Sensational Sauces to Dress Up All Your Meals
Dress up and get saucy, sister! When you’ve got a stash of easy-to-whip-up sauces to add to your staple beans, greens, and grains, you just can’t go wrong – they add pizzazz to any old meal. Plus, you’re saving money and saving time, and you can make it healthy and delicious. Who could ask for anything more? This is what I call showgirl fuel, and now you can fuel your own showgirl shenanigans with this collection of sensational sauces. ~MG
Rachel’s Garlic-Cilantro Aioli
Yields about 2/3 cup
My friend Rachel Holder is also a showgirl of sorts. She’s a fabulous singer, and she’s also a great vegan cook (dare I say I might have had some influence there…) When she served me this creamy concoction, I just couldn’t resist asking for the recipe. Lo and behold, it’s so easy to make. Feel free to adjust the ingredient proportions as per your taste and serve it over something simple like brown rice, black beans, and veggies to add wowsa flavor.
1/2 cup vegan mayonnaise (I recommend Follow Your Heart Vegenaise)
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
2 teaspoons minced garlic
¼ cup chopped cilantro
Mix the vegan mayonnaise, lime juice, and garlic in a small bowl until well combined. Fold in the chopped cilantro and have at it.
Nibbly Nacho Sauce
Adapted from hotforfoodblog.com by Lauren Toyota
Yields about 1¼ cup
Ooey. Gooey. Wonderful. This vegan cheese sauce is gonna make all your nacho dreams come true. Bring it to a potluck and everyone will soon be your best friend. They won’t believe it’s vegan, and they’ll want the recipe. Use it anywhere you’d use a nacho cheese sauce: tortilla chips, rice and beans, fresh veggies. Take note: it’s got a mild kick, so if you want to amp up the heat, add a couple more jalapeño slices.
1 cup peeled and cubed russet potatoes
½ cup peeled and chopped carrot
¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon plain unsweetened nondairy milk
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 tablespoons jalapeño chile brine
4 pickled jalapeño chile slices
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
1½ teaspoons cornstarch
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon sea salt
Bring a medium pot of water to boil over high heat. Add the potatoes and carrots and cook until tender, about ten minutes.
Put the potatoes, carrots, nondairy milk, oil, lemon juice, and brine in a high-speed blender. Process until smooth.
Add the remaining ingredients and again process until smooth, this time as smooth as Mistress Ginger. (That means very smooth.)
Jo’s Sesame Caesar Dressing
Adapted from The Saucy Vegetarian
Yields about 2/3 cup
My friend Jo Stepaniak’s delightful cookbook The Saucy Vegetarian is a culinary tome of “quick and healthful no-cook sauces and dressings,” published in 2000. (Yes, people have been vegan that long and longer!) Here’s in my collection of sensational sauces, I pay tribute to Jo with this recipe I’ve adapted from that very book. This one’s a staple for me, and you can enjoy it as Jo suggests, on “torn romaine lettuce with garlic-herb croutons, baked russet potatoes, penne with red kidney beans…” Really, the possibilities are endless.
2 tablespoons tahini
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1½ tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon minced garlic
Combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl and whisk together until creamy and smooth. If you’d like a thinner consistency, whisk in additional water. That’s it!
Serving suggestion: For the samples at Twin Cities Veg Fest, I tossed this dressing over a romaine lettuce salad with red bell pepper and Daring Original Plant-Based Chicken (currently available at the Seward Coops in Minneapolis).
The Magic Formula: Beans, Greens & Grains
An excerpt from Mistress Ginger Cooks! (my cookbook)
“Beans, greens, and grains.” Let this be your mantra. At every lunch and dinner, try to get something from each of these three nutrient-dense food groups and then rest assured that you’re getting a variety of essential nutrients in your diet. You needn’t labor over elaborate dishes to make this happen. To see what I mean, take a gander at the Brazilian Rainbow Platter in my cookbook. It’s a simple, beautiful, delicious meal that can be made in mere minutes.
"We've never thought it possible to use the words 'vegan' and 'glamour' in the same sentence, until now..." - The Star Tribune