What’s the secret behind the burst of flavor in the bottles of hand-crafted Zen Pepper Sauce? Peppers that are lovingly grown by Zen Pepper Company owners Ryan and Chrissi Scherer. Using sustainable practices they will grow 2000 pepper plants this year! They make the peppers into sauce in the Local Environmental Agricultural Program (LEAP) kitchens.
Ryan and Chrissi explain the meaning behind their brand name Zen. They have a “common belief that ultimate truth lies in the thread of connection. They craft their hot sauce with a great appreciation for life, and are intentional about creating a mind and body experience in every bottle.” When you taste these sauces you will realize that’s not a bunch of hooey, these sauces have fantastic flavor!
The mildly spicy Fire Roasted Poblano Pepper Sauce is perfectly delectable with grilled pork. Marinate pork loin in the sauce and then serve some extra sauce on the side. Shrimp gets an extra kick of spice marinated in Garlic Sriracha Pepper Sauce (the most popular Zen sauce). Ginger Habanero Pepper Sauce is delicious with everything! It’s made with ginger, garlic, habanero peppers and mustard. They recommend serving it as a dipping sauce with spring rolls.
So where do you find the secret sauce? At the Roanoke Natural Foods Co-op on Grandin Road or downtown Roanoke.
Along with pepper sauce, barbeque sauce is another must-have accompaniment for our flame-cooked foods. Our local Earth Fare is encouraging us to channel our inner pitmaster with four new barbecue sauces:
Texas Style – a little sweet and a little smoky, perfect accompaniment for brisket.
Carolina Style – tangy with a touch of mustard, delicious with pulled pork.
Memphis Style – smoky with a touch of pepper. So good on wet style ribs.
Kansas Style – Bold, sweet and smoky, goes with any slow cooked meat…pork, lamb, sausage, chicken and beef.
These sauces are free of high fructose corn syrup and artificial flavors, preservatives and colors.
We enjoyed Memphis BBQ sauce, not too sweet with a mildly smoky flavor. I slathered boneless skinless chicken breasts with the sauce and baked it on a flat cast iron pan with Shishito peppers. I sprinkled the chicken and peppers with Greek Seasoning just before baking. Especially delicious served with some extra sauce on the side and Earth Fare Cole slaw.
Now that the secret’s out, enjoy these fabulous new sauces!
https://www.facebook.com/zenpepperco/
https://www.earthfare.com/recipe/barbecue-sauce-at-its-best-with-earth-fare/
About the Writer:
Following her career in healthcare dining and nutrition management, Becky Ellis followed her passion to create Bubblybee, a champagne and food blog. Her motto is “Don’t wait to celebrate! Pop the cork now!” She loves to share tips for entertaining with bubbly. Find her creative recipes and champagne tasting notes at bubblybee.net and Instagram @bubblybeeboop.
