For those of you who are a fan of Oprah, I certainly was intrigued by a recipe featured by famous chef Rachael Ray, termed “You won’t be single for long” vodka cream sauce. Not only because of the famous chef association but the title of the dish as well. With Valentine’s Day tomorrow I wanted to bring this recipe to the attention of all our readers. Whether you are single or attached this recipe is for you and I provide my own spin on it to allow eaters of dairy and non-dairy to indulge.
Of course my first thought as a person that has a food allergy to cow’s mik was, “cream, that’s not something I’m going to be able to try.” Most times when I see “cream sauce” on menus I go running for the hills. But I am also not the type to give up that easily, so I ventured to Oprah.com to review the recipe details, which can be found here: You won’t be single for long vodka cream sauce.
Listed within the ingredients: ½ cup of heavy cream and 1 tablespoon butter. I immediately went to my fridge and started looking through all the staples I keep on hand for myself so I don’t have to feel deprived that I can’t always enjoy the same goodies that others can. One of my favorite alternatives for butter is a product called Earth Balance buttery spread; I saw Alicia Silverstone using it as well during a segment talking about her diet – the Kind Diet. It has the same consistency as butter with a very mild taste; I use it for all my cooking needs.
For heavy cream on the other hand that posed a bit more of a challenge, but with my experience in finding just the right alternatives I no longer feel restricted to following only diet-specific recipes and can now open up a variety of cookbooks and make my own version of the recipes listed.
My recommendation to substitute heavy cream is as follows:
1) Coconut Cream
Allow a can of coconut milk to settle (about 20-30 minutes). The coconut cream will rise to the top, which can be removed once accumulated. Substitute equal parts of coconut cream for the cream that is requested in the recipe.
2) Soy or Rice Milk plus Oil
Combine 2/3 cup of soy or rice milk with 1/3 cup melted dairy free margarine. This combination will equal 1 cup of heavy cream for recipes that you are following. Keep in mind this option cannot be whipped.
3) Silken Tofu
Blend Silken Tofu until even. There are various firm levels that can be purchased. Select a medium firm or a variation to develop a thicker “cream.” Pureed tofu can also be used as a replacement for heavy cream using a 1:1 ratio. This is a great healthy and lower fat alternative
After several attempts to make this famous “you won’t be single for long” vodka cream sauce, which I should add were all tried on my husband, I can confirm that he is still around. If you asked him, not all versions were top on his list and I wondered if I might be losing some of my credit as a good cook at home. My attempt using the Silken Tofu turned out to be our favorite, but depending on your taste buds you might like another option provided. Each is worth trying, so best of luck and let me know your favorite version.