Peanut Sauce

Here's a sauce that tastes so great in a restaurant, and it seems like it would be difficult to make. Nope. It's easy and tasty. Just ask Kate.  --Mark

Ingredients

1/2 cup salted creamy peanut butter* (or almond butter or sunflower butter)
2-3 Tbsp gluten-free tamari (if not gluten-free sub soy sauce // if soy-free sub coconut aminos*)
1-2 Tbsp maple syrup (or other sweetener of choice)
1 tsp chili garlic sauce (or 1 red Thai chili, minced // or 1/4 tsp red pepper flake // adjust to preferred spice level)
2-3 Tbsp lime juice
~1/4 cup water (to thin)

Instructions

To a medium mixing bowl add (starting with the amount at the lower end of the measurement range where applicable) peanut butter, tamari (or soy sauce or coconut aminos), maple syrup, lime juice, chili sauce (or chili or red pepper), and whisk to combine. Add water a little at a time until a thick but pourable sauce is achieved.

Taste and adjust seasonings as needed, adding more maple syrup for sweetness, chili garlic sauce (or red chili or red pepper) for heat, lime juice for acidity, or tamari for saltiness. If your sauce has become too thin, add more nut butter. If it’s too thick, thin with more water. For a fun flavor twist, add some fresh grated ginger to taste.

Perfect for salads, spring rolls, noodle dishes, and more! Pairings linked above. Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator up to 1 week.

Notes:

https://minimalistbaker.com/5-ingredient-peanut-sauce/

Blender Hollandaise Sauce

I'm sure somewhere some Michelin-rated chef is shaking his fists at the sky and cursing the day Allrecipes bastardized his recipe, but for now, this stuff is awesome. Especially on the Eggs Benedict Casserole. --Mark

Ingredients:

3 egg yolks
1/4 tsp Dijon mustard
1 T lemon juice
1 dash hot pepper sauce
1/2 cup butter

Instructions:

In the container of a blender, combine the egg yolks, mustard, lemon juice and hot pepper sauce. Cover, and blend for about 5 seconds.

Place the butter in a glass measuring cup. Heat butter in the microwave for about 1 minute, or until completely melted and hot. Set the blender on high speed, and pour the butter into the egg yolk mixture in a thin stream. It should thicken almost immediately. Keep the sauce warm until serving by placing the blender container in a pan of hot tap water.

Notes:

Make sure to make this RIGHT before you serve it. It congeals quickly and doesn't reheat or soften very well.

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/84214/blender-hollandaise-sauce/

Tonkatsu Sauce

This is a tangy Japanese barbecue sauce. That sounds less appetizing than it really is. This sauce is great over tonkatsu, okonomiyaki, and a variety of other foods. --Mark

Ingredients

1/2 cup ketchup

2 1/2 T reduced-sodium soy sauce

2 1/2 T Worcestershire sauce

1 1/2 T dry sherry

1 1/2 T white sugar

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp ground ginger

Instructions

Combine the ketchup, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, sherry, sugar, garlic powder, and ginger in a microwave-safe coffee mug or glass measuring cup. Stir well with a fork and microwave on high for 1 minute. Stir again and set aside.

 Let stand for 1 hour to allow the flavors to incorporate.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Lucys-Quick-Tonkatsu-Sauce/

Chimichurri Sauce

I may have filed this under Mexican, but we don't have any other Argentinian dishes so why don't we just consider Mexican and "so delicious" to be the same thing. This sauce is great over the whole roasted chicken recipe we have, and it is also good over other grilled meats. Just short of drinking it straight it should be universally useful. --Mark

Ingredients:

1 cup fresh parsley
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 T red wine vinegar
2 T dried oregano
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt
1/2 T minced garlic
1/2 T pepper sauce (such as Frank's Red Hot®)

Instructions:

Place the parsley, olive oil, red wine vinegar, oregano, cumin, salt, garlic and hot pepper sauce into the container of a blender or food processor. Blend for about 10 seconds on medium speed, or until ingredients are evenly blended.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Chimichurri-Sauce/Detail.aspx

Alfredo Sauce

This is a great alternative to Alfredo sauce in a jar. To avoid burning, keep the heat low and stir constantly. We mixed in a little spinach and used it as a pizza sauce once--Delizioso. --Mark

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter
8 oz. cream cheese
2 tsp. garlic
1 1/3 cup milk
4 oz. grated Parmesan cheese
black pepper and sea salt to taste

Instructions:

Over low heat melt the butter in a saucepan. Add cream cheese and garlic. Whisk until smooth. Add milk a little at a time to avoid forming lumps. Stir in the Parmesan cheese and salt and pepper. Remove from the heat. Add milk if it is too thick. Serve immediately over pasta or other main dish.

Molho de Vilão

This is one of those sauces that goes great with a lot of things--pork chops and steaks especially. I'm almost surprised that we have a recipe with actual measurements since my experience in learning to cook Portuguese food has usually consisted of conversations like this:

Me: So how much garlic to I need?

A minha sogra: You know, enough.

Me: How much is enough?

A minha sogra: The usual amount.

Me: Ah, yes. The "usual."

--Mark

Ingredients:

1 tsp. garlic
red pepper to taste
1/4 cup vinegar
1/4 cup water
salt to taste
pan drippings from meat or oil

Instructions:

Heat the pan drippings and fry the garlic and red pepper. Do not burn. Add vinegar and water and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook until drippings are loosened from the pan. Pour over meat.

Note:

Be sure to have bread handy so you can taste the sauce as you make it. Add more water if it is too bitter.

Okonomiyaki Sauce

The best option would be to have my trusty Bulldog brand of okonomiyaki sauce, but I've never seen it anywhere we've lived so I've had to improvise. This recipe is a pretty close approximation, though. Enjoy with delicious okonomiyaki. --Mark

Ingredients:

1/4 cup ketchup
1 1/2 T Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp. Dijon mustard
2 T sake
1 tsp. soy sauce

Instructions:

Heat all over low heat until heated through. Do not boil.

Notes:

I usually substitute mirin for the sake since we don't usually have a big bottle of the stuff lying around.

Vinha de Alhos (Portuguese Marinade)

This is the classic Portuguese marinade for Portuguese steaks, pork chops, quail, etc. This is my mom's recipe and we make this for many, many meals. It's delicious and easy. -- Stacy

Ingredients:

1/4 cup red wine (or 3T vinegar)
3 cloves garlic (or 1 tsp. powder)
Red pepper to taste
Salt to taste

Instructions:

Marinate meat in above, preferably overnight.

Notes:

This is a great tenderizer

Tofu Mayonnaise

We don't like mayonnaise (as in, blech!). Too . . . greasy, goopy, weird texture, something. We don't begrudge anyone who does like mayo. It's just not for us. In seeing an alternative, we found this recipe. We don't like mayo. We do like tofu. Tofu mayo? Perfect. And so so so silky smooth. -- Stacy

Ingredients:

6 oz. tofu
1 1/2 - 2T lemon juice (or vinegar)
2T oil
1/2 tsp. salt (or 2 tsp. soy sauce or 1T red miso)
dash black pepper

Instructions:

Blend 30 seconds. Let stand 15-30 minutes before serving.

Notes:

Variations:

1T parsley
Equal parts lemon juice/vinegar
onion
curry
cheese/garlic
ginger root
celery/onion
mustard
dill/garlic
garlic
raisin