sauce

Aji Verde (Peruvian Green Chili Sauce)

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aji verde

Recently, I went to Sophie’s Cuban Cuisine near me and had completely forgotten how much I love their green sauce. The first time I made it, I used the food processor and didn’t really like the consistency of the sauce even though it tasted great. The Vitamix worked out better and was less cleaning, so win-win. You can use this sauce on just about anything, including meat, seafood, veggies, etc. It’s actually a nice salad dressing too!

Ingredients:

1 bunch cilantro, including stems
4 jalapenos, most seeds removed and roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled
¼ cup avocado or olive oil
1-2 tablespoons mayonnaise (optional)
Squeeze of lemon juice
½ teaspoon sea salt

1. Puree all ingredients in blender. Mayonnaise adds creaminess. If the sauce appears too thick, add water to thin it out. Refrigerate to allow flavors to meld together. It keeps fresh for about a week. Enjoy!

Roasted Garlic-Harissa Yogurt Dip!

Jennifer 4 Comments

roasted garlic harissa yogurt dip

Harissa is a blend of hot chile peppers, garlic, olive oil and spices and commonly used as a flavor base for curries and stews, as well as a condiment in the Middle East. Use it to add some spice in place of your regular hot sauce. The heat of the harissa, creaminess of the yogurt, sweetness of the roasted garlic, and acidity of the lime juice perfectly balance each other. This is versatile and works well as a dip or sauce with crudite, roasted veggies, and chicken.

Ingredients:
1 bulb roasted garlic, peeled and mashed
1 tablespoon harissa
2 cups plain full fat greek yogurt
juice from ½ lime
salt
mint leaves, garnish

Procedure:
1. In a food processor, add roasted garlic, harissa, and greek yogurt. Pulse until smooth.
2. Stir in lime juice and season with salt to taste.
3. Garnish with mint leaves
4. Enjoy!

Sweet Tahini Sauce!

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tahini sauce

This dressing is kind of a mediterranean meets asia recipe, adapted from one found in Yotam Ottolenghi’s Plenty More cookbook. All of the flavors work so well together. It’s best to use unfiltered apple cider vinegar, which is full of probiotics, the good bacteria in your gut that aid digestion and strengthen immunity. Tahini is not just for making hummus; break out your jar and make this yummy sauce! It’ll get your loved ones to eat their veggies 🙂 This would also be a great on a crudite platter. Those veggies will be gone before you know it! Enjoy!

2 tablespoons tahini
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon unfiltered apple cider vinegar
½ teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon honey
1/4-1/2 teaspoon salt

Whisk all ingredients together and serve with your favorite veggies.

Spicy Chermoula!

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chermoula

While working at Dimes in NYC, I’ve been learning quite a bit. The menu draws inspiration from various types of cuisine. I had never heard of chermoula before, but have had to make it for the restaurant a few times and finally made my own version of it at home. It originates from Morocco and is traditionally used as an herb marinade for fish or seafood. Similar to a pesto or chimichurri, this can be used as a sauce on veggies, eggs, chicken, fish, or mixed into grains or pasta for an instant flavor upgrade 🙂

Spicy Chermoula

Yield: about 1 pint

Ingredients:

4 cloves of garlic

1 habanero pepper, seeded

1 red hot cherry pepper, seeded

1 bunch cilantro

1 bunch parsley

4-5 large curly kale leaves, de-stemmed

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup olive oil

2 teaspoons cumin seed, toasted and ground

1 teaspoon fennel seed, toasted and ground

1/2 teaspoon coriander seed, toasted and ground

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Procedure:

1. Process everything in the food processor. The herbs and kale may have to be added in batches. For a smoother chermoula, use a Vitamix. 2. Adjust olive oil for smoother, looser consistency