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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LETTUCE TACO CUPS W/ CHIPOTLE-SPICED WILD SALMON

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hi friends, it’s been a while. before we get to our recipe i wanted to take a minute to let you know where my head and thoughts are at. we’re currently living through the largest civil rights moment of our lives, and since this blog, my recipes, and current events shape and inform my thinking, it’s necessary that i make a few comments here and how i am going to continue anti-racism work - In and off this platform. i started my blog years ago in hopes of creating community; a community that could share in conversations, in cooking together, in forging positivity and relationships. but i want to acknowledge that through my own ignorance and privilege, I didn’t create an inclusive community. i didn’t take an active role to diversify the blogs or cookbooks i read, or the social accounts i followed. i wasn’t an ally to the voices of the Black and POC community in this way. going forward that is changing.

typical content will continue here (however infrequent that is these days 🙃). but, know that I’m here to do long-term work and growth. i’m committed to doing better. with that, let’s get to our recipe.

there’s a local taco spot that frank and i love. they have legitimately gooood tacos. pre-COVID we would order them every weekend. since we love them so much, i made a riff of the ones i typically order. i swapped in some roasted wild salmon, added grilled avocado (grilling it is optional, but it adds a nice smoky flavor), pickled red onions, and some homemade chipotle cashew crema. while Mexican crema is typically made with sour cream, buttermilk or heavy cream, for a dairy-free version we use soaked cashews to achieve a similar texture. to flavor it, all we add is some fiery chipotle peppers in adobo ( jalapeños that have been smoke and dried and stored in an adobo sauce), a bit of acidity, salt, and some water. and bonus, it can made ahead of time so you’re not preparing everything on the same day. i love them in a lettuce cup situation, frank not so much. if you’re like him, grab yourself some tortillas and you’ll be good to go 😉

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lettuce taco cups w/ chipotle-spiced wild salmon | gf/df

notes:

-i roasted the salmon here, but since it’s bbq season, grilling would also be a great way to prepare it. i would try to cook the filet whole, to avoid drying it out. let it cool for a few, then slice the filet into taco-sized pieces.

-if you don’t have salmon/don’t like it you could use halibut or shrimp as well

print the recipe!

| serves roughly 4-6 |

• 1 pound wild salmon filet

• 2 teaspoons avocado oil

• 1 teaspoon chipotle powder

• salt, to taste

• 1 head bibb lettuce, leaves washed and pat dried (or gluten-free tortillas of choice)

• 1/2 cup chipotle cashew crema

• lime juice

optional toppings:

• grilled or sliced avocado

• pickled red onions

• chopped cilantro

method

1. preheat oven to 450°F. place the salmon skin side down in a large baking pan, drizzle the salmon with the avocado oil, chipotle powder, and season with salt. bake in the center of your oven for 15-20 minutes, until the salmon is cooked through. let the salmon sit until room temperature, about 30 minutes.

2. assemble the taco cups. place the bibb lettuce cups on a large platter. start by pulling or cutting 2-3-inch pieces of salmon and fitting them in the cups. add grilled or sliced avocado (if using), and pickled red onions (if using). drizzle with chipotle cashew crema, a squeeze of lime juice, and a pinch of salt. garnish with chopped cilantro (if using). eat immediately.

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