Sauces, Glorious (Enzyme-Rich) Sauces!

Oh, how I love them. Sauces.

Enzyme-rich sauces. What are they, you ask? And aren't sauces "bad for me"? Aren't they "fattening"? Aren't they rich? Yes, well, I would submit that we all need a little nutrient-richness added to our diets. And yes, I would say, sauces from the store may be bad for you, and sauces in most restaurants may be bad for you, as they will be "dead" (more on that later), full of bad fats (canola oil, soy oil) and who knows what else (thickeners, stabilizers, "natural flavorings" and maybe even MSG-monosodium glutamate, an allergen and excitotoxin.)

Enzyme-rich sauces are made from scratch, in the kitchen, by you and me. They are not found in the store; sauces from stores are "enzyme-dead". (Remember the DEAD ZONE in the center of the store...?) So it's into the kitchen we go. Again. And no, it's not enough that you are eating grass-fed meat and poultry and veggies with pastured butter, although you are on the right track, for sure. But there's more. I have recently learned, there is more.

Much of our eating has become too basic. Sauces have been outlawed, because they are "fattening", because they take time to make, and because we just plain don't know how to make them anymore. (When was the last time you served a good old-fashioned buerre blanc sauce?!--perhaps it was your grandmother who did...) Just a grass-fed piece of meat or poultry, or fish, and some veggies with butter is not enough to satisfy.

I guess we all learn in our own time. Years ago, Sally Fallon Morell suggested I should teach "sauces". And I have to admit, I just didn't get it. I didn't "get" why, and they just did not seem to be that important in the grand scheme of things. (Sorry Sally!) For more than 5 years I have been teaching how to make stock, how to soak beans and grains, how to make salad dressings and beloved ferments, but "sauces"?? Well,  I have to say, I am now one of the converted. I have been converted to a "sauce lover". Enzyme-rich sauces, of course. Let me tell you the story. It happened quite by accident one dinnertime. May it happen to you.

I had made another yummy dinner with grass-fed meat and vegetables served with good salt and pastured butter, and some ferments. It was delicious. There was plenty of food. Good food. Well prepared, Nourishing Traditions style. But I was not satisfied. I was still hungry. So the next night, I served a variation on the same theme...grass-fed meat and veggies served with good salt and pastured butter, and some ferments. Only this time, I went into the kitchen and made anchovy dressing. Rich anchovy dressing. A whole can of anchovies and their oil, lots of good olive oil, and a couple of raw egg yolks from pastured eggs. Good salt. Garlic. I poured it over my veggies and my steak. And that's when it all came together. Synergy of taste; synergy of nutrients. I have to admit, I couldn't get enough of this delicious, nutrient-rich sauce. Just divine. And then, after I licked the spoon and nearly the plate, I sat back in my chair and sighed. I was fully satisfied. It was done. I was a "believer".

Enzyme-rich sauces. By definition, they are chock-full of live enzymes. I *love* live enzymes. I will talk about them with just about anyone who will listen! (And as Americans, we don't get enough of them, even if you cook and eat "real food"; especially if you eat prepared food or processed food.) Enzyme-rich sauces *taste good*, *nutrient-rich*, *help with digestion*, and *make nutrients more easily assimilated by the body*. (As if all of that wouldn't be enough to send us running for the raw pastured eggs and unrefined olive oil... )What makes them so lovable to me is that they do all of the above (very valiant and healthful and wonderful) AND because they *complete the meal*. You feel sated and satisfied. Your body is getting what it needs. And it signals to you thus. You feel satisfied.

I challenge you to try this experiment. Eat the same meal two nights in a row, but on the second evening, add in an enzyme-rich sauce. You won't be sorry. And I know you'll be a believer, too!

Some of the markers of an enzyme-rich sauce: raw, pastured egg yolks, unrefined olive oil, pastured butter...Sometimes they masquerade as salad dressings or marinades...

Enzyme-rich sauces, the *secret* to satiety! If you don't know much about enzyme-rich sauces, come to my class this Sunday morning, September 11 in Great Falls, VA. More information here. And if you don't live in the area, or if you can't make it, open up NT to the chapter on Sauces. Just dive in and try one! You won't regret it. And your tastebuds, body and family will thank you for it! be well!