Happy Planet Natural Sauces

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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.

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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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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

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

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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 … (more…)

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Applesauce for Home Canning

Due to the great response to the home canning workshops organised by the Richmond Food Security Society, Arzeena and Karen decided to hold three more workshops on home canning.  This time, it’s home canning apple sauce as it’s the season for apple harvest.

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The apples we used were donated by various sources which include groceries stores and people’s backyard who has planted apple trees.  You dont have to use perfect apples, just trim off the bruises.

Ingredients

  • 12 to 14 pounds apples, roughly chopped; peeled and cored if desired
  • 3 cups sugar (optional)
  • 4 tablespoons lemon juice or 2 teaspoons citric acid, dissolved in 2 tablespoons hot water
  • ground spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, cardamon and allspice for flavoring (optional)
  • 8 x 500 ml jars

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Applesauce is a great snack especially for kids and babies.  It is also a good substitute for fat in baked goods.  Substitute half of the fat in baked goods for a reduced fat diet.  It is not advisable to substitute all the fat in baked goods as the result will be denser and chewier and not as tender as those baked with fat.  To use the applesauce to substitute for fat, the applesauce must be of a thicker consistency.

Applesauce can also be used as a savory glaze on poultry.  Season the applesauce with thyme or rosemary and salt.  Glaze on roast chicken about half way through the roasting time.

A thicken applesauce can also be used as a filling for cake like swiss roll or used as a spread for your toast.

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Red Salsa

Blanca also made a Red Salsa in the South Arm Community Kitchen.  The primary ingredient in the Red Salsa is tomatoes which give it the red colour.  However, the day we made the Red Salsa, it did not turn out very red as the cilantro’s green colour seemed to dominate the red of the tomatoes.

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The Red Salsa can be made just like the Green Salsa, i.e., boil the ingredients first, then blend and reboil.  However, Blanca showed us another way which blends the ingredients first, then boil.

Ingredients

  • Tomatoes, cut into quarters
  • rough chopped onion
  • chopped cilantro
  • serranos (optional)
  • salt to taste

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Green Salsa

Blanca made two types of Green Salsa to serve with her Homemade Tortillas.  One of the Green Salsa is plain while the other Green Salsa has avocado added to it.  The avocado adds creaminess to the Green Salsa.  If you like this recipe, you should also check Blanca’s recipe on Red Salsa too.

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The green salsa can be made with both red and green tomatoes or only with green tomatoes.

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Green tomato is also called tomatillo.  It is also known as husk tomato, husk cherry, Mexican tomato, jamberry or ground cherry.  Tomatillo in Mexico means ‘little tomato’.  The tomatillo fruit is surrounded by a paper-like husk, hence the name husk tomato.  Tomatillos are the key ingredient in fresh and cooked LatinAmerican green sauces.

Ingredients

  • Green tomato
  • Red tomato (optional)
  • Cilantro
  • Serranos chili
  • rough chopped onion
  • salt to taste

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Making Pizza from Scratch: Pizza Sauce (Part 2 of 5)

Carol and Margaret were incharged of making the Pizza Sauce in the South Arm Community Kitchen for seniors. This recipe is adapted from Gourmet. It makes about 2 1/2 cups of Pizza Sauce.

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Ingredients

  • a 28-oz can crushed tomatoes in puree (about 3 1/2 cups)
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • salt to taste

Instructions

  1. In a large non-reactive saucepan, bring the tomatoes puree and oil to a simmer.
  2. Simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally for 20 minutes or until the sauce is reduced to about 2 1/2 cups.
  3. Season the sauce with salt and cool to room temperature.
  4. The sauce can be kept in the refrigerator, covered for 5 days.

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