Tamari

Tamari soy sauce is my favorite secret ingredient. Not only does it have a deep, rich, salty taste, it adds a wonderful dark brown oily shimmer to anything it's a part of. I love it so much that I buy it by the quart jar at the health food store--although I try to take it easy since it's probably high in sodium (you think?). It's been years since we've touched regular old grocery store soy sauce--once you've tried tamari there's no going back.

Perfect teriyaki sauce for chicken or salmon:
Splash filets or breasts with plenty of tamari sauce, sprinkle with sugar and rice vinegar. Let sit for half an hour, then grill or broil, basting occasionally with leftover sauce (be sure and stop basting in time for the last application to cook thoroughly).

Perfect roast vegetables:
Cube or thickly slice any amount of potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, peppers, eggplant, etc. Toss with crushed garlic, a little olive oil, and a big splash of tamari. Cook at 425 for 45 minutes or so, checking for burning/doneness and adjusting as necessary (I'll cover to soften vegetables if they're not cooking fast enough, or uncover to get them browner). Add lots of fresh-ground pepper before serving.

Great salty cole slaw:
To a bag of shredded cole slaw, add thinly sliced red pepper, cucumber, and green onion. Make a dressing with 2 parts mild olive oil, one part balsamic vinegar, and a big slug of tamari. Stir in half a cup (or a cup!) of sliced almonds which you have browned in a little oil. Oh my!