AwesomeSauce

You've heard me lament about how hard it is to find condiments without added sugar.  This presented a problem when I want something as simple as barbecue sauce or ketchup. I sometimes make my own barbecue sauce but I always use ketchup (which contains sugar) but in the spirit of The Whole 30, I had to think outside the box.

Enter the POM!  Pomegranate juice has a great flavor and intense tangy sweetness that I thought would be perfect for barbecue sauce.  The sauce is thick, tangy, sweet, smoky and full of flavor.  It is indeed awesome.

AwesomeSauce~BBQ

6 ounces of pomegranate juice, make sure it is 100% juice with NO added sugars

6 ounces of tomato paste

3 heaping tablespoons of Dijon mustard, I like super spicy Maille original

1/3-1/2 cup of vinegar, I used a blend of apple cider and balsamic

1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

1 teaspoon smoked chipotle powder

cayenne pepper to taste

hot sauce to taste, I used Trader Joe's jalapeno sauce which has no added sugar

Heat the pomegranate juice in a small saucepan, bring to a boil, turn down heat to maintain a hard simmer.  Simmer juice until it is to reduced 2-3 tablespoons.  Stir in the rest of the ingredients.  Start with the lesser amount of vinegar and add more if you need the sauce to be a bit thinner.  Simmer the sauce for a few minutes, let cool, pour into a mason jar and store in the fridge.  Slather on slow cooked pork, ribs, grilled chicken legs.  Devour!

I also decided to try and make homemade ketchup because I can't make my favorite veggie dip without it.  This also turned out even better than I had imagined it would.  And it was so easy!

AwesomeSauce~Ketchup

8 ounces of apple juice or cider

6 ounces of tomato paste

1/3-1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon Trader Joe's pumpkin pie spice 

1/2 teaspoon unrefined sea salt

Heat the apple juice in a small saucepan, bring to a boil, turn down heat to maintain a hard simmer. Simmer juice until it is reduced 2-3 tablespoons. Add the tomato paste and cook for a couple of minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the rest of the ingredients.Start with the lesser amount of vinegar and add more if you need the ketchup to be a bit thinner.Let cool, transfer to a mason jar and store in the fridge.  Mix with homemade mayo and chopped dill pickles to make the best veggie dip ever. Devour!