Easy Tomato Sauce

I have to admit, I'm not really a fan of tomato sauce anymore. Somewhere in my 40s my digestive system began having a difference of opinion with my palate. This is sad, especially since a nice marinara sauce on pasta used to be a stand-by for me at non-veg restaurants. But alas, wheat pasta is a no-no these days, too!

But, I do still serve a red sauce to my family, and especially to my daughter, who loves her pasta with either red sauce, pesto or just veg butter and yeast.

Since no one here really eats a lot of red sauce at any one time, we ended of up wasting most of any jar we would open up for either a meal or a snack. I dislike wasting food and I dislike wasting money even more!

I think I have finally found a solution to my problem! After buying a pressure cooker recently, I realized I could easily make a simple red sauce with the canned tomatoes I have on hand and dried and fresh spices. I could control the sugar and the oil. And, I had just purchased a box of vintage jam jars and lids at a garage sale (thinking I would make some jam from the crazy cherry-plum trees that line out driveway). I soon realized, though, that those jars were the perfect size for how much red sauce we might use, even over the course of a few days. (Experience has borne this out. They are perfect!)

I whittled down a recipe I found on the internet (she must have been making pasta sauce for a huge Italian family) and simply put this in my tiny jars (which have sort of been sterilized), let them cool, and then stuck them in my freezer to pop out only when needed.

Here's the recipe I came up with. Of course, like any good cook, you can add things you like. But if you suddenly find yourself trying to feed a veg'n and all you've got in the pantry is some old cheesey or meaty jar of sauce, you can whip this up in an instant for a fresh "chef made" taste. (You don't really even need to pressure cook this, you could also just blend fresh or canned tomatoes and your herbs. Really. It works. I've done it.)

Simple Tomato Sauce
(Make this "Raw Vegan" by using fresh tomatoes and no bay leaf)

3 cans tomatoes (I used diced)
1 can water
1 small can tomato paste or sauce
1-2 tbs dry veggie stock
1-3 tsp of fresh or dry herbs/spices: basil, oregano, chives, onion
1-2 cloves fresh garlic or 1/2-1 tsp garlic powder
1 bay leaf
salt to taste

Optional:
Some red or white wine, vodka, veggies, olives, etc. Saute some onions first in oil or water.

Instructions:
Fresh raw: Just blend this in a blender. Serve.
Cooked on stove: combine all in a pot, simmer til hot or longer if you really want to reduce it and blend the flavors. Take out bay leaf before serving. (I used my pressure cooker. Around 15 minutes at pressure. Natural pressure release. Open lid away from you.)

I poured my sauce into small jam jars that I had boiled to sterilize. Since I wasn't being extra careful, I froze them instead of considering them "canned." Don't over-fill if you are freezing to allow for expansion.

Serve over regular pasta or rice or corn pasta for a fully gluten-free experience.

Easy Garden Wrap

My daughter attended a school with a terrific garden program from Kindergarten through 5th grade. The amazing teacher, Laurel Anderson, made sure the kids weren't just planting seeds or watering flowers. She had them FIXING and EATING the food that they grew. Once a week for two years, I had the pleasure of helping out with my daughter's class. Each week's class ended with a snack made by half the group and served to everyone. Because gardening is not just about plants. It's about food, cooking, sharing, serving, enjoying, discovery, health and community. Laurel got all that in in a 50 minute class.

One of the last meals we shared, and apparently one of the class' favorites, was the "Garden Wrap." It's presented here in a regular tortilla, but if you are gluten-free, you could use a rice wrap, nori or even just roll this up into a big piece of lettuce.

My daughter requests this dressing now. Laurel's original dressing called for yogurt, but I've veganized it to a soy or other-based yogurt with no problem. And because we now grow our own herbs at home, I can make this myself in the blink of an eye.

 

A wrap lends itself to any ingredients you have on hand.

These are my daughter's favorites. 

Harmony Garden Wraps

  Dressing (blend in blender)

• 1/2 cup plain soy or other yogurt
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 2 handfuls of French sorrel (or other herbs- any bitter lettuce works)
• 1 bunch chives
• Herbs/salt – to taste
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/4 cup -- 1/2 cup oil (optional)

Wrap Instructions:

• Spread dressing on tortilla.
• Sprinkle on sunflower seeds.
• Grate a little carrot over it.
• Add washed spinach/lettuce.
• Roll it up carefully.
• You can eat this whole, cut it in half or into little wheels if you are serving as an appetizer. 

That's a wrap!

Cultured Kitchen Cashew Cheese

I have fond memories of eating smoked cheddar cheese on crackers with my dad, who passed away just over nine years ago. I keep searching for a vegan version of that flavor and texture to get a little bit of that memory back. I found something new to try on a recent vacation.

Cultured Kitchen of Sacramento offers several vegan cashew cheeses and one is called "Smoked Cheddar." To be honest, it doesn't really hit the mark for what I remember, but it is a very tasty product and I am enjoying it thoroughly.

It comes in a tub and is more of a cheese dip or spread than anything you can slice. The ingredients are simple: raw cashews, cold smoked paprika, coconut aminos, Himalayan sea salt, spices and active cultures. It's vegan, raw and gluten-free. For now it seems to be available only in the Sacramento, Ca area and in a few stores and at local farmers' markets. I found it on a weekend trip while shopping at the Gluten-Free Specialty Store. This is an easy product to just set out with crackers or crudites.

Muhummara (Red Pepper and Walnut Dip)

I sadly accidentally erased my original post about this dip. 

You can see the version I started with at Epicurious. 

 Muhummara (Muhammara)

• a 7-ounce jar roasted red peppers, drained
• 2/3 cup fine fresh bread crumbs (GF crumbs or ground Corn Thins)
• 1/3 cup walnuts, toasted lightly and chopped fine
• 2 to 4 garlic cloves, minced and mashed to a paste with 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, or to taste
• 2 teaspoons pomegranate molasses*
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes
• 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, 1/8 cup oil or none!
• toasted pita triangles as an accompaniment
  (GF: tortilla chips, rice crackers, veggies, etc.)

*available at Middle Eastern markets. Reduced pomegranate juice will do or agave syrup.

Mix it all up in a blender/food processor and you have it! 

If you use the oil, add that after mixing other ingredients and drizzle while it blends.

This is very tasty and bright.

Chocolate Chip Cookie "Pi"

In honor of March 14 (yes I am one day late, but I made it yesterday!), this is my "pie" for "Pi Day."
It's a bit of a stretch, I know. It's really a giant cookie in a pie plate. But I think it counts. It's round, looks like a pie, and I really don't like pie all that much anyway.

And yes, that is my Big Bang Theory calendar. (March 14 also happens to be Einstein's Birthday! How about that for the "circle" of life?! Yes, that was a double funny.)

You can find the VERY simple recipe for it here:  

http://naturalpapa.com/food/recipe/a-quick-and-easy-vegan-cookie-pie-recipe/

My notes on the recipe:

1. I made it gluten-free with Bob's Red Mill GF mix plus 1 tsp xanthan gum and extra water.
2. I used the olive oil as called for, but next time I would use canola or melted vegan butter.
3. I used half agave and half maple syrup.
4. I used half the chocolate chips called for since I was out of them and had to cut up a vegan chocolate bar.
5. I added a 1/2 cup walnuts.
6. I didn't use the coconut flakes. No one here would have liked that in this.