Paleo Satay Sauce

19 07 2012

This is a super quick and easy satay sauce. I have used my nut butter rather than peanut butter as peanuts are not considered paleo because they are actually a legume not a nut!? GASP!! I know! Outrageous right! Well it’s true. If you love peanuts, feel free to use a natural crunchy peanut butter in place of the nut butter, just make sure it’s not full of crap.

1/2 small onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 red chilli, finely chopped
1/2 cup nut butter- I used almond & sunflower butter
1 cup coconut milk
1 tbs fresh lemon juice
1 tbs apple cider vinegar
Pinch salt and pepper
Pinch turmeric

In a frypan Sauté onion, garlic and chilli for a few minutes until onions are soft, add remaining ingredients and mix until combined well. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 5-10 minutes. You can add some extra coconut milk or water to get it to the consistency you want it. I served my sauce over some grilled chicken and veggie stir fry. You could serve it over veggies or tofu or a different meat as well. Enjoy.

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Harissa

2 07 2012

Harrissa is a North African chilli sauce that is often used to flavour meat or veggies but you can use it on whatever you would use a chilli sauce on. I marinate chicken in it mostly but it is delicious with some hot smoked salmon and poached eggs for brekkie too. Chillies contain a health benefiting alkaloid compound in them, capsaicin, which gives their strong spicy pungent character. Early studies suggest that capsaicin has anti-bacterial, anti-carcinogenic, analgesic and anti-diabetic properties. It also found to reduce LDL cholesterol levels in obese individuals. This makes about 2 cups Harissa paste. I keep half in the fridge and freeze the other half.

1 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tbsp caraway seeds
2 tsp cumin seeds
200g red chili peppers, roughly chopped (remove seeds if you don’t want to burn your mouth off, I left half with seeds in and half without)
1 small red capsicum, roughly chopped
1 garlic bulb, peeled and roughly chopped
1/2 a bunch of fresh coriander, roughly chopped
1 tbsp dried mint
1 tsp salt
olive oil

Method
Roast coriander, caraway, and cumin seed in a dry pan for about 2 minutes and ground in a pestle and mortar. (The smell of this will be incredibly fragrant!)
Put the ground spices, all the other ingredients, and about 2-3 tbsps of olive oil in a mixer or food processor. Blend until you get a thick paste. Fill into a sterilized jar and you are good to go.

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Categories : Sauces, stock and dressings

Creamy Cauliflower Sauce

25 06 2012

I was hunting around for a delicious sauce to use on a salad that was really tasty but still “clean”. I found a few different recipes using cauliflower, this is what I ended up with. It is kinda creamy, without the cream and would make a great sauce on zucchini pasta or tossed through a Broccoli Salad, you could even use it as a spread or on your pizza base.

Cauliflower is from the same family as broccoli and cabbage, it contains many essential B-complex vitamins and loads of vitamin C. Cauliflower contains several anti cancer phyto-chemicals which have proven benefits against prostate, breast, cervical, colon, ovarian cancers. Let’s hear it for cauliflower!

1 golden shallot, roughly chopped
1/2 zucchini
2 cups roasted cauliflower (chop cauliflower into chunks, place on baking paper on a baking tray, sprinkle with water, roast for about 20-30 mins on 180C)
1 tsp tahini
Pinch Himilayan Rock Salt
Pinch cayenne pepper
1/4 cup flaxseeds
1/2 cup basil leaves
3-4 cloves roasted garlic- OPTIONAL
1/2 cup water (you can add a bit more if you want a thinner sauce)
Juice 1/2 lemon

Put all ingredients in food processor and blend until smooth. Easy Peasey.

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Categories : Sauces, stock and dressings

Spinach and Pistachio Pesto

18 05 2012

This pesto makes a great dip, spread or topping. I like to use mine to drizzle on grilled chicken and pizzas. The spinach is so full of goodness and the pistachios are storehouse of minerals like copper, manganese, potassium, calcium, iron, magnesium, zinc, and selenium. Copper is an essential trace mineral that is required in neuro-transmission, metabolism, as well as red blood cell (RBC) synthesis. Pistachios are an excellent source of vitamin E and B-complex group vitamins.

1 cup firmly packed baby spinach
1/2 pistachios
1/4 flaxseed oil
Juice 1 lemon
Pepper and salt to taste
Green tea- as required to get the consistency you want

Use a stick mixer or small food processor, process spinach, lemon juice and oil until combined, add pistachios and pulse. Season with salt and pepper and add green tea and continue pulsing until you get the consistency you want.

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Feeling Saucey?

25 04 2012

So, it has been a long time since there has been any type of sauce in our pantry or fridge but there is times when you need it… I mean seriously, burgers (homemade of course) without tomato sauce?! Outrageous! So I have found a few recipes I have adapted for the desperate times :)

Did you know that Sweet Chilli Sauce contains about 40g of sugar/100g! That is almost more than a Snickers bar! Pre-made sauces and marinades are generally full of sugar, preservatives and rubbish that we have never heard of. There are loads of great herbs and spices we can use to flavour our food rather than using the pre-packaged varieties. Here’s a few sauce ideas.

Sweet Chilli Sauce
To make your own healthier sweet chilli sauce combine in a high speed blender or food processor the following ingredients: 2 red capsicum, seeded and chopped, 1 red chilli, seeds removed or leave them in if you like it hot, 6 fresh pitted dates, 1 clove crushed garlic, pinch sea salt, 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar.
Blend until combined and store in a glass jar in the fridge for up to one month.

Teriaki sauce
100 ml tamari soy sauce
2 fresh pitted dates or 2 teaspoons honey or agave
1tbs apple cider vinegar
50 g red apple grated or apple puree (baby food is perfect, it is generally free of preservatives and artificial nasties)
20 g finely diced shallot
5 g fresh grated ginger
60 ml water
Combine sauce ingredients into a blender/food processor until smooth. Store in the fridge for up to 4 weeks.

Tomato Sauce
3 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 shallots, minced
4 cloves
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon salt

In a saucepan, heat the oil, sauté the garlic and shallots. Toss in everything else. Bring to the boil then reduce to simmer for about half an hour. Blend it up with a stick mixer or wait until it has cooled and give it a whizz in the food processor.


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