Dairy-Free Cheese Sauce

This dairy-free cheese sauce is the absolute bomb dot com (yeah, I went there, ’90s). It’s easily made by simmering 3 dairy-free ingredients and it’s a really great base for building tons of flavor! With a little fresh cracked pepper, we love to toss our spaghetti squash in this cheese sauce topped with extra large gulf shrimp!

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Little boo-boo bunnies. Hello.
How many times have you washed your hands today?
How many hours have you aimlessly scrolled social media in the last few weeks?
Me too, friend. Me. Too.

I have to admit, this whole “stay home” thing is totally my kind of life because I am quite the sloth and if we’re being honest, totally comfortable with lounging around all day, week, and month with plenty of snacks nearby. I feel like I’ve prepared myself for this exact “stay home, work safe” moment. Caleb and I have truly done 180° these last few years. We used to really enjoy a night out, multiple times a week, with as many friends as we could rally. Nowadays, we opt for cocktails on our own patio, with zero additional people. It’s become my favorite weekend activity and I have to admit, it’s helped push us closer and closer to our financial goals. I’ve thought about that a lot over these few weeks of declining markets.

Turning your lifestyle around is hard and more times than not, it can be pretty dark. What starts with thankful declines easily turns into waking up one day.. kind of alone. At least that’s what it felt like to me. In a world so centered around consumer spending and debt (I should know, it’s literally how I get paid), following a budget and consistently working towards a goal is pretty uncommon. So, over time you find yourself equating activities such as making a Mexican feast at home because you can easily beat the price by $50 which means that $50 can go towards a debt payment or into savings for the new things you want. Then, it becomes taking a trip to the State Park for $14 instead of heading out to Austin for $300. Suddenly, before you know it, you’ve lived with this thought process for over a year, you’re thousands of dollars lighter (or heavier if you’ve been able to saved), and what happens in the Market weighs a lot less than it used to. It’s a really bazaar place to find yourself when so many are fearful in where they stand.

I share this to bring a different light to this season. If you’re in the thick of worry and fear, try to use this as a starting place. Acknowledge the situation, learn from it, and grow into the future. I know it’s overwhelming, I know it’s hard to keep your head above the water when the tide keeps coming, and I know that you and your family are going to be so much stronger when you finally makes your way to the shore.

Day by day, step by step, you have the ability to use this season differently and I am cheering for you.
If you want to start, but don’t know where to begin, I highly recommend visiting Dave Ramsey’s Baby Steps, building a zero-based budget with EveryDollar.com, and listening to Dave’s podcast (found where you listen to podcasts) and radio show.

You are going to get through this. I promise.

Dairy-Free Cheese Sauce

Now, let’s talk about this dairy-free cheese sauce.
It’s delicious, it’s only 3 ingredients, and it’s truly a really solid foundation for all of the cheesiness. Now, to buy all from scratch, it will run you roughly $10 but once you have nutritional yeast and salt on hand, the price is the cost of coconut milk, ~$2.50/$3.00.

Wondering what to do with this cheese sauce?

• Bring to a simmer with roasted garlic, spinach, artichokes, and sun dried tomatoes for a Rustic-Tuscan inspired chicken.
• After simmering, add a poblano pepper, onion, and squeeze of lime for a cheesy spicy fajita drizzle.
• Add mushrooms, pancetta, and fresh cracked black pepper for a dairy free pasta sauce.

The options are limitless and if you want to really get festive, blend it with a sweet potato or butternut squash and add pico, taco meat, and avocado for a dairy-free queso alternative.

How to Make Dairy-Free Cheese Sauce

1. Place a skillet or medium size pot onto the stove.
2. Pour coconut milk into the pot and warm on medium heat.
3. Whisk in nutritional yeast and sea salt. Increase heat to medium-high and bring sauce to a simmer. Continue simmering the sauce for about 2-3 minutes, then reduce to low heat.
4. Continue on low heat until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon!

What I Used to Make This Recipe

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