Quick and Easy Sauces from the Pantry

Dressing up the Protein

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Sometimes the easiest meal to make is a quick grilled or pan-fried chop, burger or sausage, with, perhaps, a serve of instant mashed potatoes on the side. For those of us with limited stomach capacity, this would be more than enough to fill the void. However, it does lack a bit in colour, vitamins and fibre.

Rissoles_and_sauceHere are a few healthy sauces that can be made in the time it takes to grill a steak or fry a rissole. All will give your meal an extra dash of flavour and most also provide an added vegetable or dairy boost. All of them can be made with Pantry Essential.

As well as being served with any kind of chicken or meat, some of these sauces can also serve as simmer sauces for burgers, sausages or rissoles. Others are perfect for serving with fish. You can pour them over steamed vegetables, or dip potato chips or vegetable sticks into them. They can also be served over mashed potatoes, rice or pasta for a quick snack.

Before you grill that steak, you might like to give it an extra flavour boost with a Tasty Marinade from the Pantry.

Or you might like to add an extra vegetable boost with a Quick Vegetable Side Dish from the Pantry.

 

Recipes:

Quick Gravy for One

Quick Cheese Sauce

Mushroom Sauce

Mushroom Gravy

Creamy Mushroom Sauce

Spicy Tomato Sauce

Sweet and Sour Sauce

Apple Sauce

Tzatziki Sauce

Faux Tartare Sauce

Spicy Yoghurt Sauce

Lemon and Garlic Sauce

 

Quick Gravy for One

  • 2 tsp. butter or margarine
  • 2 tsp. cornflour
  • ½ tsp. chicken stock powder
  • 1 tsp. soy sauce
  • Dried onion and pepper
  • Parsley or mint (optional)

 

  1. Place butter and cornflour in a cup with dried onion and pepper
  2. Microwave on high for approx. 30 seconds until the butter is melted
  3. Thoroughly mix butter and cornflour
  4. Whisk in stock powder and soy sauce
  5. Stir in ¼ cup water with herbs (optional)
  6. Microwave on high for 30 seconds and stir thoroughly
  7. Repeat until thickened

Serving suggestions: serve on vegetables, mashed potatoes, roast meat or chicken, or on burgers, rissoles, meatballs or sausages

 

Quick Cheese Sauce

  • ½ cup low-fat milk
  • 2 tbsp. shredded Parmesan cheese
  • 1 tsp. butter or margarine
  • 2 tsp. cornflour
  • Pepper and oregano

 

  1. Whisk cornflour into cold milk in a large mug
  2. Cover and microwave on high for 30 seconds
  3. Stir butter into milk
  4. Cover and microwave on high for 30 seconds
  5. Whisk in cheese and spices
  6. Cover and microwave on high for 30 seconds and stir thoroughly
  7. Repeat until thickened

Serving Suggestions:

  • serve over 1½ cups (mixed) steamed vegetables such as broccoli, carrot, celery, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, frozen peas, pumpkin, potato, sweet potato, green beans, or zucchini
  • serve over poached or grilled fish or chicken

 

Mushroom Sauce

  • 2–3 mushrooms, chopped
  • 1 tsp. soy sauce
  • 1 tsp. tomato paste
  • Pepper, garlic granules and dried onion
  • 1 tsp. cornflour

 

  1. Place mushrooms in a mug with pepper, garlic granules and dried onion
  2. Microwave on high for 30 seconds
  3. In another cup whisk together ¼ cup cold water, with cornflour, soy sauce and tomato paste
  4. Stir into mushroom mixture
  5. Cover and microwave on high for 30 seconds and stir thoroughly
  6. Repeat until thickened

Serving suggestions: serve with grilled meat or chicken or over rice

 

Mushroom Gravy

  • 2–3 mushrooms, chopped
  • 1 tsp. soy sauce
  • 1 tsp. tomato paste
  • Pepper, garlic granules and dried onion
  • 1 tsp. cornflour

 

  1. Place mushrooms, soy sauce, tomato paste and spices in the small cup of a bullet blender with ¼ cup water and microwave on high for 60 seconds
  2. Allow to cool and liquidise
  3. Dissolve the cornflour in a little water and stir into the sauce
  4. Microwave on high for 30 seconds and stir thoroughly
  5. Repeat until thickened

Serving suggestions:

  • serve with grilled meat or chicken
  • use as a simmer sauce for burgers, rissoles, meatballs and sausages

 

Creamy Mushroom Sauce

  • 2–3 mushrooms, chopped
  • 1 tsp. butter or margarine
  • Pepper, garlic granules and dried onion
  • ¼ cup low-fat milk
  • 1 tsp. cornflour
  • 1 tbsp. shredded Parmesan cheese

