BETTER THAN BUTTER ALTERNATIVES
By Don Matesz
So you've kicked a lot of habits. Maybe butter's the last to go. What can you spread on your bread or top off your rice with? Sure there's peanut, almond, and sesame butter, but they're all high in fat — 70 to 80% of their calories come from fat, and even on a vegetarian diet, fat is not without its perils. Soy- or tofu-based spreads are often as high in fat as the items they seek to imitate. Tofu derives 50% of its calories from fat, before you add anything to it, and most tofu dips contain added oil or nut butters to boot! Avocado, oils, and butters made from nuts and seeds are also very expensive. So what's left? Plenty. There are better-than- butter-alternatives to replace the high fat spreadables to which you've grown accustomed.
Below are some of our family favorites along with suggestions for serving these very low-fat and satisfying vegan condiments. They're versatile, easy to prepare, and cost a lot less than their conventional, and not-so- conventional, store-bought counterparts.
GARBANZO "BUTTER"
(Makes about 3 cups)
Unlike hummus, a commonly prepared chickpea dip, this one is definitely a "butter." It's meant to be used by the pat, like butter. We especially enjoy it on rye crackers, tortillas, loaf bread, or spread on pita. For a vegan cheese-like sandwich, try spreading this "butter" on a Kaiser roll or whole grain pita pocket, then top it off with slices of juicy fresh tomato, lettuce or sprouts, and cucumber. It also makes a nice topping for rice or baked potatoes. This spread improves with age. We like it best on the second or third day.
1 cup dry chickpea/garbanzo beans or 2 cups pre-cooked chickpea/garbanzo beans
3 cups water
4-inch piece kelp or kombu sea vegetable (acts as a tenderizer)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon corn oil
3/4-1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes (found in natural food stores)
2 Tablespoons arrowroot dissolved in 1/4 cup cold water
If using dry beans: Soak beans in water overnight. Add kelp or kombu sea vegetable (which will act as a natural flavor enhancer and tenderizer).
Bring beans to boil in a covered pot, then simmer 1 to 1-1/2 hours or until tender. Alternatively, pressure cook beans 30-40 minutes. Add 3/4 teaspoon salt; bring to boil and simmer 10-12 minutes.
Drain beans and reserve cooking liquid.
In a food processor or blender, puree 2 cups of beans with 1 cup cooking liquid. Set aside any remaining beans for use in a soup, salad, or other dish. If using precooked beans, add 1 cup of water and about 1/2-3/4 teaspoon salt. Add remaining ingredients and blend again.
Return mixture to a saucepan. Stir to thicken over medium heat (about 5-6 minutes).
Transfer mixture to an 8- or 9-inch shallow, square or round pan. Allow to firm up (about 1-2 hours).
Cut into 1-inch squares to serve. Serve at room temperature with whole grains and vegetables in a quantity similar to that of butter or cheese. Refrigerate leftovers and use up within about 1 week for best results.
Total calories per 2 Tablespoons: 53
Fat: 1 gram
SWEET ONION "BUTTER"
(Makes about 3 cups)
Onions cooked for a long time over low heat, carmelize and turn golden-brown like apple butter. The sweet and savory flavors are delicious ladled over millet slices, corn bread, whole grain waffles, or sourdough bread, biscuits, or rice. Light miso is available in most Oriental grocery stores and health food stores. We like ordering miso direct so that we're assured the highest quality and best price. Light miso adds a super sweet, rich and creamy taste to this and other dips. Vary the taste by using different types of miso, leeks, or several types of onions. Made in quantity, it keeps for a few weeks in the refrigerator, preserved by the miso. To make a gravy, add a little water before serving.
1-2 teaspoons light sesame or canola oil to cover bottom of skillet
8 cups packed, finely chopped onions
2 pinches salt
1/4-1/3 cup light, yellow, chickpea, rice or millet miso (see ordering information
below)
1/2 cup water to dilute miso
1-2 cups water to make into a sauce (optional)
(Note: A cast iron skillet or other heavy pot or a wok works best for this preparation.)
Mince onions then sauté in oiled skillet for several minutes over medium heat. Stir constantly, until soft and translucent.
Add salt to bring additional moisture out of vegetables. Keep stirring. Add a few Tablespoons water if needed to moisten. Cover; reduce heat to low and simmer 1 hour, or 2-8 hours for a richer and sweeter taste. Additional water is usually unnecessary since onions have a high water content.
Dissolve miso in water to create a frosting-like consistency. Add to skillet; stir; cover and simmer on low 5-10 minutes or up to 30 minutes — until a thick paste forms.
