completely new to plant based food. I just made the dressing, I used parsley instead as I didn't have cilantro, it was fab, thanks so much...

[@Healthytarian]

Wonderful to hear! Thank you for sharing your experience :)

[@jojoscoulos]

I’m so glad I’ve discovered you! thank you

[@Healthytarian]

My pleasure!

[@meismaria3741]

Love these instructional videos 💕Thank you

[@Healthytarian]

You are very welcome! And thank you for your nice feedback :)

[@silverfoxjohnson9390]

This is perfect!! Needed to be able to make good tasting sauces!!! Thank you so much!!!

[@Healthytarian]

You are most welcome! Truly, the sauces make all the difference to the degree to which most people will enjoy their vegetables and plant-based meals.

[@martacabrera5026]

Nice to see you again!

[@Healthytarian]

Thank you Marta :)

[@JHJHJHJHJH]

Thank you. I worried that this video was going to be unnecessarily long but it's just right. This isn't 5-minute crafts bunk. It's worth the time to watch and learn something that will work and is healthy and tasty. I can't wait to experiment. :-)

[@Healthytarian]

I greatly appreciate your comment and observation, J H. Thank you and hope you have been enjoying experimenting with the sauces :)

[@Missinginandout]

Thank you so much I love your simplicity

[@Healthytarian]

That is great to hear, and you are most welcome :)

[@fpcoleman57]

Excellent video! Thank you for speaking slowly with clear diction and basic vocabulary. The information is thorough and concise. Very easy to understand especially for nervous people or those whose first language is not English or don't speak American English. I believe as you seem to - that the best recipes are the simplest. Thank you.

[@Healthytarian]

My sincere pleasure, Frank, and thank you so much for taking the time to share your valuable and much appreciated feedback with me. I only wish I was able to see your comment sooner, but I am super grateful for it either way.

[@adventurousones2260]

Thank you very much l love your teaching style and thanks for the templates. It makes life sooo much easier

[@Healthytarian]

Wonderful to hear, thank you!

[@DodefiEnglish]

Thank you for another inspiration for my family and me.

[@Healthytarian]

My sincere pleasure, and thank you for your lovely comment :)

[@hlobend2111]

your knowledge and pointers are simply outstanding, thanks.

[@Healthytarian]

I appreciate your feedback, thank you!

[@deborahzahler913]

Wow just what I am looking for!!!!!

[@Healthytarian]

Great to hear Deborah :)

[@conningdale8805]

Your videos are addictive!! I love them........thank you.

[@Healthytarian]

Thank you for your kind feedback! Much appreciated :)

[@magalissantiago2817]

Thank you I need to learn all this.

[@Healthytarian]

Glad it was helpful, and thank you for being here.

[@sleepquietlytiredtoys4212]

Oh my Yah!! I was scraping down the sides of my kale salad bowl and telling myself just how delicious that was, I looking at all the lemon juice that I squeezed into it, I had literally just said, “it’s swimming in it” And then at 12:18 you said the exact same phrase!! I just screamed!! 😂🤣

[@Healthytarian]

Great to hear :) All the best!

[@rozchristopherson648]

I am addicted to your channel !!!! Excellent video !!!! 👍😍

[@Healthytarian]

Thanks Roz! I really appreciate the feedback.

[@rozchristopherson648]

Healthytarian You’re welcome! 😃

[@lashandabeard704]

Thank you so much for this

[@Healthytarian]

My sincere pleasure, LaShanda.

[@j.maxwaddell2557]

Very helpful information as I move into plant based eating. Thank you

[@Healthytarian]

Glad it was helpful! Thank you for your feedback.

[@kirayoshikage3133]

Really nice explaination. Gonna make one tmr!

[@Healthytarian]

Wonderful to hear, thank you!

[@henkbloemhard3488]

EXCELLENT. Thanks so much!

[@Healthytarian]

My pleasure, and thank you Henk for your nice comment :)

[@anabelrivera4174]

This was great, didn't have cashew, lemon or garlic,. But I did have sunflower seed and sliced almonds and added the rest of the ingredients. it went well with mushrooms over rice. Thank you, you're a great teacher.

