Mole Sauce

Give grilled chicken or leftover turkey a south-of-the-border flavor with a chocolate-infused sauce. You can find many variations for mole (rhymes with "oh-lay"), a blend of chiles, spices, and chocolate. Add or subtract ingredients to make it hotter (more chiles) or sweeter (honey or pumpkin). Another variation: Add sautéed garlic and onions.

Ingredients

  • 2 dried ancho chiles

  • 1/2 cup boiling water

  • 1 tbsp sesame seeds

  • 1/2 tsp cilantro (coriander) seeds

  • 2 tbsp raisins

  • 1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes, no salt added

  • 1 tbsp peanuts (chunky peanut butter is a good substitute)

  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

  • 1/2 tsp ground cloves

  • 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

  • 2 tbsp low-sodium chicken stock

Directions

Cut the chiles and remove stem and seeds. Cut into pieces into a small bowl and cover with boiling water to soften. Set aside.

Grind sesame and cilantro seeds in coffee grinder. (If you don't have one, seeds will be OK whole in blender or food processor.)

Put raisins, tomatoes, and chiles in a food processor or blender. Add ground seeds, nuts, cinnamon, cloves, and cocoa. Process or blend until nearly smooth. Add chicken stock.

Transfer to a saucepan and heat on the stove until you are ready to serve. You can use more chicken stock to get the sauce consistency you want.

Serves 8

Each 1/4-cup serving contains about 55 calories, 2 g fat (less than 1 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat), 0 mg cholesterol, 35 mg sodium, 9 g carbohydrates, 3 g dietary fiber, 4 g sugars, and 2 g protein.