Copy Cat Restaurant Teriyaki Sauce & Marinade plus a Delicious Teriyaki Rice bowl - Gluten-Free, Sugar-Alternative, Paleo, Clean-Eating

Restaurant Teriyaki Sauce

Do you like that nice, thick, sweet teriyaki sauce you get 

at your favorite Asian restaurant or takeout joint?

With this new recipe you can now have it at home. 

I have tried a few home made Teriyaki recipes through the years, but they are very runny and usually too heavy on the soy sauce. I want to taste the ginger and garlic, not just sugar and soy sauce. I created this recipe to be used over Teriyaki bowls, or for glazing and dipping grilled chicken or salmon in, or even drizzle over a sushi roll! I wanted the sauce to cling nicely to the meat, not run off in a salty puddle at the bottom of my dish. I'm even going to try it in a dish called Yaki Udon (Grilled chicken, stir-fried vegetables, drained, cooked udon noodles + this sauce).

I have made this Teriyaki sauce with a healthier sweetener called organic coconut palm sugar. It looks like a more granular, dry brown sugar and it has a brown sugar type taste. It is high in minerals and is lower on the glycemic scale than regular sugar. It is not zero calorie like erythritol, but it tastes better in this sauce. If I were to make this sauce completely sugar free, I would use a combination of erythritol, xylitol, stevia glycerite and a touch of black-strap molasses. Just sayin'.

I also use a gluten free soy sauce called Tamari. It is a high quality soy sauce and is easy to find at oriental markets or your better grocery stores. Alternately you may use Bragg's Aminos, but this is not my first choice. 

I prefer to use fresh garlic and ginger for the best flavor. I like to store whole ginger root in a small freezer bag in my freezer (in a place where I can find it!). Whenever I need fresh ginger, I just pull it out of the freezer and grate the amount I need with a small Microplane grater. You can grate fresh garlic with a small Microplane too, but I prefer to smash it to death in my mortar & pestle.

I thicken this sauce with xanthan gum. Xanthan gum is easy to use and is a healthy soluble fiber. I much prefer it over using corn starch or other starches for thickening. Starches must be cooked unless they are modified starches. Starches also have carbs unless they are resistant starches. Xanthan gum thickens regardless of it being heated or not. I love using it in my home made salad dressings too. The easiest way to mix xanthan gum into your liquid ingredients is to first blend it with some of the dry ingredients, like sugar, salt, flour, etc...

This sauce recipe is easily halved. You can also start out making it less sweet by adding 3/4 cup of the sweetener, bringing it to a simmer, taste for sweetness and then add more sweetener as desired.

Restaurant Teriyaki Sauce

Restaurant Teriyaki Sauce Recipe:

1 c. Tamari soy sauce (or Bragg's Aminos, are both gluten free)
1/4 c. Mirin (sweet rice wine)
1 1/4 c. purified water
1 T. minced fresh garlic (about 6 large cloves)
1 T. minced fresh ginger
1 1/4 c. organic coconut palm sugar
3/4 to 1 t. xanthan gum


Garnishes (optional):

sesame seeds
scallions sliced on the diagonal
toasted sesame oil


Method:

In a small sauce pan mix the soy sauce, mirin, water, garlic, and ginger.

Turn the stove on to medium heat.

In a separate small bowl mix together the palm sugar and the xanthan gum.

Whisk the sugar mixture into the soy sauce mixture.

Bring up to a gentle simmer with stirring to dissolve the palm sugar. 

Once it starts to simmer, time it for one minute and then remove from heat. 

Set aside to cool and use to glaze your favorite meat or use as a dipping sauce.

Add garnishes as desired at serving time.

Store unused Teriyaki Sauce in the refrigerator. Gently reheat to use.


To Make as a Marinade:

Make the sauce in the same way, except omit the xanthan gum.The result will be a thin marinade.

Note: I also use the thickened sauce recipe as a marinade.


Tips:

For a less sweet sauce, cut the coconut palm sugar down to 1 cup, or to taste.

For a slightly thinner sauce use only 3/4 t. xanthan gum.

Mixing the xanthan gum into the dry sugar first makes the xanthan gum easy to disperse into your sauce without clumping issues. If you forget to do this, use a stick blender to blend the xanthan gum into your sauce thoroughly.

 Photos of making Teriyaki Sauce and Teriyaki Rice Bowl:

Putting the sauce ingredients together.

The xanthan gum is blended into the coconut palm sugar.

The sauce before cooking.

The thickened Teriyaki Sauce after simmering 1 minute.