[@Healthytarian]

How wonderful to hear you used the ingredients you had to construct your own creamy sauce. That is what it is all about! Thank you for your lovely feedback too :)

[@MyFrankr]

Thank you so much for your answerIt was very helpful😊

[@Healthytarian]

You are most welcome :)

[@mariansunshine5677]

Awesome video, thank you!

[@Healthytarian]

Great to hear you enjoyed it :)

[@Valeriepdx]

Thank you so much!

[@Healthytarian]

You're welcome, Valerie. Thanks!

[@robertbrown5985]

Brilliant presentation.

[@Healthytarian]

Thank you kindly!

[@annfail-smith2918]

AMAZEING X

[@Healthytarian]

Thank you so much, Ann!

[@heathermcneil2973]

Love this video. Thanks a ton

[@Healthytarian]

My pleasure Heather :) Thank you for your feedback!

[@basseslaw]

Great and very Informative. Tnx

[@Healthytarian]

You are most welcome, and thank you!

[@sandieneff1613]

wonderful! Thank you!

[@Healthytarian]

My pleasure, and thanks for your nice comment.

[@microsoftsamsung]

Awesome content

[@Healthytarian]

Thanks so much for your feedback :)

[@thecusterwolflives4333]

Gr8 vid! This is how I make my salad dressings and pesto

[@Healthytarian]

Thank you for sharing your feedback!

[@gracielabeltran4761]

Great!!!!I love your chanel!!!!

[@Healthytarian]

Thank you for your positive comment!

[@1971caryn]

Thank you. I could not find a sauce for my salad that was whole food plant-based. I am new to the whole food plant-based life and am a little lost. I have been used to eating meat my whole life and really only know how to cook meat. I have only cooked frozen or canned vegetables so your videos are really helping me.

[@Healthytarian]

Glad it was helpful, Caryn. Thank you so much for your feedback, and if you need help to put a foundation in place for optimally healthy eating, I provide various video courses on Udemy, like my "Cook Real Food" course: bit.ly/3dTTBjQ

[@naturallyfithealthy8514]

Awesome video! Excited to try some recipes 😋 What about using avocado for the fats? & what about a sweetener?

[@Healthytarian]

Thank you for your great feedback! With regard to avocado, sure, you can use it as part of many meals, as it is a healthy whole plant food, and provides healthy fats. From chopping it into salads, to making avocado pudding (recipe on channel), or making it into guacamole (recipe on channel), or just eating it "as is", that is up to you. You can even try to make a creamy sauce using avocado, instead of nuts or seeds. With regard to a sweetener, I explain a lot about that in my online whole food, plant-based eating course here: bit.ly/3248GgF and/or my book: www.evitaochel.com/post/healing-prevention-through-nutrition In general, optimally whole food, plant-based eating uses whole food sweeteners, like dates and raisins, or homemade sauces or syrups made of them. For any isolated or processed sweeteners, some are better than others, and I encourage each person to do their own research and use what they feel most comfortable with.

[@milapogorelov4592]

This is far the best video and information I ever came across! If I stay away from salt,what would you be recommending?

[@Healthytarian]

Thank you so much for your great feedback, Mila. If you want to make such sauces, and not use salt, you just make the sauce without the salt. The herbs and spices already provide beautiful flavors and enough flavors that salt does not have to be used. There is no direct replacement for salt. We can just get our tastebuds accustomed to non-salty food and enjoy food's real flavor and use herbs and spices to change flavors based on what we like.

[@seattlejayde]

Thank you!! I would like to make a hollandaise

[@Healthytarian]

You are very welcome!

[@Tina-bg7yn]

👍👍👍

[@Healthytarian]

Thanks, Tina!

