Recipes

Sauces & Gravies

Mustard Peanut Sauce
Creamy Orange Tahini Dressing
Miso Ginger Sauce
Cheezy Sauce
Skordalia
Roasted Red Pepper and Pine Nut Sauce
Red Wine & Onion Gravy
Mushroom Gravy

Mustard Peanut Sauce

5-10 minutes

Serves 4-6

Incredibly quick and easy. Great gently warmed to accompany steamed vegetables and grains – or cold as a salad dressing. The parsley gives it a green rather than yellow mustard colour!

¼ cup smooth peanut butter
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp prepared English mustard
Large handful of parsley (curly or flat-leaf), thick stalks removed
2 tbsp water
½-1 tsp brown sugar or a dash of maple/date syrup, to taste
1 small clove garlic, crushed
Pinch salt

1.      Combine all ingredients and whizz everything up until smooth.  

Creamy Orange Tahini Dressing

5-10 minutes

Serves 4-6

Great on steamed vegetables, lentil or bean salad…

½ cup orange juice
2 tbsp tahini
1 shallot, chopped fine (or 1 tbsp red onion, finely chopped)
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tsp Dijon mustard

1.  Combine all ingredients and whizz everything up until smooth.

Miso Ginger Sauce

5-10  minutes

Serves 4-6

Light miso is beige or yellow and available from good health stores (try the fresh stuff in tubs from the chill cabinet if it’s not available in the plastic packets) – or Oriental stores.  Don’t use the dark varieties as they are too strong for a dressing like this. The sauce is also good gently warmed up to pour on grains, stir fries etc – just stir carefully.You may need to add a little more water, as tahini thickens when heated.

1/3 cup water
¼ cup light miso
¼ cup tahini
2 tbsp rice vinegar (available from large supermarkets in foreign foods section; health stores; Oriental stores)
1 tbp mirin (rice wine) – or a dash of sherry if you can’t get it
1 tsp finely grated fresh ginger
1 small clove garlic, crushed
Pinch dried tarragon

1.      Combine all ingredients and whizz until smooth.

Cheezy Sauce

5-10 minutes

Serves 4-6

This super-quick vegan version of cheese sauce is great with macaroni, potatoes and greens, baked potatoes… and there are two other variations below!

¾ cup water
6 tbsp tahini (or try lower fat version – see below)
2 tbsp nutritional yeast flakes
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
2tbsp chopped onions, finely chopped (shallots or red best) – one medium-large shallot equivalent to 2 tbsp chopped.
2 tbsp light miso

1.       Combine all ingredients and whizz until smooth.

Options

1. For a low fat version, reduce tahini to 2 tbsp and add ¼ cup silken tofu.
2. For a smoky flavour, add a pinch of smoked paprika (available in big supermarkets, delis or health shops)

Skordalia

5-10 minutes

Serves 4-6

A rich garlicky sauce based on a traditional Greek recipe. It’s delicious on potatoes and pasta, as well as greens like broccoli or purple sprouting. Nice with extra parsley, also.

1 cup cooked white beans such as haricot or cannelini, rinsed and drained
¼ cup chopped walnuts
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 small clove garlic, crushed (or add a little to taste)
¼ tsp salt
5 tbsp water
pinch turmeric

1.      Combine all ingredients – if using a stick blender, place everything in a bowl; if using an ordinary blender, place in goblet. 
2.      Whizz everything up until smooth.

Roasted Red Pepper and Pine Nut Sauce

Serves 2-4

5-10 minutes

A sophisticated, tangy sauce. And like all the others in this section, it’s easy and quick.

This sauce is lovely warmed through and spooned on pasta, rice, green or mixed vegetables, fried tempeh strips, baked tofu…

1 cup/½ jar roasted red peppers (available in jars from supermarkets, delis and health stores)
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (reduce if you are watching your fat intake – add a little water or stock instead)
2 tbsp pine nuts, lightly pan-roasted
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp crushed garlic (about 1 small clove)
½ tsp salt
Pinch ground allspice

1.  Roast pine nuts: place them in a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat.
2.  Stir constantly until they are golden brown (about 3 minutes).
3.  Don’t take your eye off them as they burn easily.
4.  Remove immediately from pan so they don’t stick.
5.  Grind pine nuts.
6.  Blend all ingredients, including the pine nuts, until creamy and smooth.

Red Wine & Onion Gravy

Serves 2-4

30 minutes – most of this simmering time.

2 tbsp miso
2 tbsp cold water
¼ cup shallots or onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
¼ cup wholemeal flour
1 cup veg stock
1 cup red wine
salt and pepper to taste

1. In a small bowl, mix miso and cold water and mix well. Set aside.
2. In a large saucepan on medium-high heat, sauté shallots/onions in oil until translucent.
3. Add flour and mix well; this will become pasty and dry.
4. Slowly start adding stock while stirring continually. Add a little bit at a time until everything becomes well mixed and there are no lumps.
5. Add salt and pepper.
6. Lower heat to medium-low and simmer for 15-20 minutes until sauce is thickened, stirring often. Remove pan from the heat.
7. Stir in miso paste – don’t let it boil - and serve.

Mushroom Gravy

Serves 2-4

30 minutes – most of this simmering time

1 medium red onion, chopped (an ordinary white onion will do if you’re stuck)
6-10 mushrooms, chopped
Few pieces dried mushrooms, crumbled
1 tbsp olive oil
1-2 tbsp soya sauce or liquid aminos  
Pinch chilli powder to taste
1tsp dried dill to taste
50-75g/2-3oz/⅓-½ cup flour
½ cup red wine made up to 320ml/11fl oz/1⅓ cups with hot vegetable stock
1 tsp miso or yeast extract (eg Marmite), or more to taste

1. In a medium saucepan, sauté mushrooms and onions in oil on medium-high heat until onions are translucent and mushrooms tender.
2. Add soya sauce, cayenne, basil, dill and pepper and stir together.
3. Remove from heat and slowly stir in flour, mixing together well. It will become pasty and dry.
4. Slowly start adding stock a little at a time until everything becomes well mixed and there are no lumps (use a food processor/blender or whisk if it does go lumpy!)
5. Leave it to simmer for about 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
6. Add more miso/yeast extract if necessary.