Condiments

Hee hee... Lisa said "Condiments"...

Wait... am I the only one who has the humor of a sixth grade boy and laughs when I hear that word?

How embarrassing.

Anyway, I've been planning for months to add some of the basic, non-meal recipes that I make in the kitchen. All of these condiments/sauces are made with things that I always have on hand, and I started making them fresh because 1) otherwise I'd never use enough of the store-bought kind to justify the expense (except salsa... that's like water in Texas), 2) I like not being reliant on the store for quick-and-easy things to make, and 3) they taste good and I can make the decision as to how much sugar/salt to include, and can vary it based on who's eating it. The honey mustard dressing came from having the world's most random craving for honey mustard with a roasted chicken salad. I've never found a store-bought honey mustard that tastes anything like restaurant honey mustard, and then I found the recipe included below. Hopefully this next week I can keep up with posting some basics like these, including homemade cream of chicken and cream of mushroom soups.


Honey Mustard Dressing

- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice

Now, follow these tricky directions carefully...

Whisk it all together. Cover and store in refrigerator.

Did you get all that? I know... this requires some serious culinary skills. :-) I love this on spinach salad, and the kids think it's great to dip homemade chicken tenders in, or sweet potato fries (that one surprised me, too, but I tried it... it's tasty).


Soy-free "Soy" Sauce
 
- 2 cups beef broth (I use bouillon cubes and hot water if I'm out of boxed or homemade broth)
- 2 teaspoons cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon molasses
- 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 dash black pepper
- 1 dash garlic powder
- 1 dash onion powder
- salt to taste (I don't always use salt-- it depends on what kind of broth I'm using/what I'm making with the soy sauce)

Combine all of the ingredients in a sauce pan. Boil uncovered until reduced (I reduce to 2/3 c for the marinade below, but if you want to use it as a dipping sauce, keep boiling until it's reduced to around 1/2 c). You can store the sauce in the refrigerator-- be sure to shake it before using.


Pork Marinade

- 1 c cider vinegar
- 2/3 c soy sauce (I use the recipe above)
- 2/3 c brown sugar
- 2/3 T salt
- 1 clove minced garlic
- 1 t pepper

Mix all of this together and pour into a bag. Use to marinate 3 lbs of pork overnight. You can also use the marinade for chicken-- it tastes great!


Salsa

- 1 28-oz can whole, peeled tomatoes, undrained
- 1/2 bunch fresh, washed cilantro
- 3-5 cloves garlic-- too much garlic was the first time I "ruined" a batch of salsa... though really, it's hard to ruin if you taste test the whole way and add ingredients a bit at a time.
- onion-- this is subjective. I use less than 1/8 c, because as the salsa flavors mingle more over time, the onion can become REALLY potent. I often omit the onion completely, and it still tastes amazing. Too much onion was the second time I "ruined" a batch of salsa.
- 2-3 jalapeño peppers-- I use at least one with all of its seeds and one without. It's easier to add more "heat" with more seeds/peppers later than try to take it out!
- 1/2- 1 t cumin
- 1/2- 1 t coriander-- this is a spice you really should have in your cabinet. It's the "fruit" part of the cilantro plant, and I use it all the time in Mexican dishes. It's also used a lot in Indian cuisine.
- Kosher salt
- pepper

Pulse all of the ingredients in the blender. Add extra cumin/coriander/salt/pepper/jalapeños as needed. Cover and store in the refrigerator to let to flavors mix together.


Strawberry Syrup

- 3 c (1 lb) strawberries, mashed
- 1 c sugar-- you can reduce the amount. I use less than this for a "daily" version, and the full amount for "big deal" pancake breakfasts, like at the holidays
- 3 T orange juice

Boil all ingredients. Simmer until reduced to 1/3-1/2 original volume, around 15-18 minutes. Blend if desired. I use an immersion blender (kitchen necessity for soups and sauces!!) and blend around half of it, so I still have a few strawberry chunks. Serve warm.


Cocoa Syrup
takes 15 minutes to make; yield= ~3 c

- 1 1/2 c water
- 3 c sugar-- again, this amount can be reduced
- 1 1/2 c Dutch-process cocoa-- you can use regular cocoa, but I like the richness in the Dutch-processed cocoa
- 1/4 t Kosher salt (oh, Kosher salt, how I love thee when cooking!)
- 2 T light corn syrup-- this helps it keep its "flow-ability" and prevents crystallization
- 1 T vanilla

Boil the sugar and water together. Whisk in the cocoa, salt, and corn syrup. Reduce until slightly thickened (it will just start to coat the back of a spoon-- you don't want to get it too thick). Strain if desired (I don't) and cool to room temperature. Add the vanilla once cooler. Store in the refrigerator. I pour it into 2 clean squeeze bottles from previous chocolate syrups. You only need a tiny bit for chocolate milk-- guaranteed to be loved by kids and husbands alike! Also, you can heat it up a bit more on the stove or in the microwave and when it thickens up more, you will have a delicious fudge sauce to serve over ice cream... or fresh bananas, strawberries, and blueberries. Mmmm.

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Enchiladas

I first found this recipe a few years ago on the Gluten-Free Goddess website. If I were making it for my MIL, I'd go ahead and do the GF version, otherwise I'd likely use a mix of flour and corn tortillas. 

