Paprika-Chipotle Sauce

I don’t often make sauces or dips. I think it’s because both the Engineer and I have cut back on snacking, and we tend not to eat those types of thing for dinner (though there’s something to be said for a weekend lunch cobbled together from leftovers, with cheese and hummus and crackers). I also don’t make spicy foods. I stayed away from this sauce recipe for a while for those two reasons, even though it seemed lovely. I found the recipe on Gluten-Free Girl, who raves about it and calls it crack sauce (not the same as my crack sauce).

I decided to get my act together. I made the preserved lemon rind called for ahead of time, which is actually really easy: thinly slice some organic lemon rinds, without the pulp, and put them in a jar of coarse salt (I recommend organic lemons, here, because you are eating the rind itself.) I also bought some chipotles in adobo sauce for the first time. I used Nayonaise, which is a brand of vegan mayonnaise; you’re free to use your favorite vegan brand, or regular mayonnaise if you want. Then I made the sauce, which took all of two minutes. It was a delightful shade of red, and wow, was it good! I don’t remember ever using this much paprika before, but it’s worth it. It makes a lot of sauce, though, so if you aren’t having a party, make sure you have enough things to dip, or perhaps use it as a salad dressing (Gluten-Free Girl had it tossed with some cucumbers, dolloped on green beans and smeared in a taco). I served it with oven-fried onion rings and sausage.

1 jar (16 oz.) veganaise (or mayonnaise)
1 to 3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (I used 2, and it was just as hot as I wanted it; I froze the rest)
3 Tbsp. smoked paprika
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1/8 lemon rind in salt (see note above)

Combine all the ingredients in a blender and let it run.
When the sauce is bright-orange in color and smooth, take a taste. Maybe you want more of lemon, or another chipotle pepper. Trust your taste buds.