Friday Foodblogging: Low-Calorie Fresh Horseradish Sauce

Friday Foodblogging- Low-Calorie Fresh Horseradish Sauce.png

One of my favorite spices is horseradish. I’m not as much a fan of capsaicin-based spice like chili sauces, etc. as I am of allyl isothiocyanate-based spices like horseradish or wasabi. They’re a different type of spice, one I prefer.

An application I particularly enjoy is horseradish sauce, the sweet, vinegar horseradish blend you often find at steak houses. However, commercially-prepared horseradish sauces tend to either be stuffed with cream or sugar (or both), packing on unnecessary calories for what should be a relatively simple condiment.

Instead of buying, why not make your own? Here’s how.

Ingredients

1 fresh horseradish root, approximately 8 ounces/226g
1 cup (236 mL) of apple cider vinegar
1/4 teaspoon (1.2 mL) pure stevia powder

Equipment

A high speed blender or food processor
A vegetable peeler
A knife

Directions

Only do this in a well-ventilated place, preferably outside. Isothiocyanates are potent, powerful chemical and when you grind horseradish, you release them all at once, creating a homemade mustard gas. Doing this in an enclosed place exposes you to the vapors, and you’ll end up crying and choking on the fumes. Ventilate!

The moment that you begin to grind/blend horseradish, the chemical reaction that creates “heat” – spiciness – begins. To shut it down, we use a strong acid, the vinegar. If you like horseradish sauce that’s mild, follow this recipe:

Peel the horseradish root, removing the exterior.
Chop the horseradish root into approximately 1/2 inch/1 cm cubes.
Put the horseradish cubes in the blender/food processor with the vinegar and stevia powder.
Chop/blend until finely mashed.
Remove carefully and store in an airtight container.

If you like horseradish sauce that’s hot and spicy, follow this recipe:

Peel the horseradish root, removing the exterior.
Chop the horseradish root into approximately 1/2 inch/1 cm cubes.
Put the horseradish cubes in the blender/food processor with the stevia powder. Depending on how strong your blender is, you might need to add a bit of water.
Chop/blend until finely mashed.
Wait for 2-3 minutes.
Add the vinegar and blend again.
Remove carefully and store in an airtight container.

Nutritional Information & Use

An entire cup of apple cider vinegar has approximately 51 calories per cup/239g; a tablespoon/14.9g of it has 3 calories. 226g of horseradish has approximately 80 calories. Stevia has no calories.

A tablespoon of this sauce has about 6 calories per use, making it extremely low calorie while delivering a lot of flavor.

Use it on toast instead of butter or jelly; use it on steak, fish, poultry, or even braised tofu. Mix it with a touch of ketchup and enjoy it with shrimp/prawns. Add it inside a grilled cheese sandwich, or drop a tablespoon in a tomato soup.