Tip # 4: Nine Zesty Vegetable Sauces

When using vegetables as a main or side dish, the challenge is to make them interesting. You also want to make them tasty, and the dishes should have enough variety to satisfy those who eat with you. Sauces can be your answer. Some are made from scratch, some are as simple as opening a bottle you buy at the market. The following nine ideas are examples of sauces you can either buy or prepare from scratch. Use them to dress up your vegetables, while keeping them high on the EMI.

WHAT YOU CAN DO: Try these sauces to add some zing to your vegetables.

1. Marinara Sauce
Marinara sauce can be used on vegetables, as well as on pastas and potatoes. This was described previously. Marinara sauces can be bought bottled or you can make your own. In selecting bottled marinara sauces, pick one of the no-fat varieties. If you make your own, keep it low or no fat. See recipes on pages 133 and 140.

2. Dijon Mustard Sauce
One of my favorite sauces is what I call 3221 sauce. This is a lip-smacking mustard sauce that can be used to make vegetables absolutely delicious. Its also simple to prepare.

Its called 3221 because you use:
3 Tbsp. Soy sauce
2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp. Lemon juice
1 clove Garlic, crushed
Mix them all together, and you have a delicious dipping sauce that is out of this world. Its incredibly easy. Try it and see. Makes 3 portions. (1 portion = 25.6 calories, 0.6 grams fat, 26% protein, 52% carbohydrates, 22% fat)

3. Asian Sauce
Oriental sauce is delicious on vegetables. You can make a variety of these sauces from scratch, or buy them bottled. Also, for your convenience, you can use a vegetarian oyster sauce, a miso sauce, or a ginger sauce. Ginger is a superb condiment and can be used as an ingredient in any number of different sauces. Ginger has a little bit of zip, similar to horseradish or chili sauce. For additional delicious sauce recipes, see pages 270-271.
Oriental Ginger Sauce
1 C Water
4 Tbsp. Low-sodium soy sauce
1 Tbsp. Arrowroot or corn starch
1 Tbsp. Ginger, grated
Mix arrowroot or corn starch in cup of cool water. Add to a saucepan with the water, soy sauce, and ginger. Heat at medium until thickened and stir. Serve with steamed vegetables. Makes 10 portions. (1 portion = 6.9 calories, 0.0 grams fat, 21% protein, 78% carbohydrates, 1% fat)

4. Plum Sauce
Oriental plum sauce is a delicious treat that can be used for dishes such as Mu-shu vegetable. One variation of plum sauce is known as Hoisin. You can buy this bottled, and use it as is. Youll find it in Oriental or health food stores.

5. Miso-Based Sauce
Miso-based sauces are also savory on vegetables. All you have to do is dilute some miso with a little bit of flour, water and other spices, then use this as a delicious dipping sauce for raw or steamed vegetables. You can also use this sauce as a variation when youre making a stir-fry.
Ginger Miso Sauce
4 Tbsp. Sweet white miso
1 Tbsp. Fresh ginger juice
1 Tbsp. Ginger, grated
1 clove Garlic (large), minced
Juice of one lemon
1 tsp. Corn starch (for thicker sauce)
1 C Water
Blend ingredients until well mixed, then heat gently. Add corn starch for a thicker sauce. Serve over vegetables, use as dipping sauce, or use as base in stir-frys. Keeps well. Makes 8 portions. (1 portion = 22.7 calories, 0.6 grams fat, 19% protein, 59% carbohydrates, 21% fat)
6. Barbecue Sauce
Barbecue sauces are great for dressing up vegetables. They also make good sauces for sandwich fillings and protein-based foods such as the meat substitutes youll find in a following Eat More, Weigh Less Tip.
You can make your own sauce, or barbecue sauce can be bought in the store. Most of these sauces are low in fat. Nevertheless, make sure that you read the bottle or you might be surprised.
The brands of bottled barbecue sauces I recommend include the following: Robbies Barbecue Sauce, Hickory Flavor; Bulls Eye Original Barbecue Sauce; and Hunts All Natural Thick & Rich Barbecue Sauce, to name a few.
BBQ Sauce
C Water
1 tsp. Soy sauce
1 large Onion, minced
3 cloves Garlic, minced
1 can Tomato sauce (8 oz.)
1 C Tomato ketchup
1 C Water
1 Tbsp. Honey
1 tsp. Chili powder
2 Tbsp. Cider vinegar
1 tsp. Dry mustard
2 Tbsp. Tamari
Tbsp. Corn starch, whole wheat flour, dissolved in 2 tablespoons water
In a large pan, heat water and soy sauce. Add chopped onion and the garlic. Cook until the onion is soft. Add other ingredients and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes. Stir often.

