Four Fast and Fabulous Sauces to Liven Up Your Healthy Eating

Let's face it, no matter how good for you a food may be, you're not going to continue to eat it unless you like the taste. When I'm on my way home from work, I have a mantra - must be fast, must be healthy. These four sauces are all simple to prepare and will keep well in the refrigerator for days.

A few years ago I taught a summer school gardening class to children ranging in age from five to eleven years old. For one of the lessons, I had them take a walk through the school garden and pick a handful of whatever herbs struck their fancy. We ended up with rosemary, basil, parsley, garlic chives, and oregano. The students then tossed the herbs (washed first) into a blender with garlic, olive oil, parmesan, lemon juice, and macadamia nuts (we are in Hawaii, after all). The result was the most splendiferous pesto I'd ever tasted. I gave each child a small container of pesto to take home and share. One girl returned the next day with the same container, dutifully washed. She said her grandma would appreciate it if we refilled it, since the whole family loved the pesto and wanted more. Well, we were on to a new lesson and didn't have the funds to refill the container, but I did give grandma the recipe. Herbs, like other leafy greens, are chock-full of vitamins and minerals. Oregano alone is known for its anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties. Feel free to substitute with whatever herbs you have handy, but limit the parsley to about 1/4 cup since it's often overpowering. To keep the pesto on the lighter side, I've substituted chicken broth for some of the olive oil. This pesto is fantastic on potatoes, chicken, or fish.

1 cup basil leaves

1 cup assorted herbs (parsley, oregano, cilantro, chives)

3 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons of chicken or vegetable broth

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 tablespoons nuts (walnuts, macadamias, almonds)

2 teaspoons lemon juice

Dash of salt

Combine in food processor and blend until smooth.

I have a friend who loves to make jam with leftover fruit. In Hawaii, that means guava and jaboticaba, a strange but wonderful grape-like fruit that grows on the bark of the tree. One evening I was trying to liven up a chicken breast and I came up with the idea of reducing the sweet guava jam that I'd been given with savory chicken broth. I ended up with a light sauce that clings to every bite of food. Apricot jam would be a good substitute.

1 cup chicken or vegetable broth

1/3 cup fruit jam or jelly (apricot, red currant, guava)

1 teaspoon minced ginger

1 teaspoon minced garlic

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer until sauce has thickened slightly, about five minutes. Remove from heat. Sauce will thicken as it cools.

When I was growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area in the 70's, Green Goddess was the most popular salad dressing there was. It was invented in 1923 by a chef at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco for a special banquet that was honoring actor George Arliss, who was starring in a play called "The Green Goddess." It was customarily served over a wedge of iceberg lettuce, often with baby bay shrimp. The original recipe calls for a cup of mayonnaise and half a cup of sour cream. I've replaced some of the mayo with avocado, which gives the dressing a smooth, creamy taste with the added benefit of heart healthy monounsaturated fat. The original recipe also calls for anchovies, which I love, but I've replaced them with Thai fish sauce. Green Goddess is great on chicken, fish, potatoes, as a dressing on salad, and even as a dip.

2 cups of watercress or arugula

1/2 cup basil

1/4 cup parsley

1/4 cup tarragon

1/4 cup green onions

1/2 of a small avocado

1/3 cup light mayonnaise

1/4 cup plain, non-fat Greek yogurt

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon white vinegar

1 teaspoon Thai fish sauce (or anchovy paste)

Salt and pepper to taste

Combine in food processor until well-blended and bright green in color.

If you love balsamic vinegar and you haven't tried a balsamic reduction, you are in for a real treat when you try this simple recipe. Reducing the pungent, but sometimes bitter, vinegar turns it into a carmelized powerhouse of flavor. This little brown sauce will elevate a simple rotisserie chicken into a gourmet meal. It's absolutely delicous drizzled over fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil in a caprese salad. For this recipe, the balsamic vinegar is a must - no other vinegar will work as well. However, it doesn't have to be an expensive brand and it will keep well for weeks in the refrigerator. Warning - boiling vinegar has a very strong smell. If you're entertaining, try making the sauce ahead of time.

1 cup balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon of honey

Bring vinegar to a boil in a small saucepan. Reduce to a simmer and cook until it is reduced to 1/4 cup. Remove from heat and add honey. Serve.

There you have the four sauces that save my sanity on weeknights. They are all low in fat but high in flavor. I hope they help you as much as they've helped me. Buon Appetito!