Remove lid to cook away any excess liquid until an apple sauce or apple butter-like texture is achieved. As a gravy for millet loaf, add additional water and simmer to thicken.
Store in a glass jar in the refrigerator. For best results use up within 2 weeks.
Total calories per 2 Tablespoons: 26
Fat: 0.5 grams
Variations: Replace miso above with 2 teaspoons salt. Season with cumin or other herbs for a spicy carmelized onion sauce.
MILLET "BUTTER" SPREAD
(Makes about 2 cups)
This golden, creamy butter alternative is one of our favorites. It keeps for about a week in the refrigerator and is great on any kind of bread, rolls, biscuits, and even sweet potatoes!
2 Tablespoons corn oil
1/2 cup uncooked millet, rinsed and drained
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups water
2 Tablespoons arrowroot
2 Tablespoons white, yellow, mellow, sweet white, or millet miso
In a 2-quart sauce pan, combine oil, millet, salt, and water. Bring to boil, cover, and simmer on low 35 minutes, without stirring!
Puree in a blender or food processor until smooth. Add arrowroot powder and miso. Puree again then return to a saucepan; bring to low boil; simmer and stir until thickened, 3-5 min.
Pour into a small glass bowl, 16-ounce wide mouth jar, or a plastic butter container and allow to cool and firm up. Store in the refrigerator, allowing spread to come to room temperature before serving.
Total calories per 2 Tablespoons: 35
Fat: 2 grams
Variation: To omit light miso, increase sea salt to 1-1/2 teaspoons total. Add 1/4 cup nutritional yeast in first step, then prepare as above.
BUTTERY FLAX SEED CONDIMENT
(Makes about 1/3 cup)
This one won't spread, it sprinkles; but the rich buttery popcorn-like flavor and aroma adds a satisfying richness to almost any dish. It's our house favorite, sprinkled over rice, millet, pasta, slices of steamed bread, hot breakfast cereal, or veggies! It may be just the thing to wean you off the buttery stuff! It's lower in fat and calories than most other seeds or nuts.
1 Tablespoon salt
3/4 cup flax seeds
Grind salt in a ridged mortar and pestle, preferably a suribachi (available in Oriental grocery stores, kitchen shops, and some health food stores). Salt should be fine and powdery.
Dry roast flax seeds in a cast iron skillet or wok over medium heat. Stir constantly. Reduce heat if seeds start to pop out of the pan. Sitr and dry roast until aromatic and buttery smelling and seeds have evenly popped (about 6-9 minutes).
Add warm seeds to ground salt. Grind together with a pestle until 80% powdery. This should take about 10 minutes if you grind in a circle in the above mortar. If this is unavailable a small electric coffee-spice mill may be used or an Osterizer attachment (like a mini 1-cup size blender) for the blender. Hand grinding is best so that the oil in the seeds coats the salt.
When cool, store in a sealed glass jar, away from direct sunlight. Keep some in a tiny spice jar in your purse or backpack for meals out or while traveling.
Total calories per 1 Tablespoon: 146
Fat: 7 grams
SWEET MISO & SQUASH "BUTTER"
(Makes about 6 cups)
Just a hint of corn oil adds a buttery richness to this sweet squash spread — a favorite on almost any type of bread. It also doubles as a pasta sauce with garlic and herbs, in lieu of cheese-based sauces or as another bagel, bun, or toast topper! Double this recipe if you're planning for company and leftovers. Second day servings become sweeter and can be instant sauces, toppings, spreads, and soups.
6-7 cups cubed butternut squash (skins left on) — about 3/4 of a large
squash (or use kabocha, sweet mama, buttercup)
2 teaspoons corn oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon white, yellow, mellow or millet miso
Halve squash; scoop out and discard seeds and pulp. Leave skins on unless squash is waxed. Cut into 1-inch cubes.
Add oil to a 4-quart heavy casserole dish, preferably enamel lined cast iron or stainless steel Dutch oven. Add squash cubes and salt. Cover and bake 1 to 1-1/2 hours at 350 degrees until soft.
Mash with a potato masher or puree in a Foley food mill, adding miso. Be sure to use light, yellow, or mellow miso, which has a fruity, sweet taste and buttery appearance. Dark miso is not recommended as the flavor is too strong.
Transfer to a serving bowl and serve with meal, about 1/2 - 3/4 cup per person, spooned onto biscuits or as a side dish, like mashed potatoes.
Total calories per 1/2 cup serving: 50
Fat: 2 grams
Leftover tips:
* Turn leftover squash butter into toppings or fillings for burritos, tacos,
sandwiches, enchiladas, pot pies, pirogi, won tons, or pastry.
