Preparing healthy food - Sauces and Dips

BBQ Sauce

This BBQ Sauce kind of came out of nowhere, much like the Chili. I needed something that didn't have a lot of sugar or sodium in it and I needed it fast before Rob noticed I was creating something new for him.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup No Salt Ketchup

1 tbsp worcester sauce

1 garlic clove, minced and crushed

1/4 tsp liquid smoke

3-4 packets of Truvia

1/2 tsp honey or agave nector

If this sauce is going to be cooked, add a tablespoon of whiskey.

Directions:

Place all ingredients into a bowl and mix thoroughly.  You can use it as a marinade, brush it onto your meat before it goes on the grill, or even just use as a dip.

Blue Cheese Dip

I feel like this is the simplist of all my recipes. We use this for wings, as salad dressing and as a dip. Its still high in fat so be careful, don't eat a whole bowl of it. This is great to take to a party with you.

Ingredients:

Low fat blue cheese

32 oz of cottage cheese (no sodium)

Pepper and "no salt" to taste

2 tsp garlic powder

*Optional*

1/4 cup soy milk, or reg milk

Directions:

Put the cottage cheese in a high speed blender and blend until creamy. Add blue cheese and spices to taste then blend until smooth. If you want to make it a bit more watered down so you can use it as dressing, add milk or soy until you get the desired consistency.

Creamy Tomato Sauce

Ingredient

1 tbsp butter

1 cup soy

1/4 cup wine (red or white)

1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese

1 sm. can tomato paste

*Optional*

1/2 can diced tomatos well drained

Directions:

Melt butter in a pan over medium heat. Stiring constantly, add milk and wine and cook until hot. Add parmesan cheese and let it melt then toss in the diced tomatos if you'd like your sauce to be chunky.  If you can help it, try not to add any of the juice but if you do its ok.  Now you can stir in the tomato paste 1 tablespoon at a time until you get the desired consistancy.

Chicken Pasta

You can make a classic Marinara, vegetable, or bolognese sauce with this basic recipe.  Scroll to the bottom for a quicker recipe that doesn't require mashing tomatoes.

Tomato Based Sauce

Ingredients:

12 roma tomatoes, chopped

3 zucchini, chopped

1 medium onion, diced

1 lbs ground turkey meat

2 garlic cloves

1/4 cup Oregano

1/4 cup Basil

1 bay leaf

1 6oz can "no salt added" tomato sauce

pepper, to taste

*optional*

cayenne pepper or pepper paste to taste

Directions:

I use either a pot or a large deep pan to make this. I use either a pot or a large deep pan to make this.  Sauté onions until they are translucent. Add garlic and zucchini and cook until the zucchini is soft. Remove from heat and put contents aside. Put the ground turkey in your pan and brown it. Once your meat is done, add it to the bowl with your onions and zucchini.

Place the tomatoes in the pan along with the oregano and basil.  Sauté for 10 minutes then use an immersion blender to purée most of it.  Or you can put your mixture in a blender.  How chunky the sauce is, depends on your preference. 

If you blended your mixture, place it back in to your pot. Mix together your tomato sauce, meat, onions, zucchini, bay leaf and pepper(s).  Simmer on low heat for 30 minutes.

Alternative (Quick Marinara)

Sometimes I don't have enough time to cut up and purée 12 tomatoes. On those days I use Safeways "no salt added" canned products. The following recipe is good for 2, maybe 3, people.

Ingredients:

16 oz "no salt added" stewed tomatos

8 oz can "no salt added" tomato sauce

2 tbsp oregano

2 tbsp basil

2 tbsp oregano

Pepper to taste

*Optional*

Pepper paste and/or red pepper flakes

2 tbsp tomato paste.

Directions:

In apan over on medium heat up the stewed tomatoes, tomato sauce and spices. If you prefer it hot like Rob does, add in your pepper paste and/or red pepper flakes. (I use both because Rob likes it really hot). Simmer for 20 minutes. I like this consistency but if you want it thicker you can add a few tablespoons of tomato paste.

Quick Chili

I don't think I could eat a bowl of this by itself but its perfect for chili dogs, chili cheese fries,chili burgers or anything you think would be amazing if were topped off with a little chili.

Ingredients

1/2 can black beans, fully washed

1 cup no salt ketchup

1/4 cup onion, diced

1/4 cup chili powder

1 garlic clove, minced

1 cup turkey meat (I used a premade patty from the night before)

1tsp liquid smoke

Directions:

In a pan, sauté the onion and garlic until the onion is translucent. Add meat (if your meat is raw continue to stir until fully cooked). Pour in the ketchup, beans, chili powder, and liquid smoke and simmer for 10 minutes then serve.

Salsa

Ingredients:

3 Tomatoes

3 Red bell peppers

1 Onion, medium

Truvia

Parsley

2 Garlic cloves

1-2 jalapenos (or habaneras if you can handle it, I can't)

1 cup greens chopped (mustard, kale, radish)

1 tsp olive oil

Directions:

Cut tomatoes in half. Place them on a baking sheet with the red peppers and jalapenos.  Lightly brush them with olive or chili oil. Place the baking sheet in the broiler for 20 minutes, making sure to turn them over once the skin has blackened on one side. If there are some whose skins darken faster than the other, pull them out. After, place all your peppers in an air tight container, or paper bag, until it's time to add them to salsa.

In a pan, sauté the onions on medium heat in olive oil until soft and translucent and then add in the greens.  Cook until the greens are wilted.  Place them aside.  Now take your garlic cloves and pan roast them, still in their shell, until they are a dark brown, place them off to the side to allow them cool. Take your peppers out of the container and peel the skins off.  Remove the shells from your garlic.  Add all ingredients to a blender.  Use the pulse to mix everything together.  Continue to pulse until you create a salsa you like...either chunky or smooth. 

White Cream Sauce

Ingredients:

2 tbsp butter

1 cup soy milk

2 tbsp gluten free all purpose flour

1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese

*Optional*

splash of white wine

Directions:

Melt butter over a low heat. Mix the flour into the butter and cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Slowly add in milk until its completely blended with the butter and flour. Once your milk is smooth and thick, stir in the parmesan cheese and wine. .