Category: Sauces, Condiments, & Marinades

Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas


I just finished my second batch of these and will probably make a third sometime in the next couple of days… they’re that good! I am not a chicken enchilada connoisseur by any means, but think these are pretty darn tasty! After my first batch came out of the oven, I decided I wanted to add a little sauce on top, so I whipped up  a quick & hot enchilada sauce that turned out to be a nice addition. The only thing that I did differently the second time, was to make the enchilada sauce just before the dish was ready to come out of the oven.  However, you can skip the sauce if you’d like. This recipes serves four, so simply double the ingredients if you need to make more.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup cooked chopped chicken breast
  • 1/2 pkg (4 oz) cream cheese (can use light or fat-free)
  • 1/2 cup salsa (I prefer peach mango salsa w/medium hotness)
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 1/2 cup chopped onion (sautéed)
  • 1 cup shredded reduced-fat 4-cheese Mexican blend cheese, plus extra to sprinkle on top
  • 1/2 can condensed reduced-fat cream of chicken soup, undiluted
  • 1/2 small can of green chilis, drained (or jalapenos for extra heat)
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp chipotle chili pepper powder
  • 1/4 cup chopped black olives (optional)
  • 1/4 cup diced tomatoes (optional)
  • 4 medium flour tortillas

Enchilada sauce (optional)

  • 1 cup red Enchilada sauce
  • 1/4 cup sour cream
  • 1/4 cup salsa
  • 1 tbsp corn starch

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 375F.
  2. Lightly grease a 8×8 glass baking dish.
  3. Melt butter in a small saucepan & add onions; cook until soft or desired doneness.
  4. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine cream cheese, salsa, cream of chicken soup, green chilis, chili & chipotle powder and cook until melted/blended together.
  5. Add chicken and sautéed onions.
  6. Put a little of the chicken salsa mixture on bottom of pan (this step is optional).
  7. Lay out tortillas & spread a few heaping tablespoons of mixture and 1/4 cup of cheese down center of one tortilla.
  8. Roll jelly-roll style and place filled tortilla, seam side down in dish.
  9. Repeat with remaining tortillas.
  10. Spread remaining chicken salsa mixture evenly on top of enchiladas.
  11. Cover and bake for 30 minutes.
  12. Uncover, sprinkle with additional cheese. Add black olives and diced tomatoes (optional).
  13. Bake for an additional 10 minutes or until cheese melts.
  14. Remove from oven and serve immediately with or without enchilada sauce.

For the enchilada sauce

  1. In a small saucepan, combine enchilada sauce, sour cream, salsa and corn starch over medium heat, until blended and bubbly.
  2. Pour over baked enchiladas.

The Oaks Peanut Sauce


This sauce, by The Oaks at Ojai chef Christine Denney, will really be the jack-of-all-trades in your refrigerator. Serve this versatile peanut sauce with salad greens, shredded carrots and minced green onion or with chicken or fish.

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp natural unsalted peanut butter
  • 2 tsp raw, organic honey
  • 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp rice vinegar
  • 2 tsp low-sodium soy sauce
  • Pinch red pepper flakes
  • ¼ cup low-fat plain yogurt

Directions

  1. In a bowl, whisk all ingredients together except yogurt. Lightly fold in yogurt.

Cilantro-Lime Aioli


This aioli goes with the Mini Crab Cakes, but is a lovely addition to seafood, and can also be used in sandwiches or over grilled chicken.

Ingredients

  • 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
  • Juice of half a lime
  • 1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard (not coarse grained)
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1 bunch cilantro, washed, trimmed of the stem bottoms, and patted dry
  • Kosher salt

Directions

  1. Add the egg yolk to the bowl of your food processor with the blade attachment. Whisk in lime juice and mustard.
  2. In a separate bowl, combine the oils and then add the oil mixture in a slow steady trickle through the opening in your processor while the blade is whisking constantly.
  3. Continue until all the oil is incorporated and the mixture has emulsified (thickened to a creamy consistency).
  4. Add the garlic cloves and cilantro in small bunches, allowing it all to be processed and incorporated.
  5. Season with kosher salt to taste.
  6. Chill, covered, until ready to use.

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Dijon Cream Sauce


This sauce goes with the Pecan-crusted Halibut recipe.

Recipe courtesy of Coastal Living

Ingredients

  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1/2 cup coarse dijon mustard
  • Sea salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

  1. Combine cream and dijon in medium saucepan.
  2. Whisk constantly over low heat for 3 minutes or until heated.
  3. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Honey Ginger Teriyaki


I could talk about sauce/marinade all day, and personally, I tend to favor them more on the sweet side than the spicy. Here’s an easy recipe that can be whipped up in no time and add quite a nice flavor to fish, meat, vegetables and chicken.