* Thin slightly with water or soup stock to make soups, sauces, or stews —
combined with other leftovers if desired.
Variations:
* To omit light miso, increase salt to 1 teaspoon. Also add 2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast to the pot before cooking.
NUTTY SWEET POTATO "BUTTER"
(Makes about 1-1/2 cups)
A little bit of nut or seed butter goes a long way when combined with the moist and succulent taste of cooked sweet potatoes. It makes a great peanut butter and jelly alternative, rolled up in a tortilla, sandwiched between bread slices, or for topping your toast! We also like this stuffed inside steamed buns.
2 medium- to large-sized sweet potatoes
2-3 teaspoons light, yellow, mellow, or millet type miso
3-4 teaspoons peanut, almond, or sunflower butter
3-5 Tablespoons water
Bake whole sweet potatoes at 400 degrees in an uncovered cake or pie plate, or an oblong pan to catch the cooking juices. Bake 1-1/2 to 2 hours until soft and syrupy.
Remove skins. Mash sweet potato in a large mortar and pestle or food processor until smooth. Add in light miso and nut or seed butter. Add water a few tablespoons at a time to make a smooth, spreadable paste (almost the consistency of mashed potatoes). Serve at room temperature.
Total calories per 2 Tablespoons: 29
Fat: 1 gram
Variations:
* Add 1/4 teaspoon or to taste either Chinese 5 spice powder, pumpkin pie spice,
cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger powder, or coriander.
* Dilute with additional water and use to top burritos or enchiladas.
CAULIFLOWER "BUTTER"
(Makes about 2-1/2 cups)
Arrowroot and agar agar (the vegetarian equivalent of gelatin flakes) give this spread its thickness. Tamari or light miso adds a rich flavor. It's wonderful spread on millet slices, bread, muffins, or crackers and can be complemented with a garnish of fresh minced chives or edible flowers.
1 Tablespoon corn oil
1/2 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon agar agar powder or 3 Tablespoons agar agar flakes
4 cups chopped cauliflower (1/2 large head)
3-4 Tablespoons soy flour or nutritional yeast
1 Tablespoon arrowroot powder plus 1 Tablespoon water
1 Tablespoon tamari, shoyu, or light miso paste
In a large saucepan, combine oil, water, salt, agar agar, and cauliflower. Add soy flour or nutritional yeast. Bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer on low 8-10 minutes until soft.
Dissolve arrowroot in 1 Tablespoon cold water and stir this into the vegetable mixture on the stove. Stir over medium heat until arrowroot becomes clear. Add tamari, shoyu, or light miso. Let mixture sit at room temperature until set — 1 to 2 hours.
Puree in a blender until smooth and then spoon into a jar or serving dish. Let set again before serving. Serve as a butter alternative spread on millet slices, bread, rice, pasta, etc.
Refrigerate leftovers and use up within 3-4 days.
Total calories per 2 Tablespoons: 24
Fat: 1 gram
Variations:
* To omit agar agar flakes, increase both water and arrowroot to 3 Tablespoons
each.
* Experiment with added fresh garlic or dried garlic flakes or granules.
SOY BEAN "BUTTER"
(Makes about 1-1/2 cups)
1/2 cup dry soy beans
1-1/2 cups water
4-inch piece kelp or kombu sea vegetable
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 Tablespoons flax seeds
9 Tablespoons water
3 Tablespoons light, yellow, or mellow miso paste
3 cloves minced garlic (optional)
Soak first 3 ingredients for 8-12 hours. Pressure cook beans 1 hour. When tender, add salt to beans and simmer 15 minutes.
Meanwhile bring flax seeds and water to boil in a covered saucepan. Simmer 15 minutes until thick. Pour through a strainer to separate the seeds from the egg-like mixture. Set aside flax seeds and add to your next pot of breakfast cereal. Use gooey egg-like mixture for this spread.
Drain off more liquid from beans and reserve for soup making. Puree beans in a Foley food mill or food processor, without adding any liquid. Add miso and egg-like binder and stir. Taste and add more miso as needed. Add finely minced garlic if desired.
Store in a glass jar in the refrigerator. The flavors will improve after 2-3 days as it ages. Use up within 2 weeks. Spread on bread, tortillas, over pasta, or add to soups.
Total calories per 2 Tablespoons: 34
Fat: 1.5 grams
Variation:
*Substitute 1-1/2 to 1-2/3 cups precooked white navy beans or white kidney beans in place of soy beans.
Don Matesz is a freelance writer from Seattle, Washington.