Skinless boneless chicken breasts ready for marinating in Teriyaki Sauce.

Teriyaki Sauce rubbed onto the chicken and marinated 30 minutes.

Broccoli, Carrots, Cabbage, Onion, and celery chopped and ready for steaming.

The prepared vegetables in the steamer.

Steam vegetables only until tender-crisp and bright in color.

Sushi rice , steamed vegetables & grilled chicken topped with our Teriyaki Sauce. YUM.

Enjoy,

Leila.

Amazing Vegan Hot Fudge Sauce - Sugar-Free, Low-Carb, High-Fiber, Paleo

Amazing Vegan Hot Fudge Sauce

Enjoy this rich, smooth, and chocolaty hot fudge sauce over your favorite ice cream or use as a chocolate fondue. 

The secret ingredient here is soft baked sweet potato. It adds body to the sauce as well as healthy fiber. The quality of this yummy chocolate sauce surprised even us. We are having a lot of fun playing with soft baked yam/sweet potato in our test kitchens. More recipes using these lovely tubers are coming. I created a special section for our recipes containing yams and sweet potatoes called, "I Yam That I Yam". Don't tell me that's corny, I already know.

We love that this is a guilt-free hot fudge sauce. It's sugar-free, dairy-free, high-fiber, vegan, paleo, and contains healthy coconut oil.

Try it,we think you will like it!


Amazing Hot Fudge Sauce Recipe:

2/3 c. of your favorite milk (vegan, coconut, almond, cashew, lactose-free, low-carb...)
1 c. powdered white or golden Lakanto brand sweetener (or erythritol)
2/3 c. dutch cocoa powder
1/3 c. white sweet potato flesh (baked until soft)
3 T. coconut oil (deodorized)
1 pinch sea salt or BioSalt
1 t. real vanilla extract
1 to 2 T. of your favorite sweet syrup (IMO syrup, agave, maple...), optional
A few drops stevia glycerite, if you want it sweeter


Method:

Puree all of the ingredients together until smooth with a stick blender.

Heat and stir the mixture until it reaches 180 degrees F. to fully dissolve the Lakanto crystals.

Cool the mixture 5 minutes.

Taste the mixture to check for sweetness and adjust as desired.

Puree the mixture again on high speed with the stick blender until it is smooth and thickened.

Serve the sauce warm over your favorite dessert.

Store the unused fudge sauce in the refrigerator and gently reheat to serve. Any crystals from the erythritol that form will easily dissolve when the sauce is reheated.

Enjoy,

Leila & Nancy.

Outrageous Santa Rosa Plum Jam - Healthy & Sugar-Free

This is an easy recipe for a beautiful fresh fruit freezer jam. 

Fragrant Santa Rosa Plum Jam

When you find ripe plums in your store or local farmer's market (their alluring perfume will find you), pick out a pound of the ripest ones and use them to make some of this lovely jam.

My dad brought a few of these delicious plums home for my mom. They were so good that my mom immediately went back to the store and hand picked some of the ripest ones to take home and make into this jam. You rarely find plums of this quality in grocery stores, so when you do, jump on it.

The only thickening used for this jam is finely ground psyllium husk powder, so it takes some time to thicken up. Let the jam sit in the refrigerator over night to thicken completely. Store the jars you are not using immediately in your freezer.


Outrageous Santa Rosa plum jam Recipe:

1 pound Santa Rosa type plums - sweet, tree-ripened and fragrant
3 ounces pitted black sweet cherries
1/2 c. erythritol
2 T. xylitol
1 T. fine psyllium husk powder
1/4 t. monk fruit extract, 80% strength
1/8 t. BioSalt
2 T. IMO powder (or IMO syrup) 
2 T. vegetable glycerine
stevia glycerite, to taste


Method:

Wash and pit the ripe, fragrant plums. Roughly chop and set aside.

Mix the dry ingredients together well, and set aside.

In a food processor, puree the pitted cherries with the dry ingredients, vegetable glycerine and IMO syrup, if using. Stop the food processor. 

Add the chopped plums and pulse to desired texture.

Pour jam into a microwave-safe bowl and heat in the microwave to 110 degrees F., with occasional stirring. Or heat on the stove-top in a non-metallic pan to 110 degrees F., stirring until the erythritol is dissolved.

Sweeten to taste with the stevia glycerite.

Store the jam in the refrigerator overnight to allow it to fully thicken.

The next day, portion into jars for freezing and freeze.

Note: The cherries add beautiful color but do not  compete with the plum flavor.

