dry mixes, sauces, salsas, mayo, dips and dressings
First of all, let me state for the record that I am a die-hard, back-to-basics kind of a cook in my own kitchen. I prefer everything homemade, and I’m not opposed to spending a lot of time on the creation of certain meals. I am not a fan of prepared meals or processed food, and normally I avoid ‘mixes’, at least commercial mixes. But I am also not willing to spend inordinate amounts of time or inconvenience if there is a homemade alternative that promises to shorten my kitchen time without compromising nutrition. Enter in all sorts of mixes, dressings and sauces to make my life easier.
Let me share some of my favourites that I think you’ll enjoy. Each recipe closes with my suggestions on: how to use it in a dish, how to store it, and how to use it up (when you have leftovers that you’re trying to use up). I hate wasting things.
I’m all about using FRESH foods in season, but will use preserved foods as long as nutritional value isn’t compromised. For this reason, I often use FREEZE DRIED options when I can. This serves 3 purposes:
a) I ALWAYS have it on hand, it being shelf stable in sealed CANS (not mylar bags or pouches) having a shelf life of 25 years. Once opened the shelf life is generally up to a year. With proper rotation, I can always count on it.
b) Freeze dried produce is highly nutritious and I found a company who’s standards are so close to my own, it was a natural fit. Thrive Life has a 40+ step process of ensuring the highest quality, and only after completing those 40 steps, do they put their iconic NUTRILOCK symbol on that item. They call that the NUTRILOCK guarantee. You’ll do well to remember this term.
c) Freeze Dried food is exceptionally easy to handle, easy to refresh and delicious. I often refer to it as FRESHER than FRESH because it is picked ripe and flash frozen within 2-4 hours of harvest.
DRY MIXES
Easy to make up and easy to store in your panty – for convenience. I keep the date I package it + instructions for recipe on the back.
SAUCES
Sauces add character and interest to almost anything we’re eating. And the sky’s the limit with the variety! Here are some of my favourites: enchilada, teriyaki, hoisin, sweet & sour, ketchup (x2), plum, peanut, salsas, chutney, pesto
to see recipes for Homemade Sauces click HERE
FRESH MAYO and Salad Dressings
FRESH MAYO
Not only is fresh mayo a great alternative if you run out of the more ‘shelf stable’ mayonnaise from the store, but it can be a game changer in terms of flavour and texture. And its so easy to whip up (in 5 minutes) you may wonder why were so dependent on the store bought version all your life. You can expect it to last about two weeks in the fridge.
In its basic form, mayonnaise is an “emulsification” oil into other ingredients, but it helps to understand the process. Emulsification happens when two substances that don’t want to mix are forced to mix. In the case of mayo, oil is emulsified into a mixture of lemon juice or vinegar, mustard, egg, and salt by whisking it in drop-by-drop at the very beginning—and vigorously. The droplets of oil become tiny enough, and evenly suspended in the liquid creating a creamy, almost fluffy texture.
There is much opportunity for slight flavour variations in mayonnaise.
1) ACID – You choose the type of acid you want: lemon/lime juice or whatever vinegar you prefer (white, apple cider, herb infused vinegars . . . ). You will get different flavoured mayo in the end. It doesn’t take much acid, so you can be brave and experiment with different kinds to find different flavours. Perhaps in the beginning while you’re still getting the ‘hang of it’, stick to a plain white vinegar or lemon juice, and then go from there.
2) OIL is what make mayonnaise – MAYONNAISE, but you get to choose what kind. For a neutral flavoured mayo use neutral flavoured oils like canola or vegetable. For a richer, more flavoured mayo, use olive oil. Or use another oil if you have a favourite, or use a combination.
3) SEASONING is not necessary but nice. Use it or not. I like pepper, but if you want a pure white mayo then use white pepper. You can also use dried chiles, ginger, paprika, garlic, chives, a dash of sesame oil, . . . no end to the possibilities. For a standard all purpose mayonnaise, I just use pepper, but a little more than you might. If you use a lot of mashed garlic, your mayo becomes something wonderful called AIOLI.
recipe:
1 large egg
1 T lemon juice or vinegar (your choice – remember)
1/2 t dry mustard
1/4 t salt
1/8 t pepper
1 cups oil
Combine the first five ingredients in a blender, turn on high and begin adding oil SLOWLY in a steady steam, turning off blender to scrape down sides once or twice if necessary during the process. If you pour the oil in too quickly, the mayo will separate.
Stop blending as soon as mixture is fully emulsified and thick. Makes just over 1 cup mayonnaise. Store in refrigerator. Personally, if I’m going to go to the trouble, of washing my blender, I’m going to double this recipe and end up with about 2 1/2 cups mayo, especially if I know I see dishes like potato salad, tuna sandwiches, or toasted pesto mayo tomato sandwiches in my immediate future.
Store – You can expect it to last about 2 weeks in the fridge so plan accordingly.
link to recipe
*Making it with freeze dried eggs
substitute 2 Tablespoons Thrive Scrambled Egg Mix (just freeze dried eggs) and 3 Tablespoons water for one egg. Add everything else exactly the same way as for above.
Short cut if you have an immersion blender. Use a pint jar, put the immersion blender in the mayo jar right to the bottom. Start the motor and as it is blending, ever so slowly, raise the blender upward. This has the same effect as drizzling the oil into the regular blender slowly. If you start the blender anywhere other than at the bottom, you run the risk of having your mayo separate on you. If you raise it too fast – same thing.
You’ll be able to see the mayo form beautifully as you raise the hand blender to the top. Cover the jar and refrigerate. A lot easier clean up too.
HOMEMADE SALAD DRESSINGS
Yes there’s something to be said about the convenience of store bought salad dressings, but really – try buying a few different vinegars instead and make your own. It is SO easy to make your own salad dressings at home – you’ll wonder why you ever thought you needed to buy them. The benefits are taste, and control over all the ingredients – simple, whole food. That’s what its about. Nothing you can’t pronounce. Make them as you go and then they’re always fresh. 🙂
ASIAN SALAD DRESSING
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 T sesame oil
2 T honey
3 T rice vinegar
2 t freshly grated ginger root
2 cloves garlic minced
1-2 T lime juice
sprinkle sesame seeds over top the salad
can Store in fridge for a week
SESAME GINGER SALAD DRESSING
3 cloves garlic minced
1 3inch piece of fresh ginger root (peeled and grated)
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup sesame oil
salt and pepper
Toss dressing into salad. Top with toasted pumpkin seeds and sesame seeds.
can Store in fridge for a week
Salad:
1/2 small cabbage finely sliced or chopped
about half as much fresh kale finely chopped
4-6 small Persian cucumbers coarsely chopped or 1 large English cucumber
1 or 2 peppers (your choice of colour) coarsely chopped
TACO SALAD DRESSING
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayo
1 cup tomato salsa
1/2 t chili powder
Stir with a spoon and chill till ready to serve on top of Taco Salad.
can Store in fridge for a week
Salad: romaine lettuce – large chunks of tomatoes and cucumbers – black beans – taco flavoured ground beef – shredded cheddar – tortilla chips
variation to use in a fajita rice bowl:
I use the sour cream and mayo to make a nice light white dressing that cools the hot chili spice. I add the salsa on top of it for extra flavour, colour and zip. In this picture, I have drizzled a little candied jalapenos (Cowboy Candy) over top.
RED RASPBERRY POPPYSEED DRESSING
1/2 cup raspberry vinegar
2 T sugar
1 t salt
1 t dry mustard
1/4 cup water
1/2 onion finely chopped (I use 1/4 cup Thrive freeze dried chopped onions)
2 T honey
Blend all ingredients EXCEPT RASPBERRIES AND POPPY SEEDS in blender. Pour into serving container.
Add 1 cup fresh raspberries (I used 1 cup Thrive freeze dried raspberries)
1 t poppy seeds. Gently stir to blend berries and seeds throughout and serve.
can Store in fridge for a week.
Homemade BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE
(I love the powerful taste of dark balsamic vinegar – it stands alone)
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
juice of one lemon (2-3 Tablespoons)
2 cloves of garlic minced
1 T honey
salt and pepper
Put all ingredients except salt and pepper into a pint mason jar with a lid. Shake well till honey dissolves. Taste, then decide if you want to put in about 1/4 t salt and 1/4 t pepper. Shake again. Taste again.
This makes about a cup, but will Store in the fridge for a week or two so make a bigger batch if you want. Just shake it up when you want to use it again.
Substitute the olive oil for TAHINI to make it creamy and rich. Add 2-3 Tablespoons of water if it’s too thick.
Tahini is ground toasted sesame seeds similar in texture to peanut butter, in fact, it is sometimes used as a substitute for peanut butter. Rich is protein and trace minerals it is a healthy addition to add to your salad dressings.
CURRY TAHINI DRESSING
1/2 cup tahini
1/4 cup olive oil
Juice of 2 lemons (about 1/3 cup)
1/4 cup water
1 T honey
2 cloves garlic minced
1-2 teaspoons curry powder (start with lesser amount then taste test before adding more)
1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon ginger (start with lesser amount then taste test before adding more)
Whisk in pint bottle till honey is dissolved.
RHUBARB SALAD DRESSING
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup honey
1 cup vegetable oil – your favourite
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh garlic chives – or regular fresh chives if you don’t have them
1 cup finely chopped rhubarb
Whisk the vinegar, honey and oil together to totally dissolve the honey. Add chives and garlic and mix well. Set aside for at least an hour to combine flavours. Stir as you serve to keep garlic and chives incorporated throughout.
can Store in fridge for a week
BUTTERMILK RANCH DRESSING
1 cup buttermilk*
2/3 cup mayo
2/3 cup sour cream
1 clove garlic minced
1 T minced onion or Thrive freeze dried chopped onion
1 T chopped fresh chives
1 T fresh or frozen dill greens
1 T chopped fresh parsley or half that dried parsley crumbled
1/2 t each: salt and pepper
Mix all ingredients and let sit 30 minutes before serving.
Reduce buttermilk to 2/3 cup to make ranch dip.
Store in the fridge for up to a week.
*making buttermilk from Thrive Instant milk powder is easy.
1/4 cup Thrive Instant milk powder
3 Tablespoons of vinegar or lemon juice
1 cup water
Mix well and let stand for 5 minutes. Use in a recipe as you would buttermilk.
AVOCADO LIME DRESSING
1 avocado
1/2 cup sour cream (I use Thrive sour cream powder)
2 T mayo
2 T lime juice or 1 T limeade powder
1/2 t salt
1/2 cup water
Add everything to the blender
Dressing perfect for salad or for Chili Lime Chicken Tacos
can Store in fridge for a week
CILANTRO LIME DRESSING
1 cup cilantro
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 clove garlic minced
1 T apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1/3 cup mayo
1/4 t salt
1 T Thrive freeze dried chopped onions OR 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
juice of 1 lime
Puree in blender. Chill till ready to serve.
can Store in fridge for a week
LIME VINAIGRETTE
1/2 cup cilantro
3 T olive oil
2 T apple cider vinegar
juice of 1 large lime
1/2 t each: salt, cumin, chili powder, black pepper
1 lg clove garlic
1 T tomato powder
Puree in blender till smooth. Chill till ready to serve.
can Store in fridge for a week
Savoury Sauces, Salsas, Dips and Spreads
SWEET AND SOUR SAUCE
Sweet and sour sauce is a exactly what its name suggests: sweet AND sour. Many people use a splash of red food colouring to give it it’s signature red colour. Don’t do that! Use my secret ingredient to get a full bodied flavour, and an all natural, gorgeous red colour.
I grew up on sweet and sour meatballs or short ribs – complete with food colouring. It was the way of things in those day. You could go out and buy a bottle if you crave that food colouring, but it’s SO easy to whip up your own. It tastes better. is free of all those nasty “unpronounce-ables”, and it’s cheap.
Great to use as a Dipping sauce for ribs, egg rolls, and dumplings.
Great to serve your meatballs in, or to even add to your pulled pork dish.
Great to use in your stir fried vegetables and chicken over rice.
Great to use as a glaze when grilling chicken pieces, hamburgers or porkchops.
Great to even use as a pizza sauce for an Asian twist. Be creative.
In small saucepan, dissolve 1/2 cup brown sugar
in 1 cup pineapple juice
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat.
Create a cornstarch slurry with
1 1/2 Tablespoon cornstarch and 2 Tablespoons water.
Pour into the pineapple juice and stir while it simmers and begins to thicken.
Add 3 Tablespoons of *TOMATO POWDER* and continue stirring to completely dissolve.
Add 2 Tablespoons soy sauce
and 1/2 cup rice vinegar, continuing to stir.
When its the perfect consistency, turn the heat off and serve!
Pour into a pint jar and allow to cool. Makes almost 2 cups.
STORE in fridge for 2-4 weeks.
TZATZIKI
Tzatziki is a creamy cucumber yogurt dip made from simple ingredients including thick yogurt, cucumbers, garlic and fresh herbs. It is primarily used as a dip or a topping.
Traditionally of course, fresh cucumbers are used, but I most often use freeze dried cucumber dices. Makes it so much easier! If you’re using fresh cucumber it needs to be grated and strained before you start making the tzatziki so get to that right away.
* 1 medium cucumber finely shredded, tossed in 1/2 t salt. Set in colander to drain about 30 minutes. Squeeze excess moisture out as much as you can. Set aside.
I skip this step entirely because I generally use Thrive Life freeze dried diced Cucumbers. So much easier.
Start with 1/2 cup and add more as desired one T at a time so you don’t add too much.
1 1/2 cup Greek yogurt (or another nice thick plain yogurt)
1 T lemon juice or 1/2 t Thrive lemonade powder
2-4 T fresh dill chopped (I freeze fresh chopped dill in the summer and use all winter long)
1-2 cloves garlic minced
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 T olive oil – divided. Mix one tablespoon oil into the tzatziki and drizzle the other on top in the bowl at presentation.
* if you’re using freeze dried cucumbers, add 1/4 teaspoon salt
Mix everything except cucumbers. Add at the end and gently toss cucumbers in.
Set in the fridge for an hour or so to blend flavours.
Can Store in the fridge for several days; if you’re using freeze dried cucumbers, it will keep a good week.
* the only time I use fresh cucumbers is when I picked them fresh from my garden minutes beforehand. Otherwise, I use freeze dried.
CHEESY BUFFALO CHICKEN DIP
I could never figure out what made hot chicken wings “buffalo chicken wings”. Didn’t make any sense. I kept thinking there’s gotta be a good reason, but in the end, it’s stupidly simple. The hot sauce gets its name from it’s origin: the Anchor Bar in, you guessed it – Buffalo, New York. So why don’t they call it Anchor Sauce? Who knows?
2 cups shredded cooked chicken (I use Freeze Dried chopped chicken refreshed)
3/4 cup of your favourite hot sauce
2 – 8 oz packages of cream cheese, cubed
1 cup ranch dressing (I use 1 cup Thrive Life Sour Cream powder with 1/2 cup water)
1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar (I use the same amount of Freeze Dried Cheddar refreshed)
Skillet method: In large skillet over medium heat, pour hot sauce and add chicken. Stir to coat evenly and heat through. Add cream cheese cubes and ranch dressing. Cook to melt cheese, stirring occasionally. Lower heat and cook till hot and bubbly.
Slow cooker method: Add all the ingredients into slow cooker set on medium. Stir occasionally to keep from scorching until all is blended, cheese is melted and sauce is hot and bubbly – aprox 45 minutes.
Serve with a loaf of crusty sour dough bread or fresh vegetable wedges.
Can Store in fridge for a week.
SPINACH DIP
Personally, I choose NOT to add any seasoning to this dip because I don’t want it to over power the subtle taste of spinach (which I love). But you do you. If you have a favourite seasoning, then go ahead and use it.
2 – 8 oz packages of cream cheese
1 cup sour cream (I use 1 cup Thrive Life sour cream powder + 1/3 cup water)
1 cup mayonnaise
optional – 1/2 cup freeze dried chopped onions (you won’t see the onions but you’ll get their wonderful taste) OR 2-4 chopped green onions
lots of Spinach slight steamed and wilted, then chopped and strained (make sure you get all the liquid out of it). I used Freeze Dried Spinach straight from the can. A LOT easier and more nutritious than store bought spinach.
Blend the cream cheese with hand mixer till smooth and creamy. Add sour cream continuing to blend till completely mixed. Add mayonnaise, mixing the whole time till completely combined and smooth.
I add spinach a cup at a time, mixing with a spoon. The steamed chopped spinach will be wet of course, the freeze dried spinach (my preference by far) will be dry. I add as much spinach as I can, judging by texture, colour and personal preference. I don’t want it to get too dry, but if I’ve added too much FD spinach, I simply add a little water to moisten.
Can Store in fridge for a week.
PESTOS
PESTO
I am a huge fan of PESTO – in fact, many PESTOS. I grow a lotta Basil for the sake of Pesto, but don’t limit yourself to just basil. You can use many different green herbs, or a combination of some of them. A whole new world of pesto awaits. I have a few different Pesto recipes elsewhere on this site, so instead of pasting them all here – I’m including the links.
basil pesto
oregano pesto
nasturtium pesto
radish green pesto
I hope you’ll go check them out, and even make up a batch or two in the summer when all is fresh and green.