[@missiris1234]

I thought if you use a blender it would be considered a processed food. I need your take on this. Thanks in advance! I love your videos❤️🥦🥒🍓🍇🍒🍎

[@Healthytarian]

Thank you for the feedback. With regards to the use of a blender, most definitely it processes our food, but it is considered a small or minimal type of food processing compared to anything done on an industrial level, when we talk about the negative impacts of processed food. There are minimally and heavily processed foods. There are also natural methods of food processing, like cutting a food or fermenting a food, and industrial methods of food processing that are very destructive in all kinds of physical and chemical ways to our food. We have to keep in mind that anytime we add heat to food, such as in cooking, this is all food processing. In fact, just cutting up an apple or peeling it, can be considered food processing too. Unless a person is going to eat a fully raw food diet and eat the most natural and whole forms of the their food, there is ALWAYS going to be some food processing involved. The key to optimal health and nutrition is to keep our food processing light and minimal in a way that balances with practical considerations in our modern lives. This is where using a blender or using a food processor, or even a little heat to steam our food are all acceptable forms of food processing.

[@MindfulSapient]

Is vitamix blender necessary to make these sauces or we can make them using other blenders too?

[@Healthytarian]

A Vitamix is certainly very helpful and most ideal for all cramy sauces, but you can make most of them in some other blenders too. For example, the Ninja Pro personal blender, as well as the Nutribullet Pro personal blender, are both very cost-effective (around $100) and powerful enough to handle making these sauces very well. As for other blenders, it all depends on how powerful they are, and what kinds of blades they have.

[@arlee1954]

Is it possible to substitute white beans for the cashews in the sauces?? For instance, while in weight loss mode, or by wanting to cut down on the fat content??

[@Healthytarian]

You can try, but it won't be the same in terms of making a good creamy sauce of the right consistency. Please be aware that there are many "diets" out there and "fads" that incorrectly steer people away from healthy foods and into unnatural or unhealthy diets. We must eat some fats in our diet for proper organ, tissues, hormonal, and neurological function. Losing weight is easy with plant-based eating without the need to remove healthy fats.

[@MyFrankr]

What kind of vitamix do u recommend for a beginner?😊

[@Healthytarian]

I have the older Vitamix 5200 and love it, even more so than the new models I had a chance to examine at a store. The older ones are still available as new or refurbished at some stores or online, especially Amazon (amzn.to/2EFKNBh), if you are US-based. The new ones have changed some of the design and functionality on them, and you may be just fine with them too, not having anything to compare to. However, price is a big factor with these units. The older 5200 will be cheaper by a bit than the new models, so that is another plus. The new personal-sized Vitamix is not worth the money, as it is significantly smaller but not significantly cheaper. Beyond the Vitamix, if one's budget is limited, I recommend a beginner get a Nutribullet Pro or a Ninja Pro (1000Watts), which are in the $100 (or less) price range, and will do a very good job for most sauces, like ones in this video, or smoothies - especially if you work with the butter versions of the nuts, as opposed to whole nuts. If however you'd like all the benefits of being able to make larger quantities, having all the power needed to puree down any food, no matter how dry or small, as well as make other foods like hummus, etc., then a full-fledged Vitamix is best. There are also other high-power blenders that have come onto the market since the Vitamix became so popular, but I don't have any personal experience with them to comment on them appropriately.

[@ranjitdesai6024]

Whether it is suitable for non veg dish . Plz guide

[@Healthytarian]

You can use it for anything you like, but hopefully healthy plant-based dishes :)

[@gfitz6001]

Does long soaking deplete some of the nutrients in the nuts or seeds?

[@Healthytarian]

Generally, nuts and seeds are richest in minerals, which are not as prone to water leaching like some vitamins are. The benefits of soaking in general are greater than any possible, minimal nutrient depletion. And I don't recommend stressing about it, as pretty much anything we do to our food, from cutting it to cooking it, depletes some nutrients. The key is to minimally process our food and eat a nutrient-rich diet.

[@lelijaroy8634]

Question... can these sauces be frozen in an ice cube tray??? I’m cooking for one. I grow my own herbs: cilantro, mint, basil, etc. Or would I be better off just freezing the herbs with water and then making my sauces out of frozen cubes??

[@Healthytarian]

I don't recommend freezing in this case because things are never as good after. What would be better is to make the sauce in a large batch, once per week, to last you for the week. They are so quick and easy to make and will work much better with fresh herbs. If you are going to freeze your herbs, just freeze them dry, not with any water.

[@smileygirl6710]

Really sorry, I cannot see how much seed butter to use for one serving? Is it a tablespoon? Thanks.

