Sugar Free BBQ Sauce
I was pondering ideas for using up some of the left over tomato paste from the Blackberry Cocktail Sauce the other day… then while at the store tonight I picked up some chicken breast strips (they were on sale, BOGO free). The only chicken I’ve had since my surgery is sliced deli meat, so figured I’d get this and try it. And I started thinking BBQ sauce. Well, obviously, since that’s the title of the posting.
Don’t ask about the radish/pea dish… didn’t turn out like I thought. Instead, focus on the sauce in the green dish.
My first attempt, I went a bit overboard with the cider vinegar. I needed something to water down the tomato paste, but not so bitter as the vinegar and Worcestershire sauce. See, in the old days, I made my BBQ sauce using ketchup. But I can’t do regular ketchup anymore without having issues. While looking through the fridge for some ideas, I spotted one of my 6oz cans of V8 juice. “A-ha!” I said to myself.
Well, not really. So attempt number two uses the V8, and it turned out pretty good. It went very well with my chicken. But I have this nagging feeling it just needs a little… something. Not sure what yet… but I’m sure I’ll try again when I’ve used this up.
Now this only makes about 1/2 cup, which will last me for quite awhile. I suppose for a normal family meal, you could double this and it will do ok. Let me know if you try.
What’s In It:
2 Tablespoons tomato paste
1 Tablespoon V8 or tomato juice
1 Tablespoon cider vinegar
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon spicy brown mustard
1 teaspoon hot sauce
1 Tablespoon Splenda
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
salt and pepper to tastes
Mix everything up well in a bowl. If you don’t have brown mustard, regular yellow prepared mustard would be fine. I use either Frank’s Red Hot or my own homemade red pepper sauce, but use what you like, and adjust for how hot it is, and how much of a kick you want. And on the V8, after the first tablespoon, see how thick the sauce is and if you want it thinner, stir in more V8 a teaspoon at a time until it’s the consistency you like.
Now I ate this right away, cause… I was hungry and it was dinner time. I’m hoping the flavors will blend a bit more once it’s sat in the fridge for a few days. We’ll see.
Like I said, overall, I like it. It’s not super sweet and has just the right amount of kick to it.
Tags: cider vinegar, granulated garlic, hot sauce, left overs, lemon juice, mustard, Splenda, sugar-free, tomato juice, tomato paste, V8 juice, worcestershire