To thicken, add corn starch, whole wheat flour, or kuzu, dissolved in water. Makes 36 portions. (1 portion = 22.8 calories, 0.1 grams fat, 10% protein, 85% carbohydrates, 5% fat)

7. Curry Sauce
Curry sauce is an exotic dipping sauce you can use to impress your friends or to treat yourself. Because the ingredient list is long, most people think it will be difficult to prepare. However, once you have the ingredients together, the sauce can be deceptively simple to make. Try the following recipe on vegetables, seitan, tempeh, and other meat substitutes; in corn dishes or over whole grains.
Simple Curry Sauce
4 tsp. Whole wheat flour
2 tsp. Curry powder (choose mild, medium or hot, to taste)
1 C Vegetable broth
1 C Water
2 tsp. Ginger, finely chopped
1 med. Onion, chopped
1 Bay leaf
1 clove Garlic, crushed
Blend all ingredients, then cook over medium heat until thickened. Simmer 10 minutes. Remove bay leaf. Makes 24 portions. (1 portion = 6.2 calories, 0.1 grams fat, 19% protein, 74% carbohydrates, 7% fat)

8. Tofu Sauce
Some people like creamy sauces. Tofu provides a creamy texture for vegetables dips and other dishes, and is somewhat similar in texture to mayonnaise, a dish that most of us grew up with. A lot of people like mayonnaise but dont want the high-fat content. (Mayonnaise is almost totally fat, at about 12 grams of fat per tablespoon, and with about 98% of its calories coming from fat.)
Tofu-based sauces are far better than that. But dont forget, tofu still has a fair amount of fat. Its 51% fat by calories, with about 5 grams of fat per quarter pound. It has about 0.8 grams of fat per tablespoon. This means its not all that good for you when youre watching your weight. But its still a lot better than the 12 grams of fat per tablespoon in regular mayonnaise.
Using tofu as a sauce base saves you about 11 grams of fat per tablespoon. Thats not bad. In addition, tofu is moderate on the EMI scale, whereas mayonnaise is at rock bottom. To use tofu as a sauce base, put it in a blender with a couple of other ingredients and blend until smooth. Try the following recipe for tofu mayonnaise, use it on sandwiches, vegetables, and other places where you might ordinarily use mayonnaise.
Tofu Dip Sauce
1 blk. Soft tofu (16 oz.)
1 Tbsp. Onion, minced
1 C Vegetarian broth (e.g., vegetarian chicken, konbu, etc.)
2 Tbsp. Low-sodium soy sauce (or to taste)
1 tsp.Lemon juice
Mash tofu and mix in other ingredients. Place in a blender and puree. Use this as a vegetable topping or a dip for steamed vegetables. Makes 20 portions. (1 portion = 14.2 calories, 0.6 grams fat, 34% protein, 26% carbohydrates, 40% fat)

9. Mediterranean Herb Sauce
Mediterranean dishes are characterized by the creative use of herbs, spices, vinegar, olive oil, and even wine. The trick to making use of these flavors in the Eat More, Weigh Less Diet is to eliminate or minimize the olive oil. As good as olive oil may be in other respects, in terms of weight loss, it has the same number of calories (9 calories per gram), the same low EMI value, and the same potential for making weight loss difficult as do other fats and oils. So concentrate on the delicious other flavors such as basil, garlic, oregano, etc., and be creative with Mediterranean sauces for pastas and vegetables.
Mediterranean Herb Sauce
1 clove Garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 C Red wine vinegar
1 tsp. Black pepper
1 C Basil leaves, sliced
1 tsp. Onion powder
1 Tbsp. Honey
Combine all ingredients and serve over steamed vegetables. Could be used as a marinade or over vegetable kebobs. Makes 7 portions. (1 portion = 17.1 calories, 0.3 grams fat, 8% protein, 80% carbohydrates, 12% fat)