Vegan Cheese Sauce (Nut-free and Oil-free)

Ingredients

• 1 small zucchini, peeled and sliced, THEN weigh 130g
• 1 lightly filled cup (220g) cooked/mashed yukon gold
• 3/4 cup -1 cup water (as needed to reach desired thickness (I ALWAYS use 1 cup, so keep that in mind in regards to other ingredients)
• 1/4 cup (20g) nutritional yeast
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/2-3/4 teaspoon smoked paprika or regular if you don't like smoked
• 2 teaspoons liquid aminos (or low-sodium soy sauce or tamari, do not omit, this is what gives the cheesy flavor, do not use coconut aminos, it will not yield the correct flavor!)
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 415°F and line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Peel all the green skin off the zucchini and slice into 1/4 inch slices and salt and pepper well. It's imperative to peel the zucchini, otherwise your sauce will be an ugly green. Bake for about 15 minutes until tender.
2. Meanwhile, cook your potatoes either by roasting, steaming or in the microwave. Since I wanted a fast dinner, I just cooked them in the microwave for about 5 minutes until very soft. Do not boil them as they will get water logged and make the sauce more runny. I left the skins on since I have a Vitamix, but if you are concerned about getting the sauce smooth, peel them before cooking or blending.

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