Magic Sauce

I call this my magic sauce recipe. In part, because it makes everything it touches shimmer with deliciousness. It’s magic like that. Technically, it’s a riff on a chimichurri sauce – one that veered off the rails in a big way. Much tweaking has rendered it a distant second cousin. If that. In fact, the hallmark of that sauce, parsley, I skip entirely. But I love this. Love love love. And I use it a hundred different ways. Magic sauce, it’s real.

Double Up

Let’s just start by putting one thing out there. You’re best off making a double or triple batch. This is the sort of stuff you burn through in minutes. Not exaggerating. I cook eggs in it – scrambled, omelette, frittata, you name it. I drizzle it on soups. This time of year that means corn soups, brothy bean pots, or lunch time slurpy noodle bowls.

 I can also attest it’s the sort of thing that makes baked potatoes even better than usual. And salads welcome it as well – particularly shaved salads, or ones made from spicy greens. You can use it to marinate or slather ingredients before grilling or roasting. And its the sort of dressing that turns a bowl full of farro or quinoa or soba noodles into something close to a full meal – just toss in another favorite seasonal ingredient or two.

This sauce is as versatile as a black dress. Although, it’s not really the little black dress of sauces. Think more bohemian that that – earthy, intricate and interesting. Completely approachable. The way the garlic-perfumed oil suspends flecks of rosemary, thyme, and oregano is really nice. And the rusty red tint of the paprika makes everything this sauce touches look just that much more special.

If you do anything extra special with it, give a holler in the comments. I still have a half-full mason jar of it ready for business. -h

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An Exceptional Ginger Carrot Dressing

Blender dressings are great, in part, because they’re fast. Everything into one container, puree, and you’re set. This is a dressing I tend to make quite a lot in the fall, and then I just keep on going all the way through winter. It’s an incredibly versatile blend of favorite ingredients like carrots, turmeric, coconut milk, ginger, and sesame. Also, lots of shallots. Which, as we know from last week, I rarely skimp on.

A Versatile Dressing & Ways to Use It

I use this dressing on green salads, grain salads, and as an A+ finishing touch over sautéed, steamed, or simmered vegetables. It works nicely in cold, summery noodle salads, and as a dipping sauce for crudité. This is all to say, it’s great on many things. I’ll list of some specific ways I’ve used it recently below!

Shredded Winter Salad: Add some winter citrus segments, to a bowl of shredded baby romaine, endives and radicchio, and toss with the ginger carrot dressing and lots of toasted sesame seeds.

Noodle salad: Toss soba noodles with it and then go from there, adding other favorite seasonal ingredients – roasted vegetables, toasted seaweed, tofu or whatever protein you like, etc.

Brussels Sprouts: Pan-fry some brussels sprouts along these lines, transfer to a serving bowl, and toss with a bit of the dressing.

Farro Salad: I did this as a side for Thanksgiving – combine farro, lots of toasted seeds, and plenty or arugula in a large bowl and toss with a generous amount of the ginger carrot dressing.

Summer / Early Autumn: tossed with green beans and topped with deeply roasted cherry tomatoes +toasted almonds

A number of you were curious about a winter miso chowder I posted a photo of to my instagram feed recently. I’m going to write it up next. Making it again tonight, and fine-tuning the ingredient amounts. It’s definitely a hearty, winter warmer.

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Coconut Baked Oatmeal

Baked oatmeal is one of my signature breakfast and brunch moves, for all the typical reasons. Make ahead, check. Adaptable, check. Many five year olds love it, and most forty year olds too. Check, check. There are versions of it in my last two books, and I’m constantly riffing on the general concept based on what is in season, and what I have on hand. This version is extra special – banana, coconut, vanilla, coconut milk, and some winter citrus, all baked into fragrant, golden-topped magic. 

The concept couldn’t be simpler. In fact, I suspect many of you have everything you need on hand right now. Butter your baking dish, layer of fruit, top with dry ingredients, finish with wet ingredients. Bake.

