Quick Maple Chipotle BBQ Sauce

This sauce goes together quickly and has a nice thick consistency that goes amazingly well on pork ribs (and probably anything else that could use a thick slather of sauce!) Play with the chipotle powder and make it as hot (or not) as you like. 

Quick Maple Chipotle BBQ Sauce

1 med onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic minced

2 tbsp coconut oil or butter 

1 can tomato paste (156ml)

2/3 cup apple cider vinegar

2/3 c maple syrup

4 T molasses

1 tsp salt

½ tsp chipotle pepper powder (increase or decrease by ¼ tsp depending on your love of heat!)

Sauté onion over med high heat until starting to soften and brown, add minced garlic cloves, sauté 1 min more. Add the rest of the ingredients. Stir well, bring to a boil then reduce heat to med low. Simmer for 15-20 min. puree with hand blender until smooth. Use right away, or Keep in fridge for up to a week.

Quick Tuna and Tomato Sauce

I threw this sauce together one night this week when my pre-planned dinner fell thru due to a lack of kale in the garden. I picked some to go in a big pot of soup  and realized that there was not near as much left as I previously thought, so the creamed kale and eggs plan had to be back-burnered for the time being. A quick inventory of my cupboard revealed these ingredients, and in less than 15 minutes, we were eating this tasty meal. I didn't even take any pictures (gasp!) during the cooking,  not really expecting it to be as tasty as it was. Luckily the leftovers that I packed for lunch willingly posed for a picture J  It is well worth sharing, and much healthier (and cheaper!) than take out. This fed 4 of us for dinner, and there was enough left for 2 lunches. Frugal, healthy and tasty, give it a try!

Quick Tuna and Tomato Sauce

1 cup thinly sliced onions

2 tbsp butter

1 796ml can diced tomatoes (look for BPA free cans, like Eden)

1 184g can flaked tuna (ethically caught)

2 tsp dried basil

Salt and pepper to taste

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“noodles” of choice ( We had ours over spiraled zucchini noodles, the boys had their favourite gluten free pasta.)

Heat butter in a large cast iron pan over medium high heat. When it starts to bubble, add the onions and sauté until they start to soften, and almost start to brown, about 5-6 minutes. Add the basil, tuna and tomatoes, stir to combine. Bring to a boil and let simmer until your noodles of choice are ready.  Season with salt and pepper and serve with your “noodles”.   Top with grated cheese if desired.

Mushroom Quinoa Burgers with Cilantro Tahini Sauce

This is a tasty alternative to a traditional burger, when you are wanting a lighter meal, or are entertaining vegetarian guests. I upped the nutritional punch of these by using some Arame, a sea vegetable that is rich in many minerals, including iodine, which is lacking in all of our diets. It has many other health benefits as well, and you can read more about it here.  Sea vegetables are really quite tasty, and we have been adding them to anything and everything lately. They can be found in many grocery stores and health food stores. Give them a try, I think you will love them like we do!

We served our burgers on a lettuce leaf “bun”, topped with the Tahini Cilantro Sauce that follows this recipe. My eldest teenager (who isn't fond of quinoa or mushrooms...) ate 5 of them…I think that means they were good!

Mushroom Quinoa Burgers with Cilantro Tahini Sauce

1 med onion, diced (approx 1 cup)

2 cloves garlic, diced

2 Tbsp coconut oil

1 ½ cups diced mushrooms (used 6 crimini)

½ cup diced yellow peppers

½ cup Arame, soaked in cold water for 5 minutes to soften,

1 tsp Miso Paste

2 tsp toasted sesame oil

2 cups precooked and cooled quinoa

¾ tsp Herbamare

1 egg

4 Tbsp ground Chia seeds

Preheat oven to 350F

Sauté the mushrooms, peppers and onions in the coconut oil for approx 10 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until they soften and just start to brown.

Drain your Arame, chop it up and add it to the pan. Sauté for another 3-4 minutes. Scrape into mixing bowl and set aside to cool.

In a small bowl, mix together the Miso paste and sesame oil to loosen up the Miso.

Add to the veggie mixture and stir well to incorporate. Add your pre-cooked quinoa, the Herbamare, the egg and the ground Chia powder. Mix well and let stand for 10 minutes for Chia to absorb and bind the patties.

Line a large baking pan with parchment paper.

Scoop out ¼ cup of mixture onto the parchment and shape into a patty, rounding and compressing slightly as you go. Repeat with remaining mixture, with this size it should make approx 10 patties.

Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes, flip gently and cook for 10 minutes more.

Serve hot on a lettuce leaf bun, with avocado slices sprouts and the tahini sauce. (recipe below)

Tahini Cilantro Sauce

4 tbsp tahini

6 tbsp kefir or thin yogurt (not Greek!)

2 Tbsp chopped cilantro

Herbamare to taste

Mix all ingredients well in a small mixing bowl. Use as a sauce for burgers or as a salad dressing too!