Freshly made, before the thickening process has completed.

Plum jam now completely Thickened - So smooth and rich and exotically perfumed.

Enjoy, 

Leila & Nancy.

Super Low Carb Fiji Sweet Hot Sauce

This amazing secret sauce is intensely punchy & sweet & spicy & fragrant...

And here is an even lower carb version for the athlete!

Fiji Sweet Hot Sauce

Happy 4th of July! This zippy recipe is our gift to you. We thought you should have some fireworks for your mouth to go along with the exploding night sky.

My mom created this healthy sauce while living in the Fijian islands, thus the name. Many people have asked for this recipe but alas, it could not be acquired - UNTIL TODAY. Do you feel loved?

"Fiji Sauce" brings it all together.

Our original Fiji Sweet Hot Sauce is much lower in carbs and sugars than a traditional Thai sweet chili sauce and you can use our yummy sauce in much the same manner.

This lower carb version omits the ripe banana and orange juice called for in the original recipe. No xylitol is used either, because it has more carbs than erythritol.

My dad has a black belt in Judo and is an instructor as well.The many athletes he trains and coaches want this very version of our Fiji Sauce because of it's super low carb and high fiber content. It helps these athletes keep their body fat percentage down, yet allows them to have a sweet treat, usually forbidden in their strict diets. This sauce does make you feel like you are cheating, it is so delicious!

Erythritol is used as the main sweetener in this lower carb version of Fiji Sweet Hot Sauce. Stevia glycerite is used to enhance the sweetness further.

Our punchy Fiji Sweet Hot Sauce is delicious as a condiment with just about anything. It makes a great dip, topping, sauce, dressing... uhh, main dish?

My dad has some of this punchy sauce everyday with his lunch or dinner. It is a beloved staple here at Kitchen Cheetahs! The picture above shows my dad ready to dig into a plate of our favorite Chicken Bake, with a side of our Quinoa Tabouli topped with this Fiji Sweet Hot Sauce.


Fiji Sweet Hot Sauce Recipe:

10 ounces frozen raspberries
12 ounces frozen pitted cherries

Mix the fruits together and set aside to thaw to room temperature.

While the fruit is thawing make a Habanero Paste:
4 to 6 habaneros
1/2 c. granular erythritol

Wearing gloves, remove the seeds and and pith from the habanero peppers.
Finely mince habaneros and then smash with the 1/4 c. erythritol to make a very smooth paste.

Puree the above thawed fruit with:
The prepared Habanero Paste above
2 16-ounce jars of "fire roasted" red peppers and their juice
4 c. granular erythritol
1/2 c. whole psyllium husks
3/4 c. raw apple cider vinegar, or a little more (to desired tanginess)
4 T. FINELY grated frozen, peeled ginger root, to taste
1 to 3 t. fresh orange or tangerine zest, to taste (or 1 to 2 drops orange or tangerine essential oil)
3/4 t. sea salt or BioSalt, or a little more, to taste
1/2 t. turmeric powder
1/8 to 1/4 t. garlic powder, to taste

Pulse/grind into a medium smooth sauce. Do in batches to accommodate your food processor.
Put the processed mixture into a large non metallic bowl or pot.

Stir in:
1 1/2 c. water
1 c. vegetable glycerine (food grade)
Stevia glycerite to taste

Add stevia glycerite to taste. It will take quite a lot (don't be surprised) to make a very sweet sauce balanced by zip and tang.  

Gently heat and stir the sauce until it reaches 110 degrees F, to blend flavors and activate fiber.

Let sauce cool before transferring into mason jars. Put 1 jar in your fridge and freeze the rest.


Notes: 

Start with 1 t. of orange zest, stir in well and then taste the sauce. You can try adding a little more orange zest, but you dont want the sauce to taste like oranges... just be highlighted in a subtle way.
.
This sauce mellows and changes a little overnight. The heat mellows and the apple cider vinegar mellows, so make sure you use enough peppers and vinegar to give a strong punch to this sauce!

My mom prefers the flavor of our first version of Fiji sauce that used more fruit plus xylitol. She is on a super low carb diet right now and does not mind the few extra carbs in the fruitier sauce.

 Photos of the process:

Be very sure that the Habanero pieces are very fine so you don't bite down a piece of ultra-hot pepper....  This also ensures that the unique Habanero flavor is dispersed beautifully throughout the sauce.

HABANERO PEPPERS ARE CRUCIAL TO THE SUCCESS OF THIS SAUCE ‼️(however, you may reduce  from 3  peppers down to 2 if you absolutely must)

Frozen ginger grates best! Use a very fine grater or a micro plane grater  so that the ginger is essentially powdered for Best results.

