Homemade Red Enchilada Sauce

As with any other sauce I prefer a homemade enchilada suace over a canned or store bought version.  In my opinion almost anything tastes better when it is made in your own kitchen from scratch.  I have tried a couple different homemade enchilada sauces and this one is my fav.  I found this recipe here.  This sauce freezes well so you can save some for a meal in the future :)  Isn't that great?  I love it when I open my freezer and find nice surprises, like frozen sauces, that make whipping a nice healthy homemade dinner up with no fuss and minimal time so easy!  I hope you enjoy this sauce as much as I do!

Homemade Red Enchilada Sauce

1 tablespoons olive oil

2 1/2 tablespoons chili powder

2 tablespoons wheat flour

1 15 ounce can of tomato sauce

1 1/2 cups vegetable or chicken stock

3/4 teaspoons garlic powder

3/4 teaspoons onion powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 teaspoons cumin

Directions

In a large sauce pan, heat oil over medium heat. Add chili powder and flour whisking constantly to combine. Mixture will be a thick paste (roux).

Slowly add in a small amount of tomato sauce whisking until the roux has dissolved. If you don't whisk, it will end up a lumpy mess! Once the roux is combined, add the rest of the tomato sauce and vegetable or chicken stock. Whisk to combine.

Add in the rest of the spices, stir to combine.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

Remove from heat and use in your enchilada recipe, or cool and divide into containers for storage.

Can be refrigerated for up to a week, or frozen for 3 months.

Annie's Pizza Sauce

I've searched high and low for a really good pizza sauce recipe that I can truly say I love...I've never found one until a couple of weeks ago- ah thank heavens!  I found this recipe here, wonderful!  This is the best homemade pizza sauce I've ever tried.  I was buying Muir Glen Organics brand and I thought that was unbeatable, which is funny because I don't typically like store bought sauces.  However, if you are set on buying your pizza sauce instead of making it I would definitely recommend Muir Glen Organics. Here is the recipe, enjoy!

Annie's Pizza Sauce

1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
6 fluid ounces warm water
3 Tablespoons nutritonal yeast (can omit)
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tablespoons honey or agave
3/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon marjoram
1/4 teaspoon basil (can use dried, but fresh is so amazing)
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
juice of 1/2 lemon

Directions 

Put all ingredients in a blender of food processor and blend until smooth.

Meatless Spaghetti Sauce

Here is my new go-to spaghetti sauce that finally won Ryan's approval.  I have tried so many different spaghetti sauces and Ryan thinks they are too garlicky or have too much basil, etc.  So when he said he enjoyed this one when we had it last week and had no comments other than he liked it I new it was a keeper.  I got this recipe from my great friend Lindsay.  She said it came out of her Pioneer Woman Cookbook.  So simple, so yummy, sooo much better than store bought spaghetti sauce :)

Spaghetti Sauce

1 tablespoon olive oil

1(15 oz) can diced tomatoes

1/2 of a medium yellow onion

1 clove garlic, minced

1 cup chopped mushrooms (optional)

1/2 cup chicken stock

1/2 cup heavy cream

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat.  Add onion and mushrooms (if using) and saute until onions are soft and translucent.  Add garlic and let sit about 30 seconds.  Add can of diced tomatoes (I pureed mine in my blender first so that the sauce was smooth not chunky), chicken stock, and cream.  Add salt and pepper to taste. Let simmer for 10 minutes then serve with spaghetti noodles.  Enjoy!

Go-To Creamy White Sauce

I was looking for a quick go-to white sauce that I could use for some pasta and vegetables but was having a hard time finding one when I came across this recipe at ivillage.com.  This is a really great basic sauce that is easy and quick and it has no cream in it, just cheese which is an added bonus :)  This will be my new staple white sauce recipe.

White Sauce

14 ounces chicken broth

3 tablespoons whole wheat flour

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

3 gloves garlic, minced

3/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon dried dill (could use tarragon or chives instead)

1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions

Whisk broth and flour in a small bowl. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until just beginning to brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the broth mixture to the pan, bring to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in cheese, dill, and salt.