COOKING with CANNABIS
Infused Yum Sauce
DAD WILL LOVE THIS ON HIS SEAFOOD DISH by Chef Dana Howard
Those of us with green thumbs have been harvesting fresh vegetables and herbs from our greenhouses for about a month now . It is so wonderful to have healthy homegrown foods . We also have “ Eat what We Grow ” days where we only eat what ’ s available to be harvested that day . It ’ s really fun , and it has really cut down on our grocery bill . I am always up for the challenge of making dinner interesting and tasty . You know me !
One night , I had all these vegetables on hand and a seafood protein , so I just whipped this up ! It ’ s kind of like that old show on Food Network , “ Master Chef ,” where the chefs are given certain ingredients , and they are judged on taste and creativity . Anyway , enough about me , let ’ s talk more about this sauce !
So far , we ’ ve harvested tomatoes , broccoli microgreens , carrots , peppers , cilantro , basil , thyme , and oregano . Something that I really love to do with all these ingredients is to make my amazing sauce . It is like a Ragu . You can pair it with a lot of different foods ; I like it on just about anything .
For example , I use it with my seafood dishes . It is perfect under some scallops or grilled red snapper . I also love to toss my penne pasta in it to add some super yum flavor . Not only is this sauce delicious , but it ’ s also super healthy for you , especially if you use homegrown ingredients picked that day . In my opinion , the flavor of homegrown vegetables is 50 times more vibrant than store-bought . I believe that vegetables lose their nutrients as they sit after being removed from the vine . So , when we buy tomatoes at the grocery store , who knows how long they have been off the vine and how many of their nutrients have already diminished . Then after we buy them and let them sit in our refrigerator until we are ready to use them — more nutrients are weakened !
Nowadays , many of us are looking to maximize our nutrient intake with the healthy foods we eat , so wouldn ’ t we want to eat the freshest food possible ? That ’ s why I grow a lot of my own foods . But , if you don ’ t have a green thumb or just don ’ t have time to garden , we all have access to local farms through area farmer ’ s markets . Lucky for us !
My best advice for this recipe is to make a lot , because you ’ re going to want to put it on everything ! You will also need a blender . I use my Nutribullet . You will not find this recipe anywhere else because I made it up while cooking one night .
Ingredients :
• 5 vine-ripened tomatoes
• 2 large carrots
• ½ of a yellow onion
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 orange or yellow bell pepper
• ½ cup to a cup of chicken stock depending on the consistency you want
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1.2 cup of broccoli microgreens ( optional )
• 1 tablespoon of infused oil or butter
• ½ cup of fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons of fresh thyme
• 2 tablespoons of fresh oregano
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 Sea Bass Filets ( or a protein of your choice )
Serve it with your protein of choice .
The Method :
1 . Dice the carrot , onion , peppers , and tomatoes . Depending on the quality of your blender , this must be either a small or a medium dice . My Nutribullet takes medium fine .
2 . Place infused oil or butter in a medium sauté pan with an additional tablespoon of regular butter over medium heat .
3 . When the pan is hot , and the butter is beginning to melt , add the diced carrot , onion , and peppers . Sautee until the vegetables look bright in color and the onion is somewhat translucent .
4 . Add the minced clove of garlic , chopped parsley , thyme , and oregano at this time . Toss them into the mixture until the garlic becomes fragrant — about 40 seconds .
5 . Add the diced tomatoes and all the juice from them . Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper and let tomatoes come to a simmer .
6 . When tomatoes are at a simmer , add the chicken stock and bring it back to a simmer .
7 . Lower the heat to medium-low and allow the mixture to simmer for about five minutes .
8 . Remove the sauce from the heat and let stand for five minutes . It is dangerous to put hot liquids into the blender , so if you have a wand blender , that is ideal for this sauce .
9 . Place the sauce in the blender half at a time and blend until smooth .
Use this sauce under or over a fish steak or crabcakes , toss it in with some cooked pasta , or just dip your bread in it . I love it with Sea Bass Filets . Enjoy !
Chef Dana Howard is a Kansas City native and 15-year catering professional . Woman-owner and operator of Infused KC , a new catering concept that infuses world-class menus with CBD . Email
dana @ infusedkc . com for a custom menu when planning your event . Dana loves to cater anything and everything , including weddings ! To purchase Dana ’ s newly released Cookbook with the recipes as seen in this magazine , visit
www . InFusedKC . com , or ask for it at your dispensary .