Simmer Sauces...

Simmer sauces are the equivalent of a lifeline. Need to get dinner on the table quick? Open a jar of simmer sauce and add a protein, some veggies and call it dinner. I keep frozen shrimp in the freezer because it thaws quickly and cooks even quicker. I do the same with frozen vegetables.

I've tried two simmer sauces recently that I would buy again. Trader Joe's Simmer Sauces come in several flavors, and the Korma Simmer Sauce is a kicky blend of tomatoes, a touch of cream, almond butter and spices, including cayenne and cinnamon.

The jar says the serving size is 1/3 a cup but that's too stingy. A half cup is doable, I can easily polish off half the jar myself. If I stuck to the 1/3 cup, it would only be 110 calories and 7 grams of fat, but with my more realistic portion, it's more like 160 calories and 10 grams of fat -- still reasonable when paired with a lean meat or fish and vegetables.

I also like Seeds of Change simmer sauces, specifically the Jalfrezi flavor. The label says it's medium-hot but I'm not sure who was determining that. It's not hot at all. It too is tomato based and contains onions, red bell peppers, a touch of coconut milk and spices like cumin, ginger, and cardamom. It's exotic tasting, and I paired it with shrimp, green beans and ladled it over fragrant, basmati rice.

I think next time I'm shopping, I grab a few more and keep them in the pantry for those nights I just don't feel like putting a lot of effort into dinner.