Disclosure
This post is written with sample sauces provided by Happy Planet. Happy Planet sent us 12 packets of sample sauces. We are not paid for this post.

As you well know, Suanne and I get quite a number of companies asking if we wanted to try their products. We are picky about what we want to write about because it is simply impossible to review everything that comes our way.

Mostly companies will just send us coupons but once in a while they will go the extra mile to ship us samples. Happy Planet shipped us samples of the their range Happy Planet Natural Sauces. There are altogether six types of gourmet sauces with tastes around the world which includes:

• Thai – Yellow Curry Sauce
• Spanish – Red Pepper Sauce
• Indian – Butter Chicken Sauce
• Bengali – Coconut Curry Sauce
• French – Mushroom Wine Sauce
• Japanese – Ginger Miso Sauce

We were quite surprised that Happy Planet took all the trouble to ship the sauces to us. We did not expect it coming in a large Styrofoam container but soon realize the reason why. It is because unlike a lot of other sauces, Happy Planet’s sauces are made with fresh, natural and organic ingredients. There are no preservatives in the sauces and so it needs to be constantly refrigerated.

Happy Planet sent us a total of 12 packets of sauces and each of them is meant to serve 2-3 people. So that was a LOT we had. We decided to share this with Whitney and Ken’s family by cooking dinner together so that we can try a few of the sauces at one time.

Happy Planet’s Natural Sauces are easy to make and versatile. They sent us three recipes to go along with each of the sauces.

The beauty is that each of the recipes have just three easy steps. While the guys make guy talk and the boys execute head-shots on the PS3, the ladies whipped up the meal quite quickly in the kitchen. It seems to me like the most time consuming steps is the preparations.

The first one Suanne and Whitney used was the Japanese Miso Sauce. They could cook the Miso Sauce with Salmon Fillet, or Stir-Fried Tofu or Sauteed Chicken. They decided on Salmon.

Like I said it is just three easy steps. Step 1: Saute salmon fillets until cooked.

Step 2: Add sauce and cook for an additional 4-5 minutes.

Step 3: Serve with steamed rice and garnish with toasted sesame seeds.

Simple! Even Ken and I could have done that ourselves but then we had bigger things to do … you know, things like figuring out why the HDMI cable does not send sound to the receiver, dishing the local politicians, moaning the lack of snow, where to buy pirated movies in Richmond … you know what I mean,right? Basically big stuff. LOL!

The Japanese Ginger Miso Sauce with Salmon Fillet is pretty good. We just love the texture of the crispy skin along with the savoury and … pungent sauce. The thick paste is a Japanese culinary staple and is blended with ginger.

Since the sauces can be done with three easy steps we assigned Nanzaro to kitchen duty since he is bored with the video game. He was assigned to make toasted grated coconut.

I am sure toasted grated coconut is quite common to a lot of folk out there but boy it is a discovery for us. You simply must try doing this because it is marvelous with spiced curries. It adds a sweet crunchy dimension to smooth spicy curries which I am sure many people will like.

Too bad these type of coconuts cannot be kept long or else we will make a container of this to bring along each time when we dine at Indian restaurants.

The above is made using the Bengali Coconut Curry Sauce. It is sauteed with prawns and scallops.

It is also made with the same three easy steps: saute prawns –> add sauce –> garnish and serve. Even Ken and I could do that but like I said, we had big stuff to do. LOL!

Bengali (Sikh) cuisine includes a plethora of curries that are commonly known around the world. With this sauce, Happy Planet included coconut milk and mustard seeds to create a subtle flavour.

The French Mushroom Wine Sauce goes through the same three steps. For this one, we had this done with braised chicken with onions.

Other ways of making it is with scalloped potatoes or even braised pork chop. All three ways sounded delicious.

The French sauce repertoire rivals that of any cuisine on the planet. This dish is pretty tasty with parsley and just simple egg noodles.

We had six types of different sauces but we decided to only make four since it is already too much food.

The next one we did was Spanish style.

The Spanish Red Pepper Sauce were served over saute Halibut and a bed of couscous. Same three easy steps.

In the Canary Islands, mojos (or sauces) are made with lime juice and olive oil … so is Happy Planet’s version too. It is a good accompaniment to potatoes, meat and fish to bring about a delectable mix.

While the sauce and the fish was good, couscous is not everyone’s favourites. I think it is a Chinese thing.

Here is the full array of Happy Planet’s Natural Sauces. What we did not cook this time was the Indian Butter Chicken Sauce and the Thai Yellow Curry Sauce.

It is hard to find fault with the sauces. It is made with natural and organic ingredients. There are no preservative. They are made in small batches and kettle cooked for premium quality. It takes only minutes to make. Most importantly, it even looked and tasted great.

Happy Planet’s Natural Sauces can be found in the following locations in Vancouver:

• Whole Foods Market
• Capers Community Market
• Choices Market
• Drive Organics
• Queensdale Market
• Small Potatoes Urban Delivery

I am not sure how much each of the packets costs. However, I had with me over 20 “$1 off” coupons with me that we can pass on to our readers so that you could try it at home too. So I am going to do it this way … I will mail a bunch of these coupons to the first five people who emails me (ben@chowtimes.com) your name and address. We will not keep or forward your contact info.

Please do not respond by way of commenting because the whole world will know your address!