- The secret to making delicious healthy meals
all week long is sauces.
Let me explain.
Eating a wholesome nourishing diet
can be kind of complicated.
Healthy food is often bland.
Meal prep gets boring real quick.
And who has the time to cook fancy pants meals
every night of the week.
That's where sauces come in.
Take 20 minutes on a Sunday
to prep one or two flavorful sauces
and your life will get so much easier.
A good sauce transforms simple foods into something gourmet
and makes it a breeze to whip up delicious weeknight meals.
Today I'm sharing four delicious yet easy sauces.
More importantly, I'm gonna show you how to use these sauces
so you can make tasty
and fast plant-based meals all week long.
First up, we're making vegan tzatziki,
which is a yogurt sauce.
It's basically Greece's superior answer to ketchup.
It goes great with so many things, fritters, sandwiches,
raw veggies, pita chips, salads, and more.
For tzatziki,
it is really important to use the right kind of yogurt.
So traditionally it's made with Greek yogurt.
To keep things vegan,
I like to use a thick coconut yogurt,
ideally one that's on the tart side,
kind of like a traditional yogurt.
These are my current two favorites that fit the bill.
But if you can't have coconut for some reason,
this is a thick Greek style almond based yogurt.
You definitely wanna avoid the thin vegan yogurt,
especially those that have a sweet undertone
because it's gonna taste a bit weird here.
Grab an English cucumber
or a couple Persian cucumbers and a box grater.
It is gonna take a little elbow grease
wrap the remains of your cuke in a thin dish towel like this
or a nut milk bag and squeeze with all of your might.
If you've been skipping wrist day at the gym,
this might be a struggle.
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Fresh dill is another classic ingredient in tzatziki.
I remove the tough portion of the stems
but I don't really bother about the tender ones.
I leave those in.
And just mince this up finely.
Add the dil to the bowl
along with the cucumber and the yogurt.
And then grate two fat garlic cloves right in there
A couple teaspoons of red wine vinegar
for that punchy brightness.
Can use lemon juice if you don't have any.
And of course some salt and pepper.
And just give that a mix.
If you're making the tzatziki on Sunday
as part of your meal prep,
but not planning to eat it until a couple days later,
I would actually wait until the day you're eating it
to grate the cucumber and fold it in,
cause the cucumber starts to release water as it sits.
Also, I'm gonna finish with some olive oil now,
cause we're gonna eat this with dinner tonight.
But if you are serving this a couple days later
wait to add the olive oil until you're ready to serve.
Now that you have some tzatziki in your fridge
there are so many great meals
you can throw together quickly.
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If it's tomato season,
my personal favorite is a Greek salad bowl.
Start with a simple Greek salad, cucumbers, tomatoes,
red onions, capers, olives, and extra virgin olive oil,
plus red wine vinegar.
To add some bulk add in roasted chickpeas
and crumble in some vegan feta if you have it.
Dollop the tzatziki on top
and pair with toasted pita
and you have yourself a truly incredible
Greek inspired meal.
Tzatziki is super underrated
as a replacement for mayo in sandwiches and wraps.
Pile it on your wrap.
Add some dressed greens and crisp veggies,
some creamy white beans and avocado.
Just make sure to buy a big enough wrap
or you'll end up looking like this.
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I also love to use this
as an everything sauce on my grain bowls.
Pair your favorite grain.
Mine is faro with a roasted vegetable, like cauliflower,
your protein of choice,
dollop a generous amount of the tiki on top
and add something crunchy from your pantry
for the perfect blend of textures.
This is also a great sauce for plating roasted vegetables
like carrots, cabbage, or broccoli.
And you can easily turn that
into something more hearty by adding simply dressed beans
or roasted nuts like pistachios.
And if you have more time on your hands,
you can whip up Greek zucchini fritters
and pair those with the tzatziki
or take the lazy way out and pick up some falafel
from the freezer section of your grocery store
and have yourself a little Mediterranean feast.
Next up, we're making beet hummus.
This is definitely our most involved sauce slash dip
but she's worth it.
I mean, have you ever seen anything so beautiful?
I didn't think so.
Place your washed and scrubbed beets
in an ovenproof baking dish.
Rub them with just a little bit of olive oil
so they have a thin coating.
And add a half cup or so of water.
(water pouring into dish)
Cover this tightly with foil or an ovenproof lid
and we're gonna steam roast, kind of hybrid them,
in an oven at 425 degrees Fahrenheit
for 45 to 60 minutes.
If you're in a time crunch,
you can use those pre steamed beets
that some grocery stores sell in the produce section.
But if you want the best flavor in your hummus
and the most vibrant color,
I really recommend roasting your own beets.
