Peanut Dipping Sauce

This is one of the tastiest condiment you will ever make. When I first decided I wanted to try spring rolls I noted down this recipe from a magazine. I never got around to making it until I finally made fresh spring rolls. This sauce was the perfect condiment.

My daughter who is not a fan of nuts fell in love with the sauce. It is the perfect combination of sweet and sour. It goes perfectly with the flavors in the spring rolls. The amounts listed against the ingredients are estimates. Adjust as per taste.

You will need
1/2 cup peanut butter, smooth and creamy, not chunky
1/4 cup warm water
1 tbsp. lime juice
1 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. sugar

For the garnish
roasted peanuts, chopped coarsely

Whisk all the ingredients for the sauce in bowl. Garnish with chopped roasted peanuts. The sauce is ready

Enjoy!

Dulce De Leche

For a long time, Dulce de leche was on my list of things to try. But I had heard of just two methods, one was to slave over a stove top for four hours and the other cooking a can of condensed milk under pressure - unopened. Neither seemed worth the effort. A few months back everything changed. I bought a new Instant pot pressure cooker right in the middle of the holiday season and joined a Facebook group of IP users. Everyone was trying Dulce de leche. This is my attempt.

I bought a pint sized mason jar and a can of Eagle brand 14 oz. condensed milk. I poured the milk in the mason jar and cooked it in the IP. Dulce de leche was ready. It was that simple. If you have an instant pot and a sweet tooth, you have to try the recipe.

You will need
1 can condensed milk (I used the 14 oz Eagle brand sweet condensed milk)
You will also need a mason jar. I used a one pint sized jar.

Wash and clean the jar. Open the can of milk and empty the contents in the jar.

Place the top on the jar, then place the lid and screw into place until you feel it resisting but not too tight. Place a trivet in the IP, I used the trivet that came with the IP. Place the jar over the trivet. Pour water around the jar until it is the same height as the milk in the jar, about half way up the jar.

Set the IP in manual mode for 35 minutes on High. NPR (natural pressure release) for 15 minutes. What that means is that you do not touch the IP until it finishes cooking and then starts counting up. You stop when it counts up to 15. Thereafter, you can release the pressure slowly by turning the value to venting. Once the pin drops and the pressure is released, open the IP and remove the jar. Careful, the jar is hot. Place the jar on the counter top to cool.

I let it cool for an hour and a half on the counter top then placed it in the refrigerator. Let it cool for a few hours. The Dulce de leche is ready!

Enjoy!

Note: If you like a thinner consistency, cook it for about 30 minutes, no more.





Enjoy!

This is my entry for week four, day three of BM #88 for the theme Bookmarked recipes. Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#88.

Prickly Pear Fruit Dip/Sauce

Did you know cactus fruit are sweet and flavorful? Have you ever tried them? We lived in Arizona for a very long time. We had Prickly pear and Saguaro growing in the garden. Every year we watched the local animals and birds fight over the fruit. It was hard to get some for us before the birds got to them. After we moved to Texas all we see are the small 5 inch tall cactus growing in little pots. I remember the first time I saw the little cacti at the nursery and almost cried. Imagine my surprise when I saw prickly pear fruit in the local 99 ranch market. I had to get it and make this sauce/dip.

The process is really the same as with any other fruit sauce or dip. You heat the fruit with a little sugar and strain. The aroma takes getting used to but the flavor is awesome.

You will need
3 ripe prickly pear fruit (pinkish in color, not green)
1 tbsp. sugar (or as needed, increase or decrease as per taste)

Peel the rough skin off the fruit and dice into cubes. Boil 3/4 cup of water in pan. Add the fruit and the sugar. Lower the heat and let it simmer until the fruit is cooked and can be mashed. Turn off the heat and allow it to cool for a few minutes.

Using a fine wire strainer, strain the sauce to remove the seeds and hard pulp. Discard the seeds and pulp. The sauce/dip is ready. Serve with fresh cut fruit like apples.

Enjoy with some fresh fruit!

Walnut Kale Pesto

Pesto is a green sauce traditionally made with pine nuts, basil and olive oil. Pesto is rich in fat and while a well made sauce is very flavorful it may not always be the preferred choice. If you are looking for an alternative this recipe is for you. I had some left over cottage cheese I trying to use up and needed a sauce to bind it as a filling. The walnut kale pesto worked perfectly.

I would not say the flavor is close but this pesto will work just as well as the traditional pesto recipe. You could add a bunch of basil leaves along with the kale to bring the taste profile closer to that you are used to, but in my family we really like this recipe.

You will need
2 cups Kale leaves
1/2 cup toasted walnuts
1 clove garlic
salt to taste

Bring water to a boil in the microwave safe cup. Add the kale leaves to the water and let it sit on the counter top for a few minutes. Drain the water, rinse the leaves in cold water and you are have instant blanched kale. Alternately you could use a pan over a stove top to boil the water.

Add the kale to a food processor along with the other ingredients and pulse until you have the desired consistency.

Use in pizza, pasta or sandwiches.

Red Enchilada Sauce

Mexican cuisine is very loved in my house. Though the green sauce or verde sauce is preferred in my house I sometimes make this red enchilada sauce. It is very easy and has a surprise ingredient - cacao, that gives it a very distinct taste and color.