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The secret wink I included in this version is a final drizzle of warm coconut milk accented with a splash of rose water. That said, you can absolutely play around with different flavors and variations – think citrus zests, or extract, or drizzles of infused oils. All in all baked oatmeal is nearly impossible to mess up.

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Beer-Roasted Cauliflower with Pasta

Hang in there with me on this one. It’s a study in efficiency, and with some faith, it all comes together in the end. In short, poach a whole head of cauliflower in an olive-oil dappled, chile-spiked, beer-based broth, then wedge it & roast it until golden-crusted and butter tender. At the last minute, use that same broth to cook your favorite pasta. Serve it all up in a bowl with a shower of fresh herbs. 
PRO TIP: Only add as much pasta as you’ll eat to the broth. It’s not great for leftovers. Use whatever pasta you like – I used a whole wheat fusilli here, but you could use penne, or one of the alternative grain or legume pastas.

I started working on this recipe just before leaving San Francisco. It’s the perfect hearty bowl for cold nights, wintery weather, or summer in SF.  A squeeze of lemon brightens everything up.

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The Ultimate Vegan Nachos

Let’s do nachos today. I know the title says vegan nachos, but whether you’re vegan or not, when you need a nacho fix, this is how you should roll. At least once. Just to see if you like them. I mean, nachos are always a crowd pleaser, and this is no exception, I promise. Chances are, you won’t even miss the classic cheese bomb version. On the flip side, your body will thank you because the “cheese” in this version is non-dairy, vegan, packed with beneficial spices, cashews, garlic, and grated sweet potatoes, and lasts up to a week refrigerated.

All About the Cheese

Sweet potato nacho cheese is a thing for good reason, it behaves a lot like a classic nacho cheese, it’s the right color even, but(!) it’s arguably more delicious, and made from natural ingredients. I incorporate a bunch of short-cuts in my version to speed things along, like grating the sweet potato. Also, if you make the sauce a day or two ahead of time, you can have a pan of nachos ready to go in a flash. Ready? Let’s do this.

How to Get the Toppings Right

I’m including two different versions here. Option one is your typical pile-it-on semi-classic approach (pictured above): baked tortilla chips, black beans, sweet potato nacho cheese, olives, salsa, guacamole, chiles, etc. The other? Option two (pictured below) is what I like to think of as my hippie version: baked tortilla chips, sweet potato nacho cheese, chickpeas, roasted broccoli, guacamole, hemp seeds, pickled serrano chiles. The only things that would make it more hippie-ish would be to sprinkle it with nutritional yeast, and perhaps do a green version of the cheese (which I’ve considered ;)…

If you’re trying to make a meal out of the nachos, a good approach is to pile them high with an added sheet pan of simple, roasted vegetables. Broccoli and cheese is a classic combo (that even a lot of kids like), so I tend to go that route, but experiment! Roast a pan of vegetables while you’re making the cheese. Easy.

Choosing Your Chips

Is it me, or are baked tortilla chips increasingly hard to find? I look for baked chips (and sometimes fail). And/or ones with added heirloom corn, added quinoa, maca, etc. I also look for lightly-salted (some are SO salty!).

Uses for Your Extra Nacho Cheese

Any extra cheese is also tops as a sandwich spread, crudité dip, or keep it on hand anytime you’re grilling or roasting.

Oven to Table Convenience

Bake and serve your nachos on the same plate (or pan). I use an oven-proof platter here. A baking sheet or sheet pan also works. It makes it simple to go from oven to table. Pile as many chips as you like on your platter/pan, top with beans, top with cheesy dollops, and bake for a few minutes. Don’t worry that they don’t look particularly nice, everything changes when you add your finishing toppings! No need to dirty another plate.

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Orange Pan-glazed Tempeh

This might be the best tempeh recipe I’ve highlighted to date. It features a simple ginger and garlic-spiked orange glaze that plays off the nutty, earthiness of pan-fried tempeh beautifully. Unlike many other tempeh recipes, there is no need for a long marinade time with this one, making it great for a last-minute weeknight meal.

