My Favorite 6 Fresh Healthy Summer Sauces

Summer is here, which means playing at the beach, weekend camping trips and lots of time outdoors. I put together this collection of 6 Fresh Healthy Summer Sauces to liven up your cooking without having to spend a lot of time in the kitchen.

Are you a sauce person?  A great sauce adds vibrant flavor, texture and color to grilled chicken, fish or vegetables. The right sauce transforms a simple salad into a satisfying meal.  A little sauce can really liven up a pot of quinoa or rice. You can’t have zucchini ‘noodles’ or pasta without a great sauce.

Here are six homemade, fresh, healthy summer sauces for you to play with this summer, along with lots of ideas for how to use them to easily create a meal everyone will love.

1. Asian “Peanut” Sauce

This is a rich and spicy sauce made with almond butter instead of peanuts.  I usually avoid peanuts.  Studies show peanuts may contain a mold that produces aflatoxin, a toxin that congestions the liver making it hard for it to perform its tasks of detoxification and fat-burning.

This Asian “Peanut” Sauce makes a great dipping sauce for Raw Rainbow Spring Rolls, Nori Rolls or Crudité. You can toss the sauce with (hot or cold) soba or kelp noodles. Use it to baste grilled chicken or beef and as a salad or slaw dressing.  It’s also good drizzled over steamed or grilled vegetables.

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2. Grilled Tomato Sauce

Grill ripe tomatoes to make this  delicious tomato sauce with rich and complex flavors! The grilled tomatoes are blended and simmered with garlic until thick and seasoned with fresh basil.  It’s the perfect sauce for all those tomatoes coming out of your garden.

It can be used with Grilled Scallops or any grilled fish or chicken. Toss it with zucchini “noodles” or any pasta. Serve it as a dipping sauce for calamari or grilled squid. Put it on top of sauteed kale or chard.  It’s one of my favorite go-to sauces all summer long.

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3. Cilantro Parsley Chimichurri Sauce

Chimichurri sauce is considered the ketchup of Argentina. It features fresh parsley, cilantro, garlic and tangy vinegar. It gets an extra kick from oregano and crushed red pepper. The taste is a bit more mellow with red wine vinegar but healthier with apple cider vinegar. Traditionally the herbs are cut by hand but I put it into a food processor to make it quick and easy to prepare.

It’s a health enhancing sauce.  Parsley and cilantro are natural detoxifiers. Oregano is one of the most powerful anti-pathogens found in nature.

This is a 2 minute sauce that makes simple grilled vegetables and meats special. Spread it on grilled vegetables just before they are done.  Toss it with potatoes before roasting.  Spoon it on top of grilled chicken or fish. Make it as a dip for raw veggies.  Use it on egg dishes.  Mix it into grains.

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4. Mango Salsa

This bright, fresh salsa is simple to make with only 6 ingredients; juicy mangoes, cucumbers, red onion, jalapeno peppers, lime and cilantro.

It’s the perfect topper for grilled chicken or fish or serve it up with tortilla chips. It can be added to the top of a salad for a fresh fruity flavor.

 

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5. Tahini Sauce

Tahini Sauce is another of my favorite sauces. It makes salad more satisfying because it has lots of good fat and protein.   I love it because it’s made in a bowl (no blender to wash) with only a few ingredients.  I’ve been making this sauce since the days of my restaurant.  I usually make it with fresh garlic but if I’m in a hurry I use garlic powder. It’s really good either way.

Tahini Sauce is versatile and can be flavored in many ways.  Add cumin for additional spice.  Mix in 1/4 cup of chopped dill, parsley or cilantro for an herbal flavor.  Use your imagination to make it different.

You can use tahini sauce as a garnish on Turkey Burgers, roast chicken or lamb.  Dress kale and chopped almonds with it for a simple salad. Use it as a dip for chips or cucumbers. Or serve it with grilled eggplant, zucchini, pepper or roasted carrots.

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6. Vegan Pesto

My summer sauce collection wouldn’t be complete without pesto.  It’s one of summer’s delights.  I grow basil so I can make pesto every week. I like to make it vegan without any cheese.  It’s healthier, delicious and nobody misses the cheese.

It can be used as a sauce for pasta or zucchini noodles.  If you want more variety make Rainbow Noodles.  Serve it as a sauce for grilled salmon, chicken or vegetables. Use it as a topping for pizza, I like Cauliflower Pizza.

Pesto can be made with other herbs like kale for a heartier sauce. Replace the pine nuts with hemp seeds to make a high protein Hemp Pesto.  Play around with the herbs and nuts to make fun variations.

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These fresh healthy summer sauces are so wonderful and satisfying. Soon you’ll think of chicken, fish and vegetables as accompaniments to sauce, instead of the other way around. Enjoy these sauces all summer long. Your food will taste great and you’ll have lots of time for play!

“In the summer, the days were long, stretching into each other. Out of school, everything was on pause and yet happening at the same time, this collection of weeks when anything was possible.”

―Sarah Dessen, Along for the Ride