How to Make Dairy-Free Sunflower Sour Cream
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I love sour cream. In fact, I had way too much of it last night on my mashed-potato enchilada. But, being that my doctor told me to lower my cholesterol, I need a dairy-free alternative. Swooping in to the rescue is Sandor Katz—leading my way back to healthy eating. For your reading and sour cream enjoyment, here is Sandor’s Sunflower Sour Cream recipe from his book, Wild Fermentation: The Flavor, Nutrition, and Craft of Live-Culture Foods.
The following is from Wild Fermentation:
Seeds are very versatile and can be transformed into many different textures and consistencies (much like milk). Our community is part of a local food buying club, which provides us with most of the bulk foods we eat. Barbara Joyner, our neighbor who runs this convenient and moneysaving enterprise, puts out a newsletter every month and always includes a few recipes, including this one for sunflower cream from fellow buying-club member Lorraine. Orchid whipped up a batch, and I couldn’t help myself from putting some of it aside with kefir grains. The delicious tart result was the most sour-creamy nondairy concoction I’ve ever tried. It tasted great on baked potatoes.
TIMEFRAME: 2 days
INGREDIENTS (for about 21⁄2 cups/625 milliliters):
- 1 cup/250 milliliters raw sunflower seeds
- 2 tablespoons/30 milliliters raw flaxseed
- 4 tablespoons/60 milliliters cooked leftover grains
- 3 tablespoons/45 milliliters olive oil
- 1 teaspoon/5 milliliters honey (or alternative vegan sweetener)
- 1 tablespoon/15 milliliters finely chopped onion, scallion, or chives
- 1⁄4 teaspoon/1 milliliter celery seed
- 1⁄3 cup/80 milliliters lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon/15 milliliters kefir grains
PROCESS:
1. Soak sunflower seeds and flaxseed for about 8 hours in enough water to cover them.
2. Drain off and reserve excess water, then purée soaked seeds with other ingredients (except kefir grains) in a blender or food processor. Add reserved water, just a little at a time, until the mixture reaches a thick, creamy consistency.
3. Place the mixture in a jar or nonmetal bowl with kefir grains. Allow to ferment 1 to 3 days.
4. Remove the kefir grains, if you can find them. If not, don’t worry; they are edible and nutritious. Enjoy sunflower sour cream on potatoes or as a spread or dip.
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