Creamy Poblano + Cilantro Sauce

I tried to recreate this creamy green sauce after ordering it at a Mexican restaurant, because it was the greenest, smoothest, creamiest sauce I ever tasted. Almost too creamy. So after the first few bites, we double-checked with the waiter to ask what was in it and to confirm that is was, in fact, vegan—and were told that the ingredients were the restaurant’s secret, but it was vegan. A few days later, I tried to recreate it at home with just oil—nope. I tried making it again with raw cashew cream—kinda close, but still … nope.

What was I missing? After finding out that this sauce likely contained eggs after all,  I was a little irritated, but it got me thinking about the perfect creamy element I could use to recreate and veganize that green sauce. Hey Hampton Creek Just Mayo! This vegan mayo brand is super creamy and super faux-eggy. It just may work!

And it did.

This sauce is the creamiest, dreamiest sauce that tastes just like that other sauce, without the eggs. Believe me, I would never lie to you!

Serve this sauce with tacos, burritos, or scoop it up with tortilla chips. You can even make your own chips if you have corn tortillas laying around. To do this, just slice up prepared corn tortillas with a pizza cutter, brush both sides with a little olive oil and sprinkle with a little salt. Place on a baking sheet in a single layer and bake at 350 for about 15 minutes or until crisp.

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CREAMY POBLANO + CILANTRO SAUCE

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• Author: olivesfordinner.com
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 4 cups

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Ingredients

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 large white onion, chopped
• 1 jalepeno, chopped
• 2 large poblanos, seeds removed and chopped
• 4 tomatillos, quartered
• 6 cloves garlic, smashed and chopped
• 1 cup water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup vegan mayo (I used Hampton Creek Just Mayo Brand), plus a little more if needed
• handful of cilantro, chopped

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Instructions

1. Warm the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add in the chopped onion and jalepeno and soften for about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Take care to make sure it does not brown.
2. Add in the poblano, tomatillos, garlic and water, stir, then cover and allow to soften for 12-15 minutes. Take the lid off and continue cooking, until most of the water has been absorbed, but taking care not to let anything in the pot brown.
3. Remove from the heat and allow to slightly cool. Transfer to a blender and puree until very smooth. Add in the salt, vegan mayo and cilantro and puree again until very smooth. You’ll want the sauce to be smooth and a little thin.
4. Transfer to a container and chill before serving.

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes