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
Chili Oil, Garlic & Lime Tahini Sauce | gf & plant-based
| makes roughly 1 1/2 cups |
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
in a medium bowl, whisk together all the ingredients, and season with salt & pepper. taste and adjust, adding more seasoning to your liking.
pour sauce into a tightly fitted lidded jar and store in the fridge for up to 1 week.