The recipe comes with a bit of a story, originates in a book I suspect many of you haven’t seen yet, and started with an email I received one morning last September from Australian cookbook author (and natural foods enthusiast) Jude Blereau. It read,

Dear Heidi, My name is Jude Blereau and I’m a Natural Foods Chef and author from Western Australia. I’m currently in San Francisco, having a fabulous time(…) I’d love the opportunity to have a chat with you and meet you. We do similar work I think, though with our own different slant. Hoping we can meet…

The name sounded quite familiar to me, I did a quick scan of my cookbooks, and spotted her book immediately. It was a thoughtfully composed volume of natural food recipes that I had tucked into my suitcase on my journey back from New Zealand a couple years ago. The minute I discovered Wholefood in a bookstore in Wellington, I knew I was reading along with a cook I had much in common with. Flash forward a couple years (and emails) later and we are chatting over coffee and croissants at Tartine Bakery here in San Francisco.

We talked about all sorts of things, and I asked Jude if she’d let me highlight one of her recipes here on the site. She told me she had a new book just published in Australia, and that she’d send the new one to me upon her return. Today’s tempeh recipe is from Jude’s new book – Coming Home to Eat: Wholefood for the Family published by Murdoch Books. It is beautifully written, delicately designed, brimming with great recipes, and punctuated by a handful of photographs (by Geoff Fisher and Michelle Aboud) that help set the aesthetic tone of the book perfectly.

My hope is that Coming Home to Eat will get U.S. distribution sometime in the near future, but as far as I know, that could take some time. Meanwhile, you can follow Jude through her site or her blog. And if you find yourself in Perth looking for a cooking class experience or natural chef training program – Jude’s the one to track down.

And thank you for reaching out Jude, I look forward to visiting you in Perth someday. You books an inspiring, and your enthusiasm infectious. I hope our paths cross again soon. -h

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Seven Magic Sauces you Should Know About

What is a magic sauce? It’s a simple sauce you can use a hundred different ways. And you should absolutely have one or two in your repertoire! Here are a handful of the best.

1. Original Magic Sauce – (101 Cookbooks)
This was the first magic sauce I posted. I called it magic sauce, in part because it makes everything it touches shimmy with deliciousness. It’s magic like that. Technically, it’s a riff on a chimichurri sauce – but one that has veered off the rails in a big way. Get the recipe here.

2. Magic Ancho Chile Relish – (101 Cookbooks)
This Ancho Chile Relish brings the fast magic – adding depth, raisiny-chile flavor, color, and dimension to all sorts of simple preparations. Perfect swirled into soups, dolloped onto tacos, or to punctuate yogurt. Get the recipe here.

3. Green Kitchen Stories’ Magic Green Sauce – (Green Kitchen Stories)
Just yes to this. Avocado and herbs with a bit of chile and garlic make this crazy versatile. And look at what they do with it – a stunner of a watermelon & Halloumi Salad. Gorgeous. Get the recipe here.

4. Magic Artichoke Dipping Sauce – (Platings & Pairings)
It’s the season for artichokes. Tripling down with mustard, lemon and garlic powder make this simple dipping sauce a stand-out. Get the recipe here.

5. Walnut Olive Miso Magic Sauce – (101 Cookbooks)
A chunky, walnut olive miso creation worthy of its name. You combine toasted walnuts, olives, miso, a dusting of oregano, and a dollop of tahini into a blockbuster condiment of sorts. Get the recipe here.

6. Red Pesto – (101 Cookbooks)
This red pesto is also magic. I make walnut-studded sauce and cast sun-dried tomatoes in the role basil typically plays. Flavor-forward, intense, and delicious. If this isn’t your jam, here is more pesto inspiration. Get the recipe here.

7. 5-minute Magic Green Sauce – (Pinch of Yum)
Lindsay’s jalapeño and herb spiked magic sauce bringing up another option on the green side of things. Get the recipe here.

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