Sauces

[Debbie65]

I always seem to wind up using tomatoes or blended up veggies with added herbs as a base for most foods.

Does anyone have any really tasty combinations that they use? I

[CarlaB]

Can you have dairy? If so, how about a white sauce?

I made a chicken dish last week that was really good (warning -- I DON'T measure ). I put cooked chicken cubes (sprinkled with herbs before cooking) in the bottom of a baking dish. Then uncooked, fresh chopped spinach (any green is okay). On top of that, I put Tinkyada spaghetti. I made a white sauce with olive oil, corn starch (mixed in cold water), milk and fresh grated parmesan and poured it over top. I sprinkled grated parmesan on top and baked at 350 till bubbly. I served it with fresh asparagus (must have needed green veggies that day! )

When I'm making a quick dish I often make for the kids -- ground meat browned, add veggies and cook a little more, serve over brown rice -- I use gluten-free cream of mushroom soup for the sauce.

Sometimes I use cream of celery soup in chicken dishes.

Two people in our family can't tolerate tomato sauce (acid reflux), so I seldom use it. When I do, they take some raw apple cider vinegar in water first to prevent the reaction.

[Debbie65]

Can you have dairy? If so, how about a white sauce?

I made a chicken dish last week that was really good (warning -- I DON'T measure ). I put cooked chicken cubes (sprinkled with herbs before cooking) in the bottom of a baking dish. Then uncooked, fresh chopped spinach (any green is okay). On top of that, I put Tinkyada spaghetti. I made a white sauce with olive oil, corn starch (mixed in cold water), milk and fresh grated parmesan and poured it over top. I sprinkled grated parmesan on top and baked at 350 till bubbly. I served it with fresh asparagus (must have needed green veggies that day! )

When I'm making a quick dish I often make for the kids -- ground meat browned, add veggies and cook a little more, serve over brown rice -- I use gluten-free cream of mushroom soup for the sauce.

Sometimes I use cream of celery soup in chicken dishes.

Two people in our family can't tolerate tomato sauce (acid reflux), so I seldom use it. When I do, they take some raw apple cider vinegar in water first to prevent the reaction.

Thanks, I

[CarlaB]

Thanks, I

[Debbie65]

LOL The cream of mushroom I use is brown, so I never thought of it being a "white" sauce, but I guess it is!

Maybe it is more brown in your neck of the woods. Here it must have lots of cream in it. Your idea

[CarlaB]

Maybe it is more brown in your neck of the woods. Here it must have lots of cream in it. Your idea

[RiceGuy]

I typically have a grain as a base, such as short grain brown rice (cooks up wonderfully creamy ), millet, Kasha, or red lentils. OK, so the last two aren't grains, but I'm sure you get the idea. A combo of any of these can be great too. Sometimes I'll use a brown rice cereal. I've also used tapioca to thicken a stew, which has worked out nice because it doesn't turn the thing whitish like cornstarch often does. It also doesn't zap all the flavor, so you don't end up adding a bunch of extra salt/spices to try and bring the taste back to life. Guar gum also works really well as a thickener, so it takes very little.

About the red lentils - these cook into a nice puree in about 20-30 mins, and the aroma is soooo zesty and enticing. They actually smell spicey all by themselves.

[Slackermommy]

Hey carla..an old trick from my Italian American family.....add a little bit of milk and/or cheese to the sauce..it does something to break up the acid in the sauce and does not alter the flavor a bit.

I do not know the science behind it, but my mother does it for my Dad, and it works for him...no more heartburn when he eats it.

[CarlaB]

Hey carla..an old trick from my Italian American family.....add a little bit of milk and/or cheese to the sauce..it does something to break up the acid in the sauce and does not alter the flavor a bit.

I do not know the science behind it, but my mother does it for my Dad, and it works for him...no more heartburn when he eats it.

Thanks, I'll try it. Most of the time chili is the only thing I make with red sauce, and we put cheese on top ... they still get heartburn. Maybe there's a different reaction if the cheese is IN the sauce.

[Slackermommy]

For the tomato sauce, my mother puts grated cheese in..so for chili maybe the fine shredded cheese? Something that would incorporate well...hmm...

PS Carla, I am eating my first batch of stewed prunes...not too bad!!

[CarlaB]

For the tomato sauce, my mother puts grated cheese in..so for chili maybe the fine shredded cheese? Something that would incorporate well...hmm...

PS Carla, I am eating my first batch of stewed prunes...not too bad!!

We serve the chili over Fritos with shredded cheddar on top, so I can just put a bit of the cheddar in the chili, too.

Glad you like the prunes. I really like them a lot and always have! Once I ate a whole bag -- BIG mistake! I eat either kefir or stewed prunes every night (I have to eat something so I can take my last round of supplements for the day). Well, sometimes I make some gluten-free toast.

[Tash-n-tail]

I can't use potato, cornstarch, lentils and rice ideas. Nor barley either. I've been wondering about using Arrowroot? I used it a lot in the States for desserts with fruits as a glaze and can't come up with anything else as an alternate idea. Mind you not that I can actually find out what it comes from besides some exotic Caribbean tuber -- I recently did discover that fine ground buckwheat can be boiled up into a gruel-like porridge that needs a LOT to spice it up, imho nutmeats, sweetener, cinnamon and cloves and cream so I could probably do something with versions of that for a roux.

Come to think of it Bette Hagman does a base for Campbell-style cream soups doesn't she? Must have a look! I could kill for

[RiceGuy]

I can't use potato, cornstarch, lentils and rice ideas. Nor barley either. I've been wondering about using Arrowroot? I used it a lot in the States for desserts with fruits as a glaze and can't come up with anything else as an alternate idea. Mind you not that I can actually find out what it comes from besides some exotic Caribbean tuber...

Arrowroot works well for a thickener, and depending on the consistency you want, tapioca can work too. Guar gum thickens really well, so it doesn't take much of it, and AFAIK it works without heating it up. From what I've read, calcium is what gets it to gel (and apparently borax ).

If you're looking for a substitute for potatoes, try taro. Very similar in many ways, but do take the proper precautions as there are oxalates which you will want to avoid. Cooking the taro takes care of them, but until then handle/peel it with rubber gloves.