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp fresh ginger (use garlic press)
  • 1 tbsp garlic, minced
  • 1/4 tsp powdered onion
  • 1 tbsp ketchup
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon

Directions

  1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
  2. Refrigerate in an air-tight container.

If you want an amazing store-bought teriyaki, I highly recommend East-West Specialty Sauces. My personal favorite, Sweet Ginger Teriyaki  🙂 They have some great sauce recipes on their site, so check ’em out.

Red (or White) Onion Marmalade


This SWEET and tangy condiment is perfect for grilled meats, burgers, sandwiches, pizza or on a crostini as an appetizer.

 Ingredients

  • 2 red (or white) onions
  • 3/4 cup red wine vinegar
  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar

Directions

  1. Halve onions lengthwise and cut into thin slices.
  2. Add vinegar and sugar to a saucepan over medium heat.
  3.  Bring to a simmer and add the onions.
  4.  Cook, stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes.
  5. Reduce heat and continue cooking for 20 minutes, or until the onions are shiny and caramelized.

Quick & Easy Burger/Sandwich Spread


Mix some of the condiments that you have in your fridge to make a spread with a kick.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 tbsp ketchup
  • 1 tbsp dijon mustard
  • 1 tbsp mayonnaise (I prefer light or fat-free)
  • 1/4 tsp hot horseradish (add more according to taste preference)

Directions

  1. Mix together and there you have it; a new condiment!

Seared Tuna (with sauce)


If you like seared tuna or tuna tataki, then I have a great recipe for you! The tuna is served rare, so please make sure to buy good quality, sushi-grade fresh tuna.

Pictured here without sauce

Ingredients

  • 1 (6 oz) block sushi-quality tuna (cut into thin rectangles)
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • Sesame seeds
  • Poppy seeds
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • 1 tsp fresh ground ginger (optional)

Directions

  1. Heat a non-stick skillet with just a little bit of oil (either sesame or olive) to medium-high.
  2. Mix the soy, honey and sesame oil (and ginger, if using) in a small bowl and microwave for 10 seconds, stir, then set aside.
  3. Prepare a plate with a mix of salt, pepper, sesame & poppy seeds.
  4. Roll the tuna in the spice mixture so all sides are coated.
  5. Sear tuna for a minute on each side, turning only once.
  6. Remove sushi from heat and place on cutting board.
  7. Let cool down for a few minutes for better slicing.
  8. Slice tuna very thin and serve with sauce drizzled on top.

To make a nice seared tuna appetizer, prepare as above. Tuna can be placed on a cracker or wonton crisp, with a pinch of seaweed salad in between. To give it a little kick , you can place a drop of Japanese mayo on top of the tuna.

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Ragù alla Bolognese (Bolognese Sauce)


My friend, Peter, asked if I could post a good Bolognese sauce and this one is much better than good; it’s excellent. For those that are not familiar, Bolognese sauce is a thick, full-bodied meat-based pasta sauce, originating from Bologna, Italy. After years of research, the Italian Academy of Cuisine and the Associated Brotherhood of the Tortellino filed an official recipe for “authentic” Ragù Bolognese which contains beef, pancetta, onions, carrots, celery, tomato paste, meat broth, white wine, and milk . Among the particularities of classic Ragù Bolognese, the most important one is the cut of beef used. Thin flank – a cut rich in both fat and flavor is traditionally used, however most today prefer a to use leaner cuts in their Ragù. Also, the traditional use of pancetta is now sometimes replaced with extra virgin olive oil instead of the fat from the pancetta. In addition, the small amount of milk in the “authentic” recipe is not widely used by everybody today. Instead, tomato has been used more often in comparison to the original recipe, yet Bolognese Ragù is really not considered a tomato-based sauce. So, I’ve made some changes to update to a more modern recipe, but I assure you, this will not disappoint.

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 4 slices bacon, cut up into small pieces
  • 1 large onion, minced
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 pound lean ground beef
  • 1/2 pound ground pork
  • 1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 carrots, shredded
  • 1 celery stalk, chopped
  • 1 (28 oz) can Italian plum tomatoes
  • 6 oz tomato sauce
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine
  • 1/2 cup chicken stock
  • 2 tsp fresh basil
  • 2 tsp fresh oregano
  • Salt & pepper to taste

Directions

  1. In a large skillet, warm oil over medium-high heat and cook bacon until it is browned & crisp.
  2. Remove bacon from pan and set aside.
  3. In the same skillet, using the bacon fat, fry the onions, celery and shredded carrot.
  4. When those become soft, add the beef, pork and garlic.
  5. Once brown drain off excess fat and add remaining ingredients.
  6. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 1 hour, stirring occasionally.