When it comes to successful (and creative) cooking, the secret’s in the sauce. With a good sauce, you can build many different meals and snacks — from pasta and pizza to stuffed veggies and delicious dips!
Over the years, I’ve perfected several sauce recipes that have garnered the hungry-kid-and-husband seal of approval. (No small feat!) I like to make them on Sundays so I can easily assemble various meals throughout the week — because less time spent cooking means more time spent with the family!
1. Pesto, Zucker Style
Ingredients
2 cups fresh herbs (basil or herbs of choice)
1/2 cup nuts (almonds, walnuts or pine nuts)
1/2 cup olive oil
3 to 4 garlic cloves
Directions
1. Add basil and nuts to food processor and pulse a few times to break down. Add remaining ingredients and blend until smooth.
2. Cashew Cheese
Ingredients
2 cups raw cashews
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup nutritional yeast (optional)
3 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley
Directions
1. Soak cashews for about an hour, or overnight; drain.
2. Add all ingredients to food processor and blend well. For a thinner consistency, add more water.
Tips:
- For a cheese plate, add a little honey and lavender, omitting nutritional yeast and parsley.
- For more of an herb cheese, add additional chopped herbs (such as chives, basil or thyme) and reduce the amount of nutritional yeast.
3. Red Sauce
Ingredients
Olive oil or vegetable broth
Large onion, chopped
2 to 3 celery ribs, chopped
1 to 2 carrots, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped
Wine (optional)
2 to 3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes
1 (24 oz.) jar strained tomatoes
Salt and pepper
Herbs of choice (oregano, basil, bay leaf, etc.)
Balsamic vinegar (optional)
Pinch of sugar (optional)
Browned/seasoned meat, 1/4 pound each (optional): pork, lamb, veal, sweet Italian chicken sausage
Optional: Additional veggies, chopped (mushrooms, zucchini, squash, spinach–use whatever’s leftover in your refrigerator!)
Directions
1. In large sauce pot, saute vegetables in olive oil or vegetable broth until slightly softened.
2. Add a small amount of wine, water or vegetable broth. Add garlic, tomatoes and herbs/spices/salt/pepper to taste. Let sauce simmer for one hour, adding a dash of balsamic vinegar and pinch of sugar if desired.
3. Add browned/seasoned meat and simmer for another 45 minutes.
Tips:
- For a thicker sauce, add ¼ cup tomato paste.
- Before adding meat, I remove some of the sauce in order to have a vegan portion.
- This sauce freezes well””just pack it in a freezer-safe container!