Homemade Sauces

I found several "sauce" recipes while cleaning out the binder, and figured I'd record them all in one spot. It may be a while before we try them all, which means there's not a picture for each recipe; but at least I'll know where to find them!

Basic Green Sauce

• 1 cup chopped onions
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil (maybe use even less)
• 10 ounces fresh spinach, chopped (about 6 cups)
• 8 ounces tomatillos, husked and coarsely chopped (about 2 cups)
• 1 can (4 ounces) green chilies
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 tablespoon dried oregano leaves
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 1/2 cups sour cream

Cook and stir onions in oil in a saucepan until tender. Stir in spinach, tomatillos, chilies, garlic and oregano. Cover and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cool a bit, then process in food processor or blender until smooth. Return to pan, add chicken broth, simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Stir in sour cream. Makes about 4 cups.

We used this Green Sauce to make turkey enchiladas. I just combined some sauce with chopped, cooked turkey and grated Monterey Jack cheese, and a few sliced olives. Place spoonfuls of the mixture on a tortilla, roll up and place in baking dish, top with more sauce and cheese, and bake until heated through. Wayne said we should have this again in the future. That's high praise!

I didn't use all the tomatillos I had purchased in the previous recipe, so I decided to try making my own salsa verde. Here's the inspiration recipe. I loved the idea of roasting the tomatillos, but I also wanted to eat lunch quickly, so instead of waiting for the oven to preheat (the recipe suggested 425 degrees for 15 minutes), I broiled them for about 8 minutes, flipping halfway through. While they were cooking, I gathered the other ingredients. Then, since we had some avocados ready to use as well, I used some of the salsa to make guacamole. (That idea came from here.) It was a bit heavy on the lime flavor, but still very good. We'll have this again someday!

Salsa Verde

• 3 tomatillos, husked, washed, and roasted
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley (remember we don't care for cilantro)
• 2 tablespoons chopped jalapeno pepper
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/2 tablespoon lime juice (cut back next time)
• 1/4 teaspoon each salt and cumin

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse to desired consistency.

Basic White Sauce - Melt 1/4 cup butter in a pan and stir in 1/4 cup flour until smooth. Slowly add 2 cups milk, stirring constantly until smooth. Bring to a boil to thicken. Season to taste.

Cocktail Sauce - Combine 1/2 cup catsup with 1 tablespoon lime or lemon juice, 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce and 1 teaspoon chili sauce.

Note: Wayne wasn't super impressed with this recipe, and I thought cocktail sauce was supposed to have horseradish in it. Next time, try this version:

Tangy Cocktail Sauce

• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1-2 tablespoons prepared horseradish
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 3-4 dashes hot sauce, optional

Combine all ingredients. Enjoy this sauce with seafood, on burgers, as a tangy vegetable dip, and more.

Chili Sauce 

• 1 cup tomato sauce
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar, or more to taste
• 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
• ½ teaspoon chili powder
• ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon onion powder

Combine all ingredients. Makes 1 1/4 cups. (from this website)

Teriyaki Sauce #1 - Combine 1/2 cup brown sugar, 2 tablespoons cornstarch, 1/2 teaspoon garlic and 1/2 teaspoon ginger (fresh and minced preferred, but dried works). Add 1 1/4 cups chicken broth, 1/4 cup soy sauce and 1/4 cup dry sherry. Bring to a boil to thicken.

Teriyaki Sauce #2 (from Best Bites) - Combe 1/2 cup sugar with 1 tablespoon cornstarch, 1/2 teaspoon garlic, 1/2 teaspoon ginger, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, 1/2 cup soy sauce and 1/4 cup cider vinegar. Bring to a boil to thicken.

Hoisin Sauce

• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons peanut butter
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 2 teaspoons vinegar
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 20 drops Chinese hot sauce

Combine all ingredients and mix well. 

Note: My purchased jar of hoisin sauce describes it as a sweet bean paste, made from soy beans.

Peanut Sauce

• 1/4 cup peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon chili garlic paste*
• 1 1/2 teaspoons grated ginger
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup water

Combine all ingredients, except the water, in a food processor, and process until smooth. Add water until it reaches the desired consistency.

*If you don't have this condiment, you can make your own. Here's one recipe, or you can add some hot sauce to a bit of tomato paste. In this recipe, you could just add a few drops of hot sauce.