I love chipotle. Pretty much. On everything. I love how it’s spicy and smoky and enhances everything it’s served with. But, traditionally, chipotle sauce involves cream and mayonnaise and a lot of other ingredients that aren’t necessarily the healthiest. After much trial and error, I found that by blending clean ingredients like tahini and olive oil, lemon juice and chipotles, a versatile sauce is born. Use it as a marinade for seafood, chicken or vegetables that not only flavors but also helps to caramelize beautifully when it hits the grill or pan because of the tahini. Then use it as a serving or dipping sauce for pretty much everything! Try it as a marinade and sauce for my shrimp and quinoa chipotle bowls:
SHRIMP AND QUINOA BOWLS
· 1 lb. large de-vained shrimp
· 2 tablespoons avocado oil
· 2 cups cooked quinoa
· 2 small zucchini, spiralized or julienned
· 1/3 cup skinny chipotle sauce (half used as a marinade and the rest as sauce for serving)
· Wedges of lemon for serving
1. Let shrimp marinate in half of the chipotle sauce for at least an hour.
2. Heat skillet over medium high heat and add the oil.
3. Gently add in the shrimp and cook for about 2 minutes on each side, or until a nice golden crust is formed and shrimp are no longer opaque.
4. While the shrimp are cooking, use a bit of the skinny chipotle sauce to dress the zucchini noodles place in serving bowls over a bed of warm quinoa.
5. Remove the shrimp from the pan and place alongside the quinoa and zucchini. Drizzle remaining sauce over the bowls and serve with a wedge of lemon.
SKINNY CHIPOTLE SAUCE
· 2/3 cup olive oil
· 1/3 cup water
· 1/3 cup tahini
· 3-4 chipotles and a bit of their adobo sauce
· 1 clove of garlic
· juice of 1-2 yellow lemons
· 1-2 teaspoons sea salt