Psyllium husk's thicken the Fiji Sweet-Hot Sauce. It's a good idea to purchase organic psyllium if you can, as it is guaranteed to be clean.

Summer chicken snack: Coarsely shred chilled white chicken breast and serve with your favorite mayonnaise and a side of Fiji sweet hot sauce.It's super fast. Super quick. Super delicious!

Mayo and Fiji sauce dipped chicken

Chicken breast dipped in mayo and Fiji sauce - It doesn't get better than this.

3 1/2 quarts of Fiji sauce️️

Gorgeous birds eye view of the 3 1/2 quarts of Fiji sauce

Well, Hello Gorgeous!

Enjoy!

Leila & Nancy.

The Secret Sauce! Our Famous Fiji Sweet Hot Sauce Recipe Now Revealed.

This amazing secret sauce is intensely punchy & sweet & spicy & fragrant!

Fiji Sweet Hot Sauce

Happy 4th of July! This zippy recipe is our gift to you. We thought you should have some fireworks for your mouth to go along with the exploding night sky.

My mom created this healthy sauce while living in the Fijian islands, thus the name. Many people have asked for this recipe but alas, it could not be acquired - UNTIL TODAY. Do you feel loved?

"Fiji Sauce" brings it all together.

Fiji Sweet Hot Sauce is much lower in carbs and sugars than a traditional Thai sweet chili sauce and you can use our yummy sauce in much the same manner.

There are some naturally occurring sugars from the fruits used in our sauce, but we add no additional sugar.

Erythritol is used as the main sweetener and then a little stevia glycerite is used to enhance the sweetness further. Optionally, you may also use a little xylitol too (see the notes below the recipe). We prefer the version that uses a combo of erythritol and xylitol. Xylitol has more carbohydrates than erythritol, but it is still sugar-free and enhances the sweetness nicely.

Our punchy Fiji Sweet Hot Sauce is delicious as a condiment with just about anything. It makes a great dip, topping, sauce, dressing... uhh, main dish?

My dad has some of this punchy sauce everyday with his lunch or dinner. It is a beloved staple here at Kitchen Cheetahs! The picture above shows my dad ready to dig into a plate of our favorite Chicken Bake, with a side of our Quinoa Tabouli topped with this Fiji Sweet Hot Sauce.

See an even lower carb version of our Fiji Sauce here!


Fiji Sweet Hot Sauce Recipe:

10 ounces frozen raspberries
12 ounces frozen pitted cherries
3 small "dead-ripe" (nearly black) bananas that have been frozen
4 T. frozen orange juice concentrate

Mix the fruits together and set aside to thaw.

While the fruit is thawing make a Habanero Paste:
4 to 6 habaneros
1/4 c. granular erythritol

Wearing gloves, remove the seeds and and pith from the habanero peppers.
Finely mince habaneros and then smash with the 1/4 c. erythritol to make a very smooth paste.

Puree the above thawed fruit with:
The prepared Habanero Paste above
2 16-ounce jars of "fire roasted" red peppers and their juice
3 3/4 c. granular erythritol
1/3 c. whole psyllium husks
3/4 c. raw apple cider vinegar, or a little more (to desired tanginess)
4 T. FINELY grated frozen, peeled ginger root, to taste
3/4 t. sea salt, or a little more, to taste
1/2 t. tumeric powder
1/8 to 1/4 t. garlic powder, to taste

Pulse/grind into a medium smooth sauce. Do in batches to accommodate your food processor.
Put the processed mixture into a large non metallic bowl or pot.

Stir in:
1 c. water
Stevia glycerite to taste

The sauce should be sweet and tangy.
Gently heat and stir the sauce until it reaches 110 degrees F.
Let sauce cool before transferring into mason jars. Put 1 jar in your fridge and freeze the rest.


Notes: 

Instead of the 3 3/4 c. erythritol called for you may use 3 c. erythritol plus 3/4 c. xylitol. This is our favorite sweetener blend for this sauce.

This sauce mellows and changes a little overnight. The heat mellows and the apple cider vinegar mellows, so make sure you use enough peppers and vinegar to give a strong punch to this sauce!

 Photos of the process:

Be very sure that the Habanero pieces are very fine so you don't bite down a piece of ultra-hot pepper....  This also ensures that the unique Habanero flavor is dispersed beautifully throughout the sauce.