[@Healthytarian]

Hello Nicola, it would be about 1 tablespoon for 1 serving, but it is meant to be flexible because what counts as a "serving" for one person does not for another. So you want to make the amount that is right for you, of course, without overdoing the nut or seed butter.

[@smileygirl6710]

@@Healthytarian thanks so much Evita. I am loving all of your videos ❤️

[@Healthytarian]

@@smileygirl6710 You are super welcome, Nicola, and thank you for your nice feedback :)

[@catherinemartina6469]

I’m experiencing allergic reactions with cashews... what do you feel is the next best thing?

[@Healthytarian]

Tahini, which is sesame butter (ground up sesame seeds), as long as you find a pure one without added oils and salt. But really, you can experiment with almost any nut or seed, as I share in the video to find what works for you. Walnuts, almonds, and sunflower seeds, for example, all make some of the best sauces too.

[@marniefriedman9564]

Eliminated meat from my diet at age 65. I never liked it! What is the cookbook, because I have a great deal of learning and experimenting to do

[@Healthytarian]

Great to hear about your positive dietary step Marnie! With regards to a cookbook, I don't have one because I don't teach people how to eat by recipes, but by templates. Recipes are limiting, whereas templates teach you how to work with whatever ingredients you may have in unlimited combinations for constant variety and ease of use. To help people know how to cook plant-based, I offer an online video course, which you can find here: www.udemy.com/cook-real-food/?couponCode=SITESPECIAL

[@dinamariea61]

Very nice sauce! Can the cilantro cashew sauce you made in your video be used as a salad dressing too or is it meant more for the non salad dishes with the potatoes, grains and veggies? Thank you!

[@Healthytarian]

Thank you for your feedback Dina. You can use these sauces on any plant-based meal you like, including salads. You may want to thin them out with a little more water for salads, or not, as sometimes a thicker sauces mixes perfectly with very juicy tomatoes, etc. So yes, do enjoy in whatever form you like :)

[@dinamariea61]

Healthytarian Thank you for your reply. Being that this sauce is so delicious it is possible to go overboard. What is your limit on how much sauce to top your food bowl? I know fat is important to have in our diet but I am trying to keep my fats on the low side as I have been on a high fat/carb whole foods vegan diet for a long time (not intentionally having it high fat but I ate a lot of tofu, nuts and avocado, not to mention high fat dressings like olive oil and vinegar or nut dressings.) and I am turning a new leaf this year in regards to the fats. My main goal is too reduce the fats. Do you think 2 tablespoons for one of the star meals with the addition of salad in a large bowl would be fine? Is this something you consider when you top the plate with sauce since the rest of the food in the bowl is mainly low fat? I would love to get your thoughts on that and I appreciate in advance your reply.

[@Healthytarian]

Hi Dina, it all depends on how many fat-rich foods you eat as part of your daily diet. I generally recommend 1 serving of nuts and 1 serving of seeds per day for the average person. (Kids and active people need more.) A serving is about 2 tablespoons or a small handful or about 1/4 of a cup. So how and when you eat these servings of nuts and seeds is up to you. For example, I myself will eat my seeds as part of my green smoothie normally, and my nuts as part of my creamy sauce for one of my main meals. (Normally I have lemon juice and herbs only on my salads, which often include an avocado, and then the creamy sauce for my STAR meal.) On days that I don't have any creamy sauce, I may eat my nuts as a snack on their own, or as part of a sweet raw vegan treat. So that is the general gist on nuts and seeds, that incorporates these sauces. In addition to that, yes, you can add a small avocado or half of a large one each day, if and when it feels right to you. None of this would be too much fat. What I strongly encourage people who are whole food, plant-based health conscious to leave out are all oils, as these are just empty calories of pure fat and bring the most problems with least benefits. So focus on whole plant foods that have some fats, and use discernment of when and how much is eaten daily based on your health needs.

[@dinamariea61]

Healthytarian Thank you so much for your reply and the guidelines, I will incorporate the suggestion into my servings as you mentioned . I believe that it’s doable and manageable and an awesome guideline, thanks again!