It's fitting that my last post this month is a sauce. Because, over the last year, some of my favorite creations have been sauces and gravies. I have always been a huge fan of sauce. In fact, I once lobbied the USDA to include gravy as a food group. Needless to say, it didn't work, but I still cherish a virtuous sauce above all else (I'm only kinda kidding).
Here are a few of my favorites from the previous year:
Yummy Sauce - One of my favorites. It's amazing on beans & rice and I use it liberally on vegetables, potatoes or as a salad dressing. When I make this, I can't keep it in the fridge.
Almond Mushroom Gravy - mushroom gravy thickened with almonds? Yep. And its uber thick and great on seitan cutlets, tofu, or whatever. Drink it if you like.
Marsala Sauce - I used to love Chicken Marsala, but you don't need chicken to make this a heavenly dish. I made it here with pan fried tofu.
Cilantro Chutney - A yogurt based sauce sauce with plenty of cilantro and mint. This is surprisingly versatile and I'd put it on anything Hispanic, Southwest or Indian and plenty of other things too. It's fun to experiment.
Pepita Mojo (below) - This idea came to me from one of my friends, Dani. She made this mojo sauce with lots of cilanto, citrus, hot chillies and olive oil. It tasted like spicy candy and I've made it a few times since. I made several attempts to thicken it and to cut back on the calories a bit. I finally landed on ground pumpkin seed and it was smashing (literally). The pumpkin seeds give it a great toasted flavor, thickens the sauce and tones back on the heat. Its delicious.
Pepita Mojo
6 cloves garlic
3 serrano peppers, halved and seeded
3/4 cups pumpkin seeds
1 tsp cumin seed
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
2 limes, juiced
1 orange, juiced
1/2 tsp salt
Arrange the garlic, peppers and pumpkin seeds, cumin on a cookie sheet and bake at 325 for about 10 minutes. Stir the mixture around after about 5 minutes. Remove from oven and cool for another 5 minutes.
Add the pumpkin and cumin seeds to a spice or coffee grinder (in batches if necessary) and blend. Add to a blender with the remaining ingredients and blend until smooth. Pour into a container and serve or refrigerate. Makes about a cup.
8 Servings: 39 cal (1g fat, 7g carbs, 2g protein)
Shawrbat Habaq
2 days ago
I have this great mojo sauce I use over yucca. And after 28 years of being married to a Cuban, I think I got some clout on my side.
Don't know if I have blogged the recipe, but I will go check after replying here. But it is oh so simple.
Small frying pan-about 1/4 cup of oilive oil-about 3-5 cloves of grlic minced or pushed through a press-juice of 1-2 lemons-touch of salt. Heat them all to a decent heat and then pour over your cooked yuca. WOW!
I like enough sauce so that I can go back and dip my yucca in for more what? Oh yeah sauce!! I am such a sauce girl as well.
Love your stuff here.
mmmmm... cilantro pepper sauce sounds (and looks) amazing. i'm intrigued by the mushroom gravy too. i've been enjoying a chickpea masala - interested in trying your tofu idea.