 

  1. Place mushrooms in a mug with butter and spices
  2. Microwave on high for 60 seconds
  3. In another cup whisk together cold milk, cornflour and Parmesan cheese
  4. Stir into mushroom mixture
  5. Cover and microwave on high for 30 seconds and stir thoroughly
  6. Repeat until thickened

Serving suggestions: serve with grilled meat or chicken or over rice

 

Spicy Tomato Sauce

  • ¼ cup red capsicum, chopped
  • 3–4 cherry tomatoes
  • 2 tsp. tomato paste
  • Garlic, chilli or paprika and pepper

 

  1. Pierce the cherry tomatoes
  2. Steep capsicum and tomatoes in boiling water for 10–15 minutes and drain
  3. Peel tomatoes
  4. Place tomatoes and capsicum in the small cup of a bullet blender with tomato paste and spices
  5. Liquidise thoroughly
  6. Microwave on high for 30 seconds (optional)

Variations:

  • substitute 1/3 cup diced tomatoes for the peeled cherry tomatoes
  • substitute 1–2 tsp. sweet chilli sauce for the spices

Serving suggestions:

  • serve with grilled meat or chicken, baked or poached fish or over rice or macaroni
  • use as a simmer sauce for burgers, rissoles, meatballs and sausages

 

Sweet and Sour Sauce

  • 1 tbsp. chopped onion
  • 1 tbsp. carrot, chopped
  • 1 tbsp. red capsicum, chopped
  • ¼ cup fruit juice
  • 1 tsp. cornflour
  • 2 tsp. lemon juice
  • 1 tsp. tomato paste
  • 1 tsp. soy sauce
  • 1 tsp. sweet chilli sauce (optional)

 

  1. Place onion, carrot and capsicum in the small cup of a bullet blender with fruit juice and cornflour
  2. Liquidise until the cornflour is dissolved and the vegetables are finely chopped
  3. Stir in lemon juice, tomato paste, soy sauce and sweet chilli sauce (optional)
  4. Cover and microwave on high for 30 seconds and stir thoroughly
  5. Repeat until thickened

Serving suggestions: serve with grilled pork or chicken or over rice.

 

Apple Sauce

  • ¼ Granny Smith apple, peeled and sliced
  • 1 tsp. lemon juice
  • Sugar
  • Cinnamon

 

  1. Place sliced apple in a small bullet blender cup with lemon juice, a little sugar and cinnamon
  2. Process to chop finely
  3. Cover and microwave on high for 60 seconds

Serving suggestions:

  • serve with grilled pork or chicken
  • use 1 tsp. sugar and serve with porridge or over waffles or pancakes

 

Tzatziki Sauce

  • 1 small Lebanese cucumber
  • 1 tsp. lemon juice
  • ½ cup natural yoghurt
  • Oregano (or mint)
  • Garlic granules and pepper

 

  1. Peel and grate the cucumber
  2. Drain in a small strainer for 30 minutes
  3. Place in a bowl and stir in remaining ingredients

Serving suggestions:

  • serve with grilled lamb, chicken, baked or poached fish
  • serve as a dip

 

Faux Tartare Sauce

  • 1 tbsp. mayonnaise
  • 1 tbsp. natural yoghurt
  • 1 tsp. lemon juice
  • Chives, parsley and pepper

 

  1. Whisk all ingredients together

Serving suggestions: serve with baked or poached fish

 

Spicy Yoghurt Sauce

  • 1–2 tsp. butter or margarine
  • Dried onion, garlic, ginger and mild curry powder
  • 2 tbsp. natural yoghurt

 

  1. Place butter in a cup with spices
  2. Microwave in high for 30 seconds and stir thoroughly
  3. Stir in yoghurt
  4. Microwave on high for a further 20 seconds and stir (optional)

Serving suggestions:

  • serve with grilled chicken, baked or poached fish
  • serve with steamed vegetables or sweet potato fries

 

Lemon and Garlic Sauce

  • 2 tsp. butter or margarine
  • 2 tbsp. lemon juice
  • ½–1 tsp. crushed garlic
  • Pepper and parsley
  • 1 tsp. cornflour

 

  1. Place butter in a cup with garlic and pepper
  2. Microwave on high for 30 seconds and stir thoroughly
  3. In another cup whisk cornflour into lemon juice and stir into butter with parsley
  4. Microwave on high for 30 seconds and stir thoroughly
  5. Repeat until thickened

Serving suggestions: serve with baked or poached fish

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