It is very easy to make and stores well for a couple days in the refrigerator. My daughter gives it two thumbs up.

You will need
4-5 ripe tomatoes
1/2 cup water
1 tbsp. basil
1 tbsp. oregano
1 Serrano pepper, diced fine
1 tsp. red chili pepper powder
1 tbsp. cacao shavings
salt and black pepper to taste

Dice the tomatoes and keep aside. Mix the spices except the cacao with the water. Bring to a boil.

Add the tomatoes and the chocolate. Cook until the tomatoes are softened. Add salt and pepper. Turn off the heat and let it cool. Run the mixture through a blender until smooth. Use in your recipe as needed.

Enjoy!

Cranberry Sauce

I first made this Cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving back in 2007. It was the first time I had bought and used cranberries. I have made this sauce every year since then.

 I make it in small quantities and it adds a sweet and tart flavor to the meal.

Over the years I have changed it a little with organic ingredients, fresh squeezed juice and extended cook time. What I really like about this sauce is that it is tart and sweet at the same time. It can be used as a spread or substituted for jam if needed.

You will need
6 oz. fresh organic cranberries
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup fresh squeezed orange juice

Add all the ingredients to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer until berries pop. Mash gently with the back of a spoon or masher. Let the sauce simmer for about 3-5 minutes more.

Turn off heat. Chill until ready to serve. The sauce thickens as it cools.

Enjoy!

Marinara Sauce

Marinara sauce is the most popular Italian sauce known the world over. It is a vegetarian sauce supposed to date back to 17th century Naples. The name marinara appears to be derived from 'marinade' rather than 'marine'. However, people from Australia may beg to differ. Their marinara contains seafood.

Marinara is the simplest of the basic sauces and takes less than half an hour to prepare. To make good marinara you need good quality tart tomatoes. Try to find good quality ripe tomatoes to provide the tart flavor. Unless you grow tomatoes in your yard or have a really good source you might want to use canned tomatoes. Use good olive oil. You can substitute fresh basil for the dried oregano if you wish.

This sauce is used as a base or starting point for other tomato based sauces. It is used in stews, as a dip for bread sticks and nuggets or to top pizzas. However, it is most commonly used to top cooked pasta.

This sauce can be stored without refrigeration for a few days thanks to the acid in the tomatoes. It lasts longer when refrigerated.

You will need
6 large tomatoes
3 tbsp. olive oil
3 pods garlic
1 tbsp. oregano
2 dried red chilies
salt to taste

Bring  water to a boil in a large pan. Score and put the tomatoes int he water. Take them out after 5 minutes and let them cool a little. Peel the skin off, you can remove the seeds if you like. Dice the tomatoes and keep aside. Remove the shell from the garlic and slice it. In a large skillet heat the olive oil. Add the garlic slices to the hot oil and let them sizzle. Do not let them brown.

Add the tomatoes, red chilies and oregano. Season with salt to taste.

Bring it to a quick boil and let it simmer for about 15 minutes. Taste and adjust salt and oregano. Turn off the heat and remove the chilies.

Use as needed.

Blueberry sauce

Blueberry sauce is a one of the easiest of fruit sauces used to enhance the flavor and appearance of desserts and pancakes. It is sweet and tart, the taste dependent upon the blueberries used. It is a nice to know basic recipe best made with fresh blueberries.

If the blueberries are sweet decrease the amount of sugar. If they are tart increase the sugar. If you like the sauce thick decrease the amount of water.

You will need
6 oz. fresh blueberries
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar

Bring water and sugar to a boil in a pan on the stove top. Add the blueberries and let the liquid simmer for 2-3 minutes until the berries break open. Turn off the heat and let the sauce cool.

Microwave version: Heat the water, sugar and blueberries in a microwavable bowl for 1-2 minutes or until the water boils. The exact time depends upon the microwave. Stir it for 5 seconds and return to the microwave for another 15 seconds. It does boil over so watch it carefully.

You could use the sauce with blueberry chunks on pancakes. Or you could run it through a blender if you plan on using it in a dessert.

Straining the sauce gets rid of the blueberry seeds and gives you a finer sauce. The seeds do not alter the taste so you may choose to leave them in the sauce.

Chocolate glaze (without corn syrup)

Chocolate glaze is used to decorate cakes and pastries. It is very easy to make. Most recipes use corn syrup but it is not really needed to make good chocolate glaze.

You will need
1 1/2 tbsp. milk
1 tbsp. Agave nectar or honey
2 tbsp. butter
a handful of semisweet chocolate chips
1 tsp. vanilla

Combine all the ingredients in a microwaveable bowl and heat for 10 seconds. Stir and put it back for 10 seconds. Repeat until the chocolate chips and butter are completely melted. Keep aside and let it cool. It will thicken a little. Use as needed.

Basic White Sauce

White sauce is used as a base for a lot of recipes. It adds a creamy texture and provides a flavored base to build on.

You will need

1 tbsp. butter

1 tbsp. flour

3/4 cup warm milk

salt and pepper to taste

In a sauce pan melt butter on medium heat. Add in the flour a half tbsp. at a time and whisk in. Cook the mixture for a couple minutes. Pour in warm milk whisking all the time to prevent lumps. Never add cold milk to the sauce. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 3-4 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Turn off heat. Used as called for in the recipe.