HABANERO PEPPERS ARE CRUCIAL TO THE SUCCESS OF THIS SAUCE ‼️(however, you may reduce  from 3  peppers down to 2 if you absolutely must)

Frozen ginger grates best! Use a very fine grater or a micro plane grater  so that the ginger is essentially powdered for Best results.

Psyllium husk's thicken the Fiji Sweet-Hot Sauce. It's a good idea to purchase organic psyllium if you can, as it is guaranteed to be clean.

Summer chicken snack: Coarsely shred chilled white chicken breast and serve with your favorite mayonnaise and a side of Fiji sweet hot sauce.It's super fast. Super quick. Super delicious!

Mayo and Fiji sauce dipped chicken

Chicken breast dipped in mayo and Fiji sauce - It doesn't get better than this.

3 1/2 quarts of Fiji sauce️️

Gorgeous birds eye view of the 3 1/2 quarts of Fiji sauce

Well, Hello Gorgeous!

Enjoy!

Leila & Nancy.

Classic Genovese Italian Pasta Sauce Recipe (Low-Carb, Gluten-Free)

Cook this delicious sauce low & slow...

Classic Genovese Pasta Sauce.

Genovese sauce served over pasta.

This is an hearty, meaty, onion-based pasta sauce that is famous in Campania Italy.

I used beef chuck, a good flavored, inexpensive cut of meat. The low and slow cooking process makes the beef very tender. The long cooking also softens the onions and brings out their flavor. This sauce is naturally low carb, gluten free, and sugar free.

This sauce reminds me of a hearty beef stew and French onion soup, combined. My family prefers this sauce over buttered rice. I also like it quite well over buttered pasta that has been cooked al dente. Bigger, chunkier pasta holds up best with this sauce, and it's fun to eat too. Serve over buttered pasta like Pacchieri, Candele, or Ziti. Choose gluten free pasta if desired.


Sauce Genovese Recipe:

1/4 pound bacon, diced small
2 pounds Beef chuck, cut into large cubes
4 pounds onions (4 or 5 onions), halved then quartered and sliced very thin
1 large carrot, peeled and diced small
2 ribs celery, with leaves, diced small
6 large cloves garlic, smashed
2 large bay leaves
2 to 3 sprigs fresh marjoram, optional
Sea salt, to taste
Fresh ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 c. cooking white wine
Fresh minced parsley for garnishing
Parmesan cheese for garnishing
Diced fresh tomatoes for garnishing, optional


Method:

In a large dutch oven, over med-high heat, cook bacon until crisp. Remove bacon and set aside.
In the dutch oven with the bacon fat, brown the cubed beef in two batches. Brown well on all sides.
Remove the chuck from dutch oven and set aside.
Place the diced carrot, celery, and garlic into the dutch oven and cook 4 minutes, with stirring.
Put the chuck back into the dutch oven along with the bacon and bay leaves. Stir together.
Top with the fresh marjoram sprigs, if using.
Pack the finely slivered onions on top and season generously with salt and pepper.
Place the lid on the dutch oven and turn the heat down to a simmer.
Simmer at least 3 hours, or until the beef is fall-apart tender (you may instead bake in a low oven).
Add the cooking wine and continue cooking with the lid off about 30 more minutes, to reduce juices.
Break up and mash the meat well to make a thick saucy consistency. I like to use a potato masher.
Taste for salt and adjust as needed.
Serve over buttered brown rice, or buttered gluten-free large pasta.

If you choose to serve this over pasta, cook 1 pound of pasta in water that has been salted so that it tastes as salty as sea water. Save 1 cup of the starchy pasta cooking water. Drain the pasta and place in a large serving bowl. Add 2-3 T butter to the cooked pasta and stir until melted. Add a couple cups of meat sauce and a little of the starchy pasta water to bind the sauce and stir. Serve topped with more meat sauce.

Photos of the process:

Cook the bacon until crisp.

Cut the beef chuck into large cubes.

Brown the chuck in the bacon fat and then set aside.

Prep the vegetables while the beef is browning.

Add the vegetables to the dutch oven.

Cook the vegetables a few minutes to soften.

Add the bacon and bay leaves and stir.

Add the browned chuck to the vegetables.

Stir the meat and the vegetables together.

Top with the slivered onions.

Season with salt and pepper.

Turn the heat down to a simmer and place the lid on the dutch oven.

Simmer about 3 hours (low & slow).

Add wine and mash the mixture well.

The mashed beef mixture.

Taste for salt.

Serve over hot buttered pasta or buttered rice, garnish with parsley and serve.

Enjoy,

Leila.