[CameronW]

Does anyone know if it is possible to make a creamy mushroom sauce WITHOUT using butter or oil? Usually I start with a bechamel, but I'd like to limit the saturated fats. I've thought of substituting light olive oil for half of the butter, but I'd like an even healthier sauce.

[Blueicus]

Use cream and reduce it . OK, maybethat won't be healthier than making bechamel, but you can always try other thickeners such as cornstarch or tapioca starch, but I am uncertain as to how a starch thickened milk sauce would taste.

[siduri]

What the heck is "light olive oil"??? Olive oil, extra virgin, is extremely healthy - why would you want it "more" healthy? For taste I would go with butter, for a bechamel, but fi you really can;t eat butter, you might try some of those stock reductions that chefs make.

[B ][/b]

Try using rice milk instead to eliminate the saturated fat. 10 to1 water to rice . Cooked,pureed,and strained. Try using brown rice (I have not as of yet) and also try using salt & fat free vegetable stock for the rice milk in place of the water or you can purchase this ready to go at your health food store.. Also maybe kefir or soy milk...All good subs with a lot less calories and fat

[CameronW]

Hey, thanks for the tips. Siduri, I normally use cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil, but the strong taste might be too much for this purpose. Light olive oil, sold in America, but probably not available in Italy, has a less pronounced flavor. It's not the olive oil I was trying to avoid, but the butter (which I love, by the way, but it is high in saturated fat). Here's a definition from the food network:

The new light olive oil contains the same amount of beneficial monounsaturated fat as regular olive oil...and it also has exactly the same number of calories. What the term "light" refers to is that--because of an extremely fine filtration process--this olive oil is lighter in both color and fragrance, and has little of the classic olive-oil flavor. It's this rather nondescript flavor that makes "light" olive oil perfect for baking and cooking where regular olive oil's obvious essence might be undesirable. The filtration process for this light-style oil also gives it a higher smoke point than regular olive oil. Light olive oils can therefore be used for high-heat frying, whereas regular olive oil is better suited for low- to medium-heat cooking, as well as for many uncooked foods such as salad dressings and marinades.

[siduri]

ok, got it. I thought it was one of these new concoctions which simulates olive oil but has less calories, and lots of chemicals!! Thanks. I guess it's just filtered.
Lots of chinese recipes call for water and cornstarch to add to foods to make that thickened but glistening transparent sauce - might try adding that?

[Blueicus]

Light olive oil is probably from the second and subsequent pressings and then filtered, no point in using the first pressing if you're just looking for pure oil and none of the lovely flavour notes.

I have to admit my skepticism towards using non-dairy milks for a cream sauce... I'd try the starch/water slurry first