Preparation Tips & Recipes

A simple sauce can turn plain grains, beans, and veggies into a meal with real pizzazz. I use sauces to perk up leftovers–another very easy way to make a fast dinner. Here are a few of my favorite ideas for fast sauces.

Lemon Tahini Sauce

This is a very traditional sauce in Middle Eastern dishes that uses sesame butter–also called tahini.

  • 1/2 cup tahini
  • 1/4 cup water
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 1 clove garlic minced or 1 teaspoon dried garlic
  • 1 teaspoon soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon dried parsley (optional)

Stir the water and lemon juice into the tahini, a little bit at a time. Stir in the garlic and soy sauce and the parsley.

Spicy Peanut Sauce

This traditional Indonesian sauce is my all time favorite meal! Serve it over rice, chunks of tofu or tempeh, steamed or saut�ed veggies, or noodles.

  • 2 tablespoons canola oil
  • 1/2 cup coarsely chopped onion
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon ginger powder or 2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger root
  • 1 cup smooth peanut butter
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Saute the onion, garlic, and ginger for about 8 minutes. Add the peanut butter and water and slowly stir to combine completely. Add the rest of the ingredients and cook over low heat until it is thick–about 20 minutes. If the sauce is thicker than you want, add a little more water. Add more cayenne if you like your sauce a little hotter.

Gravies

Once in a while, you just need a serving of mashed potatoes with gravy. It�s not that difficult to make a good vegetarian version of the gravies you grew up with. Two products that I find extremely helpful are Bistro, a powder that contains thickening agents and a beef-like flavor, and chicken-flavored powdered broth, which is often sold in bulk in food coops. There are also some packaged commercial products like McKay�s Chicken-Style Seasoning. These are vegetarian products. Here are two ideas for vegetarian gravy:

Chicken Style Gravy

  • 2 tablespoons white flour
  • 1 tablespoon chicken-style powdered broth
  • 2 tablespoons canola oil
  • 1/2 cup water

Heat the oil and stir in the flour. Stir over very low heat for about 2 minutes. Stir in the powdered broth. Remove from heat and stir in the water, stirring constantly to avoid lumping. Return to heat and bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer, stirring until gravy is thick and smooth. Season with salt and pepper and add more powdered broth if you like.

Mushroom Gravy

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 1 cup vegetable broth (1 cup hot water into which 1 tablespoon powdered broth has been mixed)
  • 2 teaspoons low-sodium Worcestershire sauce

Saute the mushrooms in the olive oil for about 8 minutes. Stir in the flour and stir over low heat for 2 minutes. Slowly add the stock, stirring constantly to avoid lumps. Bring to a boil. Remove immediately from heat and stir in the Worcestershire sauce.

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