SWEET POTATO AND BLACK BEAN ENCHILADAS (gluten-free version)

Green Chile Sauce:
1 cup light vegetable broth (I have also used chicken broth)
1 tablespoon arrowroot starch dissolved in a little cold water (I just use cornstarch, or even flour)
1 generous cup chopped roasted green chiles- hot or mild (I use the canned kind)
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon cumin or chili powder, hot or mild, to taste

Filling:
1 15-oz can black beans, rinsed, drained
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
Fresh lime juice from 1 big juicy lime
2 heaping cups cooked sweet potatoes, smashed a bit, but still chunky (you can cube them and soften them. If you make homemade baby food, bake several potatoes, set aside a couple for this, and purée the rest!)
1/2 cup chopped roasted green chiles
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder, or curry, mild or spicy, as you prefer
Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

To assemble:

2-4 tablespoons light olive oil or vegetable oil, as needed
8 white corn tortillas
Shredded Monterey Jack cheese

-Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Choose a baking dish that will hold 8 enchiladas.

-Make your Green Chile Sauce by combining the broth, dissolved arrowroot (or cornstarch), green chiles, garlic and spices in a sauce pan and heating over medium-high heat. Bring to a high simmer. Simmer until thickened. Taste test. Set aside.

-In the meantime, using a mixing bowl, combine the drained black beans with minced garlic and lime juice. Toss to coat the beans and set aside.

-In a separate bowl combine the lightly smashed sweet potatoes with the chopped green chiles; add the spices. Season with sea salt and pepper.

-Pour about 1/4 cup of the Quickie Green Chile Sauce into the bottom of the baking dish.

-Grab a skillet and heat a dash of oil. Lightly cook the corn tortillas to soften them - one at a time - as you stuff each one. (Note: sometimes I just soften them a bit in the microwave between damp paper towels and then soak for a minute or so in the sauce so that I don't have to make them oily at all)

-Lay the first hot tortilla in the sauced baking dish; wet it with the sauce.

-Spoon 1/8 of the sweet potato mixture down the center. (Note: to make really yummy, add some cream cheese down the center as well)

-Top with 1/8 of the black beans.

-Wrap and roll the tortilla to the end of the baking dish.

-Repeat for the remaining tortillas. Top with the rest of the sauce.

-If you like, top with shredded Monterey Jack cheese.

-Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the enchiladas are piping hot and the sauce is bubbling around the edges.

This tastes unbelievably amazing-- people usually can't figure out what it is exactly that they're eating, but know they want seconds... and thirds.

Mashed red potatoes

Mmmm... There's nothing like setting a steaming bowl of mashed potatoes on the table and seeing everyone start to smile as they anticipate their first bite. And there's definitely nothing like seeing the look on their faces when they savor their first forkful of creamy deliciousness.

Of the myriad of versions of mashed potatoes I've made in my life, this recipe takes the cake. Or the potato.

Mashed Red Potatoes

2+ lbs red potatoes, washed and quartered
1/2 c butter
1/4 c milk
1/4 c buttermilk
1/4 c sour cream
Salt and pepper to taste

- Bring water and a dash of salt to boil in a large pot. The boiling part is important if we want to make creamy potatoes! Add the cut potatoes (with peels still attached) and boil for 10-15 minutes, until tender but still firm enough that they don't fall apart.

- Drain potatoes and put in a large bowl. Start mashing! This is a good time to take out your daily frustrations. After mashing around half of the potatoes, add the butter, cut into chunks. If you want to make this a bit lighter, feel free to cut down on the butter. I make the full-on delicious variety for special holidays and then reduce the butter the rest of the time. But, if you want to go for the whole stick, I won't tell.

- Add the milk, buttermilk, and sour cream. I always use reduced-fat versions of these, but I have no doubt it would take even more amazing (is this possible?) with the full-fat versions. And as always, don't worry if you don't have one or more of the ingredients (well, except for the potatoes... they're kind of important). The only reason I started using buttermilk was because I wanted to add 1/2 cup milk, but only had 1/4 cup (well, I had 1 cup, but the kids needed milk in the morning). I like how it adds a bit of tang, as does the sour cream.

- Add salt and pepper if you'd like. I sometimes omit this, especially if I've used salted butter. The red potatoes taste great on their own. Also, you can toss in some roasted garlic (or garlic powder or salt, if you don't have any garlic to roast!) for a twist on the original version.

Bon Appétit!

Tomatillo Salsa Baked Fish

1 lb tilapia fillets
1 c tomatillo salsa
1 c shredded cheese
1/2 c crushed tortilla chips
salt and pepper
oil or non-stick spray

- Preheat oven to 450°. Wash and pat the fish dry. Line baking sheet with foil and spray with non-stick spray (or just use a non-stick sheet and oil it a bit). Season fish with salt and pepper.

- Lay fish on baking sheet and top each with about 1/4 cup salsa. Bake 12-15 minutes.

- Remove from oven and sprinkle each fillet with about 1/4 cup cheese and 1/8 cup chips and serve.

Substitutions: No tilapia on hand? Try basa or another similar fish. You can also replace the tomatillo salsa with regular salsa. Instead of the chips, you can use bread crumbs. I've said it before and I'll say it again-- any recipe (other than baked goods) that is completely inflexible has no place in my kitchen. :-)

The fish also makes great tacos for lunch the next day. Simply put some fish in a corn tortilla and add a dollop of sour cream-- fancy, easy, and delicious!