Simple Sauces

• “Duck” Sauce
• Vegan Sour Cream
• Tahini-Yogurt Sauce
• Coconut-Peanut Sauce or Salad Dressing
• Shiitake-Miso Gravy
• Fresh Summer Tomato Sauce

“Duck” Sauce

Makes: about 2/3 cup

• 1/3 cup all-fruit apricot or peach preserves
• 2 tablespoons orange juice
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar or white wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger or 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and stir together until well blended.

Vegan Sour Cream

Makes: a little more than 1 cup, about 8
Adapted from Vegetarian Soups for All Seasons

Here’s an easy preparation that is also quite useful—vegan sour cream is not yet a very common product to buy readymade. I especially like this as a garnish for Southwestern-style dishes and cold soups.

• One cup crumbled firm or extra-firm silken tofu
• 2 to 3 tablespoons rice milk or Silk creamer, as needed
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice, or more to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste

Combine all the ingredients in a food processor or the companion container to an immersion blender. Process until very smoothly pureed, then transfer to a container with an airtight lid.

Tahini-Yogurt Sauce

Makes: about 3/4 cup

This is good in pita sandwiches, over tempeh, and as a dip for raw vegetables.

• 1/2 cup plain soy yogurt
• 2 tablespoons tahini
• 1 teaspoon grainy mustard
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh chives or scallion
• 1 teaspoon horseradish, optional

Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and whisk together until smooth.

Coconut-Peanut Sauce or Salad Dressing

Makes: about 1 1/2 cups
Adapted from Vegan Express

This luscious mixture is as welcome on raw salads as it is to embellish cooked noodle, grain, or vegetable dishes.

• One 8-ounce jar peanut satay sauce
• 1/2 cup light coconut milk
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1/2 teaspoon red or green Thai chili paste, more or less to taste dissolved in a little hot water
• 2 teaspoons brown rice syrup, agave nectar, or maple syrup

Combine the ingredients in a small mixing bowl and whisk together until completely mixed. Use at room temperature as a dressing.

If you’d liked to use as a warm sauce, combine the ingredients in a small saucepan, whisk together, and heat gently until warm.

Shiitake-Miso Gravy

Makes: about 2 cups
Adapted from Vegan Express

Serve this versatile sauce over sautéed tofu or tempeh, or to dress up mashed potatoes or green vegetables.

• 1 cup prepared vegetable broth or water
• 2 cups thinly sliced fresh shiitake mushroom caps (about 2 to 3 ounces)
• 1 to 2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger, to taste
• 1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 rounded tablespoons miso (see note)
• Freshly ground pepper to taste

Combine the broth, mushrooms, ginger, and oil in a small saucepan. Bring to a rapid simmer, then cover and simmer gently for 5 to 7 minutes.

Combine the cornstarch in a small container with just enough water to dissolve. Whisk into the saucepan and cook just until the gravy thickens. Remove from the heat.

Combine the miso with 1/4 cup warm water in a small container and whisk until smooth. Stir into the gravy. Season with pepper and serve at once, or cover and heat through just before serving.

Fresh Summer Tomato Sauce

Makes: enough for 1 pound pasta, about 6
Adapted from Pasta East to West

The lush tomatoes of late summer can hardly be put to better use.

• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 3 to 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 2 pounds very ripe, fresh tomatoes
• 1/4 cup sliced sun-dried tomatoes (oil-cured or not, as preferred)
• 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano, or 1 teaspoon dried
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a small skillet. Add the garlic and onion and sauté over medium-low heat until golden.

In a food processor, combine the garlic-onion mixture with the remaining oil, tomatoes, dried tomatoes, basil, oregano, and lemon juice. Process, pulsing on and off, until the mixture is coarsely and evenly chopped, but not pureed.

Toss with hot or cold pasta, season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve.