Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto

I love making pasta salad with this pesto.
—Melissa, New York City

• 2 cups fresh basil

• 6–8 sun-dried tomatoes, rehydrated

• 3 garlic cloves

• ¼ tsp salt

• ¼ cup olive oil

• ¼ cup pine nuts, toasted

With a blender or food processor, blend the basil, tomatoes, garlic, salt, oil, and ½ of the pine nuts until coarsely mixed. Stir in remaining pine nuts. Makes approx. 1 cup.

Tyler & Phoebe’s Perfect Pesto Sauce

A simple, quick, versatile sauce that can be tossed with noodles or potato salad, or used as a sandwich spread or as an alternative to tomato sauce on pizza. My favorite way to use this sauce is on Nana’s Pesto Pinwheel Rolls (Nana’s Pesto Pinwheel Rolls).

• 3 cups fresh basil

• ¼–½ cup pine nuts, toasted

• 2–4 garlic cloves

• ½ tsp salt

• ½ tsp black pepper

• ½ cup olive oil

With a blender or food processor, blend all ingredients, drizzling in oil gradually, until well mixed. Makes approx. 1 cup.

Fresh Five-Minute Basil Tomato Sauce

This simple, fresh, no-cook sauce can be whizzed together in a matter of minutes. To add a little weight to this sauce, I’ll sometimes throw in some tofu.

• 4 medium tomatoes

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 2 garlic cloves

• ¼ cup fresh basil (tightly packed)

• ½ tsp salt

• ½ tsp black pepper

Chop one of the tomatoes and set aside for later. With a blender or food processor, blend together the remaining tomatoes, oil, garlic, basil, salt, and pepper until chunky. Add the sauce and the reserved chopped tomato, and toss well. Serve immediately. Makes approx. 2 cups.

Ginger Peanut Sauce

This sure hit, containing a lovely combination of flavors, can be used for stir-fries, noodles, or anything you can think of.

• 1 small onion, chopped

• 2 garlic cloves, minced

• ½ tbsp oil

• ½ cup hot water

• ¼ tsp curry powder

• ½ tbsp fresh ginger, grated

• ½ cup peanut butter (or other nut butter)

• 1½ tbsp Braggs or tamari

• ½ tbsp sesame oil

• tsp cayenne pepper

In a medium saucepan on medium heat, sauté the onions and garlic in the oil until onions are translucent. Stir in the remaining ingredients and whisk or stir until smooth. Simmer for 5 minutes on medium heat, stirring often to prevent sticking. Makes approx. 1 cup.

Claire’s Cheeze Sauce

Yum. Yum. Yum.

• 3 tbsp vegan margarine

• 3 tbsp flour

• ½ tsp salt

• ¼ tsp black pepper

• 1½ cups vegan milk

• 1 cup vegan cheese, grated

• ½ tsp Dijon mustard (optional)

In a small saucepan on medium heat, melt the margarine. Once margarine is liquefied, remove from heat (don’t turn the burner off) and add the flour, salt, and pepper; whisk until smooth. Return saucepan to burner and slowly add ½ cup of “milk,” whisking constantly until thickening occurs, then add remaining “milk,” ½ cup at a time. Cook sauce over medium heat, whisking constantly until thickened and smooth. Add the “cheese” and mustard and cook for an additional 5 minutes, whisking until smooth and well blended. Makes approx. 2 cups.

Wolffie’s Nutritional-Yeast “Cheese” Sauce

A versatile, cheesy sauce to serve over burritos, pasta, burgers, or veggies—actually, anything you can think of.

• ½ cup nutritional yeast flakes

• 2 tbsp flour

• ½ tsp salt

• 1 cup water

• 2 tsp oil

• 1½ tsp Dijon mustard

• 1½ tsp Braggs or tamari

In a small saucepan on high heat, whisk together all ingredients. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer for 2–4 minutes, stirring constantly. Makes approx. 1½ cups.

Shoshana’s Spectacular All-Purpose Tahini Sauce

Here’s a wonderful sauce I pour over lentils, quinoa, or steamed veggies. It’s awesome! —Shoshana, themonkeybunch.com

• ½ cup shallots (or 1 small onion), roughly chopped

• 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

• 1 tbsp dark sesame oil

• ¼ cup lemon juice

• 3 tbsp Braggs or tamari

• cup tahini

• 1 tbsp maple syrup

• ¼ cup vegetable stock

• ¼ cup olive oil

• ¼ cup oil (e.g., flax or hemp)

In a small saucepan on medium heat, sauté the shallots and garlic in the oil until shallots are translucent. With a blender or food processor, blend the shallots and remaining ingredients until smooth and creamy. Makes approx. 1½ cups.

Mighty Miso Gravy

This is a holiday staple for us. Even my very meat-eating in-laws are so impressed with this one that it’s become an expected part of our holiday dinners. —Sheila, Lake Country, British Columbia

• 6–10 mushrooms, finely chopped

• 1 medium onion, finely chopped

• 1 tbsp oil

• 2–3 tbsp Braggs or tamari

• ¼ tsp dried basil

• ¼ tsp dried dill

• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper

• ¼ tsp black pepper

• –½ cup flour

• 1 cups vegetable stock or water

• 1 tsp miso

In a medium saucepan on medium-high heat, sauté the mushrooms and onions in the oil until onions are translucent and mushrooms are tender. Add the Braggs, basil, dill, cayenne, and pepper and stir to combine. Remove from heat and slowly stir in the flour, mixing well until it becomes pasty and dry. Slowly stir in the stock a little at a time until well mixed with no lumps. Return saucepan to medium heat and simmer until sauce is thickened, stirring often. At the last minute, stir in miso and serve. Makes 2 cups.

Malloreigh’s Mushroom Gravy

One of my favorite recipes to make for my family when I visit. They think vegans don’t eat yummy food and this recipe shuts them up.
—Candice, Duncan, British Columbia

• 4–6 button mushrooms, finely chopped

• 2 tbsp vegan margarine

• 3 tbsp flour

• 1 tbsp nutritional yeast

• ¼ tsp black pepper

• 1 tsp Braggs or tamari

• 1 cup vegetable stock

In a medium saucepan on medium-high heat, sauté the mushrooms in margarine until soft. Add the flour, nutritional yeast, pepper, and Braggs, and stir constantly until thickened. Whisk in stock ¼ cup at a time, stirring constantly until thickened. Transfer to a blender or food processor to blend if you want smooth gravy, or serve as is. Makes approx. 1½ cups.

Barbecue Sauce

I tried the Barbecue Tofu and, oh my gosh, how awesome! And I loooooove this sauce recipe. —Taylor, Houston, Texas

• ¼ cup apple cider vinegar

• 3 tbsp tomato paste

• 3 tbsp maple syrup

• 2 tbsp molasses

• 1 tbsp Braggs or tamari

• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard

• ½ tsp garlic powder

• ½ tsp liquid smoke

• ½ tsp vegan Worcestershire sauce

In a small saucepan on high heat, combine all the ingredients and bring to a boil while continuously whisking. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until desired thickness is achieved. Makes approx. ¾ cup.