Sauces, mixes, dips

FRIDAY WHOLE FOOD RECIPE REVIEW

If you are endeavoring to move away from additives and high fructose corn syrup (hfcs) in your food, a good place to start is with sauces, mixes, and dips. At one point I went through my pantry and set aside everything that had hfcs; I was shocked to see how little was left. The additive is in practically everything, and if it's not that, it's msg or some other chemical preservative. So, rather than start with a recipe for an actual meal, I thought I'd share a few substitutes for some commonly used sauces, mixes, and dips. Our grandmothers (or great-grandmothers) would probably laugh to see us needing recipes, but this is the age in which we live. Maybe these things will be second nature to our kids!

Food to avoid: Condensed soups or cheese sauce

Replacement: White sauce with variations

(Original recipe source: Betty Crocker)

2 T. butter

2 T. whole wheat flour

1/2 t. salt

pepper, paprika, celery salt (depending on what flavor you are going for), etc.

1 cup milk

Whisk together butter and flour over medium heat. Add salt and seasonings. Add the milk a little at a time, whisking after each addition until thickened. Replace half of the milk with homemade chicken stock for cream of chicken soup. Add 1 cup of cheese after mixture is thick for a cheese sauce.

Food to avoid: Taco seasoning mix

Replacement: Homemade mix (less expensive, too!)

(Original recipe source: Mandi )

2 teaspoons dried onion flakes

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon dried red pepper

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic (or garlic powder if you are going to store mix)

1 teaspoon cornstarch (or cornstarch replacement if desired)

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon paprika

Mix all together and add to one pound ground beef along with 3/4 cup of water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook uncovered until thickened. I usually make up a big batch of this and store it so I don't have to do all this measuring each time. If made in bulk, use 2 Tablespoons of seasoning per pound of meat/beans.

Food to avoid: Bottled salad dressing with high fructose corn syrup (there are some great store-bought dressings available, but they are expensive)

Replacement: Vinaigrettes

(Original recipe source: Nicky Lewin)

1/3 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoons dijon mustard
2 crushed garlic cloves
salt and pepper

(Add 1 Tablespoon of flax oil to dressings for nutritional benefit)

Whisk all ingredients together or shake in a salad dress bottle.

Once you start making your own dressings, you can use the general ratio of oil and vinegar to create whatever combinations you like. Here's another we like:

Cidar and honey vinaigrette

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup honey

1/3 cup apple cidar vinegar

1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper

We used to be a ranch family with the occasional homemade dressing, but after several purposeful months of avoiding ranch (except on Sundays) :) our children now have a choice each night between "light and dark" dressing and they don't seem to miss the ranch. If you do prefer a creamy herb dressing, I read recently that you can add 1/4 cup of creme fraiche or sour cream to a basic oil and vinegar recipe. There are a plethora of homemade ranch, creamy ceasar, and other creamy dressing recipes available online. One of my next projects is to make a homemade mayo base for some of these dressings, but until then we will stick with the vinaigrettes.

Lastly, I wanted to share my favorite hummus recipe. I haven't purchased hummus in years, so I can't say that there's anything unhealthful about a prepared version, but you get so little for your money.

Homemade Hummus

(Original recipe source: Ashley Trice)

1 can chickpeas, drained (reserve liquid)

OR equivalent of cooked dried chickpeas, reserve liquid

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/2 cup tahini

1/4 diced onion

2 cloves garlic

2 teaspoons olive oil

2 teaspoons dried ground cumin

1/8 teaspoons ground red pepper

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

Mix everything in a food processor. Add liquid from beans as needed until smooth. We eat hummus with pitas, veggies, a chicken and pepper recipe, and tortilla chips. It's a great high-protein appetizer and I'd like to start making it every other week so I have it on hand for snacks.

If you have any favorite sauces, mixes, or dip recipes feel free to link or add in the comment section!