Recipe of the Month: Big Boy BBQ Sauce

I'm seeing light at the end of the tunnel! I'm nearing the end of the first round of edits on "Luscious." Over the weekend, I spent some time updating Lesson 10. One of the changes I wanted to make was to develop my own barbeque sauce for the Caribbean Chicken Pizza. I'm not usually a fan of prepared barbeque sauce, because it's typically too sweet--cloyingly sweet. It's high in sodium, too.

So, I did some research, then did some tinkering. I'm delighted to report that I've developed a barbeque sauce recipe that balances sweet, smoky, and spicy flavors. In fact, it got its name from my son, who tasted it and said, "This isn't as sweet as the stuff in the bottle, but it tastes better. This is big boy barbeque sauce!" (If you'd like it a little sweeter, you can add an extra tablespoon of molasses. If you're keeping an eye on carbs, add sugar substitute or agave nectar, a teaspoon at a time, to taste.)

For those of you who love barbeque sauce, but can live without the carbohydrates and sodium, you'll be delighted with the nutrition profile. Typical prepared barbeque sauce has about 15 grams of carbohydrate--about half of it from high-fructose corn syrup--and 300 milligrams sodium per 2 tablespoon serving. In comparison, my recipe has just 8 grams of carbohydrate and 15 milligrams sodium.

We've still got a month of summer left (here in the desert, we've got another two months of hot weather), so you've got plenty of time to break out the grill and give this recipe a go! Or, use it as the sauce for Caribbean Chicken Pizza, then top your pizza with chicken, pineapple chunks (use the pineapple juice for the sauce) and mozzarella cheese. Enjoy!

Big Boy BBQ Sauce

Ingredients:

1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
1/2 cup pineapple juice
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons molasses
2 teaspoons liquid smoke
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon tamarind paste
1/4 teaspoon fresh-ground peppercorn mix
5 dashes ground cayenne

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl.

Notes:

This recipe makes enough for at least two (12-inch) pizzas. Leftover sauce can be kept up to 3 days in a tightly-covered container in the refrigerator. Or, freeze any leftovers for later use.


Nutrition Information:

Makes 10 (2 tablespoon) servings. Per serving, 36 calories, 0 grams fat, 15 milligrams sodium, 8 grams carbohydrate.