SOMETHING SWEET
CONDENSED MILK or EVAPORATED MILK
This is the milk my mother’s generation prepared baby formula out of. My mom and all my aunts diluted it with boiled water and put it into baby bottles. It was the opinion of the time that enlightened western women did not need to breast feed anymore, as it was “quite inconvenient” and cows milk was just as good, in fact some considered it better. Evaporated milk was the first food of every child I knew – certainly myself, my siblings, and my cousins. That generation of western women was fully indoctrinated that bottle feeding and cow’s milk was better, and it took a lot of convincing to turn the tide back around. Not an easy sell. I was one of the few young moms of my peers who chose breastfeeding against the better judgement and advice of most older women I knew – including nurses on the maternity floor. My in-laws considered it quite a radical move, but they were becoming accustomed to my ‘radical’ ways and just rolled their eyes.
Nevertheless, there is a place for condensed/evaporated milk, and from a food storage perspective it can be a good resource – ie: a substitution for half and half cream in recipes. Yes, you can use ‘fresh’ milk and reduce it over heat – but you don’t need me for that. You can find a recipe for that online. However, making it from your shelf stable INSTANT Milk powder is super convenient since you already have everything on hand.
1 cup Thrive Instant Milk
1 1/4 cup water.
Blend thoroughly in blender or with whisk. Makes 12 ounces Evaporated milk. Store in the fridge for up to two weeks.
SWEETENED CONDENSED MILK (not to be confused with ‘Condensed’ milk or ‘Evaporated milk’)
An alternative to spending $4.99 – $5.99 for a 10 oz (300 ml) can of sweetened condensed milk, this takes less than 5 minutes and costs pennies.
You can even make *Dulce de Leche from it, the same way you would regular canned Sweetened Condensed Milk.
2 Tablespoons butter
1/2 cup HOT water
1 cup Thrive Instant Milk powder
1 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Put your butter in the blender and add your HOT water. Blend on low, gradually adding 1 cup white sugar and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Continuing beating till completely incorporated, scraping down sides as necessary. Makes 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk.
Pour into a glass jar with a lid and refrigerate till needed. Mixture will thicken a little as it cools. May be Stored for up to two weeks in the fridge.
Personally, I don’t use sweetened condensed milk a whole lot. Maybe once a year if that. But when I do, I don’t want to have to run out to buy some, and I don’t use it enough to justify having it in my food storage. But since I have the milk and sugar on hand all the time, this is my best option.
*what is Dulce de Leche?
Also called: caramelized milk or milk candy, it is a popular confection in Latin America, France, Poland and the Philippines – prepared by slow boiling an unopened can of sweetened condensed milk for 3 hours. The resulting substance is a sweet, gooey caramel coloured, spreadable, thick sauce (hence the name caramelized milk). Use as a spread in layered cake or buttery sandwich cookies, a filling for dessert crepes (topped with whipped cream to add to the calories lol), in homemade cheese cake filling, or as a topping for classic cheese cake, to sweetened home made eggnog, or in any number of sweet and delicious ways.
STRAWBERRY CREAM CHEESE DIP
for fruit, graham crackers, sugar cookies, bagel wedges or apple wedges
8 oz package cream cheese softened
2 T honey
2 T milk
2 cups freeze dried strawberries
In medium bowl, beat cream cheese, honey and milk until smooth. Add strawberries and continue to beat another minute or two – until strawberries are broken up and dip is a beautiful strawberry colour and taste. If it appears dip is getting a little dry, add another tablespoon or two of milk (one at a time to test texture).
Let sit for ten minutes to completely refresh the strawberries.
Can Store in the fridge for up to a week.
WHY MAKE YOUR OWN?
The biggest advantage of making your own mixes is that you know exactly what’s in them. It allows you to control salt, eliminate MSG and every other artificial or harmful ingredient. Consequently the storage time will be shorter, but in most cases, they’re so quick to make up – using ingredients that are common in most kitchens, that you can whip them up in minutes.
The other advantage is that I don’t have to run to the grocery store for common things we’ve become accustomed to using. Once we get over the fact that we’re also “accustomed” to store bought taste, we can replace that – and get used to – the natural homemade goodness of FRESH.
The video I promised to include about Thrive Scrambled Egg Mix (freeze dried eggs). And yes, they really are better than other ‘powdered eggs’. Much better!
*What is Tomato Powder?
Made from dehydrated tomatoes, ground into powder, tomato is exactly what it purports to be. It adds the gentle acid of tomatoes to the full bodied, concentrated flavour of a tomatoes in all your favourite dishes. You can make your own – you go girl! – or buy it from a good natural source. My favourite is from THRIVE LIFE.
ENJOY.
Cindy Suelzle