The Weekly 5: Mastering homemade sauces
Sesame ginger dressing, cilantro cashew cream, sun-dried tomato vinaigrette + more
Continuing on with Meal Prep Month, this week I want to turn our attention to a cornerstone element of meal prep: homemade sauces.
The sauce is the finishing touch of any dish. If the main ingredients are the clothes, the sauce is the statement jewelry - or the bold red lip, or the cool vintage belt - that completes the outfit. In a nutshell, it can make or break the meal.
Aside from jarred marinara, I typically steer clear of all store-bought sauces and dressings, and frankly advise you to do the same. The amount of preservatives, emulsifiers, poor-quality oils, and sweeteners in a majority of them is alarming. Not to mention, they also don’t taste great.
If you want to have a sauce/dressing ready to go in your fridge for salads and grain bowls throughout the week, the five globally-inspired ones below are easy to make, versatile, and made with simple ingredients you can pronounce.
1. Creamy Cilantro Sauce
Instead of dairy or mayo, this all-purpose sauce gets its creamy base from soaked and blended cashews. It’s great for drizzling on tacos, falafel, roasted veggies, bowls, you name it.
2. Sun-Dried Tomato Vinaigrette
Whole sun-dried tomatoes add a sweet-savory flavor and vibrant orange color to traditional vinaigrette. (A TNB reader favorite!)
3. Dairy-Free Tzatziki
Classic Greek tzatziki is made with yogurt and grated cucumber. For a dairy-free version, instead of using processed store-bought yogurt, I opt for tahini. When thinned out with water, it makes the perfect creamy base.
4. Easy Peanut Sauce
This nutty Asian-inspired sauce works as a salad dressing, grain bowl sauce, or dip, or sauce for chilled soba or udon. (No blender needed.)
5. Sesame Ginger Dressing
This one’s the easiest to make of the bunch. You literally put all the ingredients - tahini, fresh ginger, sesame seeds, etc. - in a jar and shake them up. (Vaguely inspired by the salad dressing in Japanese-American restaurants.)
Planning to make one of these? Tell me how it goes in the comments section or tag me with your creation on Instagram.