A tasty spread

Let's face it, lots of people are sensitive to cheese and dairy products. They do not tolerate them very well. They get bloated and uncomfortable after eating them. But they don't stop.

A lot of my clients feel a lot better when they remove dairy products from their diet. In fact, they lose weight almost instantly and they report feeling lighter and happier. Even the dark circles under their eyes go away.

So why do they keep eating cheese even though they feel a lot better without it?

When I ask that question, the most common answer I get is that they enjoy the texture and the saltiness. Cheese has a very distinctive savoury flavour that tastes great on crackers or bread.

Well, what if I told you that you can avoid cheese, get all the health benefits that come with that, and still have a healthy alternative that tastes just as good, if not better?

'Pinky sauce' is the name of a spread that I started making a few months ago. I got the recipe from a little postcard that came with an online order that I made.

It sat on my table for weeks until I finally had the time to try it out. And, since then, it has become a family favourite!

I once wrote about this spread on my blog as something that I had for breakfast.

A lot of people wanted to have the recipe and today it is one of my most popular recipes.

It works amazingly well with wholegrain crackers or rice cakes; or even with vegetable sticks. Sometimes, I like to have it with lettuce leaves; I dip them in it like hummus. It makes a fantastic alternative to cheese.

If you haven't yet stopped eating cheese, now is a good time to do it.

I improvised slightly on the original recipe and was then stuck for a name to give it, so I asked my children. It has a slighly 'pink' colour because of the tomatoes, so they wanted to call it pinky sauce. But, for all the macho men out there, don't worry, it is still a great option for you too.

And, the best part? It's totally raw and vegan and tastes great!

Here's the 'Pinky sauce' recipe:

1 1/2 cups almonds (previously soaked for at least 2 hours)

2/3 cup tahina sauce

juice of one lemon

2 cloves garlic (crushed)

1 medium tomato

10 thin slices of sun dried tomatoes (soaked in water at least two hours before making)

100g stoned olives (I like to use the large green ones)

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1/4 tsp salt (preferably

sea salt)

1/2 tsp zaatar (optional)

Take all these ingredients and mix them in the food processor until you get a mushy paste that is kind of like mushy hummus.

You can play around with the taste as you wish by adding or reducing the olives or any of the other ingredients, or, if you want to soften the texture, you can use more olive oil or even better, I like to use the olive oil that comes with the sun dried tomatoes.

Store the mixture in a sealed jar in the fridge. It is quite a generous amount so it's more than enough for the whole family.

I'm not sure how long it keeps because when I make it disappears the same day! But I would imagine that it would keep well in an air-tight jar for about five days.

Try it for breakfast. Take a slice of dark German rye bread, spread a thick layer of 'pinky sauce' and then top with fresh slices of tomato. It tastes great, it's very filling and it contains the very important blend of proteins, fibre and essential fats. Enjoy!

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