Dairy-free Avocado Crema

While I mainly follow a vegan diet, I do eat seafood every now and then for a dose of healthy omega-3's.​ The other day I was in the mood for shrimp cocktail, but I was trying to come up with a better alternative to the traditional cocktail sauce that is sold with the shrimp rings. If you have ever looked at the ingredients of cocktail sauce you will notice that it is not only chock full of sugar but also many additives. You can make it yourself to have less of the bad stuff, but sugar is still a main ingredient and I was looking for an alternative.

I then remembered that shrimp goes very well with avocado. I didn't want to make a guacamole, figuring that would overpower the shrimp. That's when the words "Avocado Crema" came to mind. To be honest, I didn't really know what was in an Avocado Crema, but it sounded delicious! Looking up recipes, I found it is actually quite simple to make, but does call for sour cream. Luckily, I have a dairy-free sour cream recipe up my sleeve so I set out to combine this with the Avocado Crema recipes I found. It is super simple to prepare...all the ingredients just go in the blender. It pairs wonderfully with pretty much any seafood and can be used as a sandwich spread or salad dressing. 

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Dairy-free Avocado Crema Recipe
vegan, plant-based, gluten-free, refined-sugar free

Ingredients:

• 1 ripe avocado, peeled, pitted, and roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup raw cashews or slivered almonds
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 peeled and crushed garlic clove
• 3-4 Tbsp of fresh lime or lemon juice (about 2 limes or 1 lemon)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• pinch of black pepper
• *optional handful of fresh cilantro

Instructions:

1. Add all ingredients to a high powered blender and blend until very smooth. If necessary, add some extra water 1/4 cup at a time to help the mixture blend fully.
2. Serve. Use as a dip for your shrimp cocktail or as a dressing for pasta salad. Due to the avocados, this recipe is best if used in 1-2 days.