vegan + soy free cucumber yogurt sauce

When I make this sauce, it’s usually because I am making some kind of Middle Eastern or Indian rice and vegetable dish.  It’s a dairy free version of an Indian raita or a Greek tzatziki sauce. The two are so similar. There are inevitably leftovers, which means for the next few days, I will put this stuff on everything else I eat: scrambled eggs, roasted vegetables, green salad. It’s so versatile; I should keep a batch made at all times. 

​And when you look at the ingredient list, that’s not such a bad idea. The fermented coconut or almond yogurt has probiotics. There’s vitamin c from the lemon juice. There’s the anti-inflammatory boost from the garlic (you could get crazy and add some fresh ginger too!) and cucumber.  And fresh mint, like most fresh herbs, is full of antioxidants and other phytonutrients. Research here.

​Veganizing a cucumber yogurt sauce has been pretty easy for a while with all the soy yogurt products on the market. But until recently, if you were vegan and soy free, it wasn’t an option.  I love both the So Delicious brand of coconut yogurt and the Kite Hill almond yogurts that are readily available now. Look for plain, unsweetened varieties of any nondairy yogurt you choose for this recipe.
 
Coconut milk yogurt tends to be a little thicker and a brighter shade of white than almond milk yogurt. But those details are negligible. Experiment with both, as well as the other brands on the market, to discover which kind best suits you. Always look for brands without added preservatives like carrageenan. The only ingredients necessary are the nut milk, probiotics and something like guar or xanthum gum or pectin which are natural thickeners.

​You could handle the cucumbers a number of ways for this sauce. You could leave the skins on. I sometimes do if I am fortunate enough to have an organic cucumber in my possession. You could peel and discard the skins.  If the tiny seeds don’t bother you, leave them in. I tend to deseed most things: it’s a texture thing for me.
 
You could shred the cucumbers into the sauce. Or you can dice them.  The size of the dice is also completely subjective.  You can dice the cucumbers large, medium or small. How much of their presence do you want to feel in the sauce? 

​Lately I have been mincing the peeled and deseeded cucumbers with a micro grater so that the flesh melts into the sauce, contributing flavor but little of the normal crunch.

THE RECIPE
Serves 4 to 6
Two 5.3 ounce containers coconut or almond milk yogurt, unsweetened and plain
½ medium cucumber, peeled and finely grated
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
½ teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
4 to 6 sprigs fresh mint, chopped fine
Juice of half a lemon
Mix all the ingredients together. Taste and add more lemon, garlic, salt or cumin to your liking.

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