PREP SAUCE SUNDAY: CHILI OIL, GARLIC & LIME TAHINI SAUCE

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sunday greetings! we're here with another sauce to get you through the week.  i'm still cooking everyday here at home for my boys (hence my absence from this space).  i made this sauce weeks ago when i got a CSA from a local farm. it had a bunch of cabbage, which is generally not my go-to vegetable - especially this time of year. however, whenever i do prepare cabbage, i always go the route of a slaw. this particular one i made had green and purple cabbage, slivered kale, chopped cilantro, segmented cara cara oranges, a ton of toasty sesame seeds; and this chili oil, garlic & lime tahini sauce. i kind of just threw it together based on a spicy almond butter sauce i make, and it turned out so much better than i had anticipated (which is always a victory). i’ve been making it now for a few months to have on hand for dressing salads, chops, slaws; but also for dipping and thinning out for hearty leafy dishes as well. it’s become a reliable staple here, and i wanted to share in hopes that it becomes one of your favorites too :)

like our last sauce/dressing, it relies heavily on a handful of pantry goods: chili oil, rice vinegar, tahini, etc.  along with a few counter-friendly items: ginger, garlic, and a good amount of lime juice.  they come together to make a fiery, and super punchy and flavorful sauce. a lot like most of the sauces/dressings/dips in this prep sauce series, it can be used for a number of dishes: pour it over a slaw, or for a salad with dark leafy greens (kale, chard, spinach, etc.). drizzle it over roasted vegetables such as: broccoli, brussels sprouts, roasted carrots, etc. i could see this being a delicious satay-style dip for chicken satay, or even sweet potato wedges. the list goes on. hoping this sauce provides you a little breather in your cooking hustle this week.

xo

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Chili Oil, Garlic & Lime Tahini Sauce | gf & plant-based

| makes roughly 1 1/2 cups |

print the recipe

notes: this sauce is pretty flexible in terms of substitutions. if you don’t have tahini, use almond or cashew butter in its place (you can use peanut butter, but it’s going to change the flavor substantially). you may not stock your pantry with chili oil, i get it. you could certainly use sriracha in its place. coconut aminos can also be substituted with gluten-free tamari, or a gluten-free soy sauce. if you don’t have fresh ginger, start with about 1/4 teaspoon of ground ginger and go from there. if you don’t like or have honey, simply replace it with maple syrup or another sweetener of choice.

ingredients

• 1/2 cup tahini

• 1/4 cup water

• 1/4 cup rice vinegar

• 1/4 cup olive oil

• juice from 2 limes

• 1 tablespoon coconut aminos

• 1-inch knob of ginger, grated over a microplane

• 1 clove garlic, grated over a microplane

• 1 1/2 tablespoons raw honey

• 1-3 teaspoons chili oil, depending on how spicy you want it

• fine salt & fresh ground pepper

method

1. in a medium bowl, whisk together all the ingredients, and season with salt & pepper. taste and adjust, adding more seasoning to your liking.

2. pour sauce into a tightly fitted lidded jar and store in the fridge for up to 1 week.

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ALEPPO PEPPER POTATO SALAD W/ GARLICKY VEGAN LABNEH

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we’ve been eating our weight in potatoes here in the Love household. sweet potatoes, waxy russets, and these banana fingerlings. call it drowning our emotions in carbs, or just that it’s “that time of year” to cook potatoes. the truth is, i’m certainly eating my emotions, but if you look back in my recipe archive you will see a trend - potato salad is my spring/summer go-to (pandemic or not). on the east coast new potatoes don’t arrive until later in june/july, but here in LA they’re everywhere. maybe it’s a bit too early for a classic, cold potato salad. so we’re keeping things a little more on the cozy side (even though it’s nearly been 100°F here), and using fingerlings so we can roast them.

this isn’t your traditional potato salad, clearly. we’re using homemade garlicky vegan labneh that holds everything in place and adds the oomph here. it takes a little time to prepare it (about 24 hours), but it is worth it, trust! we roast up some fingerlings with aleppo pepper until they’re golden and crispy on the outside, and fluffy on the inside. the pepper gives the potatoes a good amount of heat, which i love in contrast to the cool yogurt. we add fresh chives too, adding some green bits, but also so much flavor. we finish it with a hit of fresh lemon juice, just to brighten it up a titch. if you have fingerlings, cool. if you don’t, use what you got, all potatoes are welcome :)

sending love and hugs. xo.

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aleppo pepper potato salad w/ garlicky vegan labneh

• i love this potato salad with a light protein - i usually go with chicken or fish, but you could certainly go the plant-based route as well. serve it with a simple green salad and you’re good to go.

• if you don’t have fingerling potatoes, use another baby potato. if all you have are large potatoes, cut them into 1-inch pieces and adjust the cook time to 30-35 minutes.

print the recipe

| serves 4 |

• 1 1/2 pounds fingerling potatoes (or another small potato), cut lengthwise

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, more for drizzling

• 1/2-1 teaspoon aleppo pepper

• kosher salt & cracked pepper, to taste

• 1 1/2 cups vegan labneh*

• 1/4 cup fresh chopped chives

• flaky sea salt

• fresh lemon juice

*to make the labneh garlicky, grate 1 large garlic clove over a microplane. mix into the yogurt mixture before your 24 hours strain.

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method

1. preheat oven to 425°F. in a large bowl toss together the potatoes, oil, aleppo pepper, a few pinches salt, and a few cracks of pepper, until the potatoes are evenly coated. dump potatoes out onto a baking sheet and spread into an even layer, making sure that none of the potatoes are overlapping. bake until potatoes are crisp and golden, about 30-40 minutes.

2. remove from oven and let the potatoes come to room temp.

3. in a shallow serving bowl, add the vegan labneh. use the back of a large spoon to swirl it around your bowl, add the potatoes in the center, and top with chopped chives, a few drizzles of olive oil, flaky salt, and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.

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