It takes a little time, yes,
but it's completely hands off work in the oven.
And once you go through the trouble of roasting one beet
it's really easy to roast multiple beets at once.
So not only can you have beet hummus during the week
you can also have some roasted beets
to add to your salads and grain bowls.
While the beets are roasting,
let's go work on our chickpeas.
I am a huge proponent of using dried chickpeas
in a classic hummus recipe,
but with beet hummus
you get some extra flavor and moisture from the beets.
And in our many tests
we found that canned chickpeas worked totally fine.
So that's what we're using to be a little bit quicker.
For the smoothest texture though,
it does help to simmer your canned chickpeas.
After you drain and rinse them,
add them to a sauce pan, cover with an inch or two of water.
A little baking soda here helps to tenderize them even more.
And once this comes to a boil
reduce the heat to a rapid simmer for 20 minutes
or until the chickpeas are very soft.
Once you drain them,
if you see any loose skins floating around,
that doesn't sound great, does it?
Go ahead and remove them
so you get that irresistible, silky, smooth texture.
It's time to check on our beets.
If they're easy to pierce with the fork, they are done.
Otherwise, throw them back in the oven.
Well don't throw them,
gently place them back in the oven for another 10 minutes.
While the beets are still warm,
you want to run them under cool water,
that's gonna make it really easy
for them to slip right out of their peels.
I recommend using food safe gloves,
if you don't wanna get your hands stained pink.
I couldn't find mine,
so clean dish gloves it is, works fine.
Yes, your sink will look like a crime scene
but it is worth it.
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Now that we've got
our super soft chickpeas and roasted beets,
it's time to blend our hummus up.
I am using a Vitamix today
just because it gives you the smoothest results.
Totally not necessary.
A food processor works fine.
If you are gonna use a blender,
make sure your blender cup is on the small side
cause otherwise it won't blend.
Since there's not really any liquid in here.
You'll blend the chickpeas for one to two minutes
until they turn into a paste like puree.
You're gonna need to scrape down the sides a couple times.
Now add in the cooked beets
and a heaping one-third cup of a good quality tahini.
Make sure it's not a bitter one.
I've got some recommended tahini brands
in the description box below.
Three garlic clothes.
I like to chop them up
so I don't accidentally get
some unblended garlic in my hummus.
The zest of one large lemon.
And we need to squeeze out all of the juice,
I told you not to skip wrist day.
And a quarter teaspoon of ground cumin and coriander.
Salt, freshly cracked black pepper,
and a half tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
for a little richness.
Now for the fun part, blending.
Okay, it's actually not that fun
if you use a blender like I did
because you have to stop and go every five seconds
to scrape down the sides.
But in the end you get this incredibly gorgeous
and very tasty hot pink goop.
I mean, just look at that.
You're gonna be so happy to have this in your fridge.
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On really hot days
where I'm so sweaty I can't be bothered to cook,
I'll make a mezze platter for dinner.
So top the hummus with some olive oil, parsley, and za'atar
and then pair it with your favorite accoutrement,
pickle vegetables, fresh vegetables, pita, olives.
You get the point.
Another obvious option is to dollop this on a grain bowl.
Start with some brown rice or any rice.
Add some massaged kale, a protein like tofu,
a seed sprinkle for some healthy fats,
and then the beet hummus.
Simple, but really, really good,
especially if you have some toasted crispy panko
to add at the end.
Now let me share a couple less obvious ways
I like to use this.
It is so good as a sandwich spread.
My current favorite features this beet hummus,
sliced and pan fried tofu, sprouts, cucumbers,
some crisp lettuce, pickled onions, and vegan feta.
It's delicious and it's prettier
than all the other sandwiches.
I love using this in salads too.
So start with your favorite blend of lettuces.
I like kale and romaine.
Some chopped veggies and fresh herbs,
like mint and parsley are really nice.
Your best olive oil and vinegar to dress,
some roasted chickpeas for protein,
and that crispy panko topping
or something crunchy like nuts.
This is good on its own,
but it gets taken to the next level
with a dollop of creamy beet hummus.
If I have leftover beet hummus,
I'll even use it to make a salad dressing.
Just thin it out
with a few splashes of lemon juice or vinegar.
Add a little water and a pour it over your salad.
Add in some lentils, a crispy, nutty topping, and avocado
and you have a great variety of texture and flavor.
Next up, we're making the best vegan queso sauce
you will ever eat.
We'll start with one cup of raw cashews.
I'm using a high powered blender today
so all I need to do is cover the cashews
in boiling water for 15 minutes.
But if you're working with something less powerful,
you'll wanna soak your cashews overnight in cool water
or boil them on the stove for 15 minutes.
And from here it is exceptionally easy.
