An Easy Avocado Sauce

Gluten Free, Dairy Free Avocado Sauce

Boy is everything green around here! So much so that my husband actually had to mow the lawn the other day… in March!  I don’t think that has ever happened. It sure has been an amazing early jump into spring here in the Midwest. Something we are not used to in March; but, hey… we will adapt!

Speaking of “amazing” things, I am always amazed at the many uses for avocados. I come across many recipes for puddings, dips and sauces with this nutrient dense fruit. However, I find myself always making guacamole!  Well, tonight I was in the mood for something green to go along with our squash noodles. In a hurry, I decided to try an avocado sauce… mostly because what I had in mind would only require a quick whir in the blender rather than slow cooking something to perfection. Avocado’s usually end up bitter and brown if cooked, so the ingredients I had tonight were perfect for a dinner sans the stove. I have to say that this sauce turned out so great! Here is the recipe I came up with:

Raw Avocado Sauce (GF and DF)

Ingredients:

• 1 ripe avocado
• 1/2 – 1 cup coconut milk (or milk of choice)
• 1/4 tsp Braggs Seasoning blend
• 1/4 tsp Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar (or fresh squeezed lime juice)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1. Halve the avocado and remove the pit. Scoop out all the flesh and place in a blender bowl (you could mash by hand if you do not have a blender).
2. Add the remaining ingredients, starting with 1/2 cup of milk at first.
3. Blend on high until the sauce is creamy and somewhat thick. If it is too thick, gradually add more milk until the sauce reaches desired consistency. Note: the amount of milk you use will depend on the size of your avocado. Mine was on the small side, so I only needed a little more than 1/2 cup of coconut milk.
4. Taste for seasonings and adjust with salt and pepper if needed.
5. Serve over hot noodles of your choice.

We had this sauce over gently blanched yellow squash that I made into “spaghetti style” noodles using a spiral slicer. You could have it over any noodle of your choice. Without meat, the avocado made the meal as it provides plenty of filling, healthy fat. To give you the details, about 75% of avocado’s calories come from fat which is mostly of the monounsaturated kind. This little pear shaped fruit has more potassium than bananas and is rich in the B vitamins, foliate, vitamin E and K. One of the other great qualities about avocados is that they have a high fiber content, with 75% being insoluble fiber. They are also very low in cholesterol and sodium. We enjoyed the “pasta” with green peas. Some other toppings you could try are: shredded parmesan cheese or alternative cheese of choice, coarsely chopped (and toasted) seeds, chopped parsley or cilantro. If you are more inclined to eat a “raw” meal, then just don’t blanch the squash and keep any additional toppings raw as well! Enjoy something green!

Note: You could also make this as a dip by reducing the amount of coconut milk used in the recipe.  It would be great with crackers or tortilla chips!