Everything just goes in the blender,
drained cashews, a container of vegan yogurt.
It should go without saying, but let me just remind you,
it should be unsweetened vegan yogurt.
No blueberry yogurt here please.
One teaspoon of ground cumin
and a half teaspoon each of smoked paprika and chili powder.
Two tablespoons of nutritional yeast for that cheesy flavor.
Two tablespoons of pickled jalapenos,
and two tablespoons of the brine from the very same jar.
This is gonna give our queso some serious Tex-Mex vibes.
And a couple grounds of black pepper.
Last thing we're gonna add is a half cup of salsa
and this is where you can tailor the heat.
So if you want a spicy queso, use a spicy salsa.
If you want a mild queso, use a baby mild salsa,
I mean a mild salsa, you know what I mean?
I'm gonna use a spicy salsa.
It's time to blend.
Again, you might need to scrape down the side
or tamp things down a couple times
but this should be ready in just a few minutes.
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I've been making the sauce for over four years
and it never gets old.
It is like liquid gold and it's so easy.
You are kind of limited to Mexican-ish or Tex-Mex meals,
but they're so delicious,
I don't think you will mind very much.
Some of my favorite ways to use it
are in a quesadilla like this buffalo chickpea quesadilla,
any kind of burrito, a crunch wrap supreme, nachos.
If I've meal prepped my Mexican black beans
I'll probably make some tacos.
I like to char some tiny corn tortillas
or you know regular sized ones if I have them,
add avocado, pickled onions, the queso and cilantro.
They're really easy to make
and they're adorable and so fun to eat.
For a burrito bowl,
if you're keeping it simple,
you can start with rice and beans,
add some fajita veggies and store bought pico de gallo,
and then your queso.
If you're feeling really ambitious,
go ahead and make a copycat chipotle burrito bowl
with sofritas, guacamole, and homemade salsa
and dollop the queso on top.
Up next we're making one of my favorite classic sauces
that is so versatile, vegan pesto.
Start by heating up a skillet over medium heat.
Add your nuts and toss 'em around.
Ah, that came out weird, again, I'm sorry.
Anyhoo, we're looking to get them toasted but not burnt.
It should take about four to five minutes.
We're making a pretty classic basil pesto today.
So I'm using pine nuts.
I know they are pricey, so if you wanna substitute them
with walnuts or cashews or pistachios, those all work well.
And that's the nice thing about pesto in general
is that it's very adaptable and customizable.
So if basil's not in season
you can use dill, or parsley, or cilantro, or mint.
Just um, don't tell anyone from Italy I said that.
I like to blitz the nuts in the food processor first
so I get a fine crumb.
And to this we'll add in
about three cups of fresh basil leaves,
two chopped garlic cloves,
the zest and juice from half of a lemon to start,
salt and pepper,
and some nutritional yeast.
Since we're not using Parmesan
we want a little bit of umami.
Blend all of this
until a paste starts to form.
The sides of the food processor
are definitely gonna need a little scrape down.
Now we'll stream in our extra virgin olive oil
while the blades are running.
Taste for seasoning.
And at this point you can add more lemon if you like,
salt, garlic, or nutritional yeast.
And the finished product should not be perfectly smooth.
It should still have a little bit of texture like this.
The pesto should last up to five days
in an airtight container or jar in the fridge
or even longer if you choose to freeze it.
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When it comes to pesto
the obvious move is to add it to your pasta or pasta salad.
And don't get me wrong, that is delicious.
I do it often, but there are so many other ways
you can use this.
Pesto also makes a phenomenal sandwich spread.
Put it on some sourdough
along with fried tofu, sliced tomatoes,
other vegetables you might like,
and you have a kind of, sort of very loose,
vegan crazy sandwich.
I also love dolloping pesto into soup.
It's a fantastic flavor booster.
Pesto is also a great way to dress up a vegetable salad.
Take some blanched green beans
or even asparagus if it's in season.
Add some thinly sliced shallots or red onions,
fresh basil and parsley, capers, toasted nuts, and pesto.
This is such a lovely side dish
or even a light dinner alongside some good bread.
Likewise, this pesto elevates a super simple salad
of shredded carrots and zucchini
from something admittedly blah
into something quite gourmet,
especially if you toss
in some roasted pistachios and vegan feta.
And I really recommend
trying other herbs instead of basil
when it's not in season, like cilantro.
Cilantro pesto is great with Mexican flavors.
I have a recipe for 20 minute chickpea tacos
with cilantro pesto in my blog.
And obviously if you make the pesto in advance
the tacos will take you like 10 minutes.
I've linked all four of these sauce recipes
in the description box below for you to check out.
As for me, I have some eating to do.
Thanks for watching, bye.
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