Tag Archives: tomato

Easy Roasted Garlic Marinara (Oil-Free)

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I’ve tried a lot of marinara recipes but this one is my absolute favorite! That’s it, I’m never making another one again! This is really easy to make and the roasted garlic is a nice touch! Plus it freezes nicely. My toddler loved this too!

In an effort to reduce my pasta intake, I mixed the sauce with beans and pasta and served it over spinach (I got the idea from Melomeals!). It was delish!!!

Roasted Garlic Marinara with beans and pasta over spinach

Original recipe is from Melomeals… I changed it a bit to make it oil-free and a bit lower sodium.

Roasted Garlic Marinara

  • 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar (for roasting the garlic)
  • 10 cloves garlic sliced
  • 1/2 t crushed red pepper flakes (I did less to make it toddler friendly)
    • 1 t marjoram
    • 1 t rosemary
    • 2 t dried basil
    • 2 T balsamic vinegar (for deglazing)
    • 28 oz can crushed tomatoes (I used no-salt added canned tomatoes)
    • 28 oz can diced tomatoes with their liquid (I used tetra packed tomatoes)
    • Salt/Pepper to taste
    • 1 c fresh basil or parsley
    • 1 carrot, shredded (add to cut acidity instead of sugar)

    Method:

    1. In a cold pan place the balsamic vinegar and garlic in the pan. Turn heat to low and slowly caramelize the garlic This took me about 25-30 minutes.
    2. When garlic is golden and fragrant, turn heat up to medium and add the spices.
    3. Cook spices for 1 minutes, then deglaze with balsamic vinegar
    4. Add tomatoes, bring to a simmer, cover for 20 minutes
    5. Taste and adjust seasonings, stir in fresh herbs
    6. If the sauce is too acidic, add 1 shredded carrot or 2 t sugar (I added a shredded carrot)

    Roast garlic

    Add spices then tomatoes, simmer

    Add fresh basil

    Add carrot to cut acidity

    Yum!

     

Easy Red Lentils with Scallion Flatbread

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There’s a theme here lately… easy! I have a few recipes waiting for me to make them but I haven’t had much time lately so I’ve been powering through my SUPER easy recipes first! I’ve made this one several times, it’s really good and pretty basic. My toddler loves these lentils and so does my hubby. You can find the Scallion Flatbread recipe here.

Easy Red Lentils with Scallion Flatbread

  • Lentils (Dal)
    • 1 cup red lentils, picked through for stones
    • 2 cups water
    • 1 onion, diced
    • 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
    • 1 (1/2-inch) piece ginger, peeled and minced
    • 2 medium tomatoes, diced
    • 1 serrano chile, sliced in 1/2, optional (I omitted to make it toddler friendly)
  • Tempering oil (bagaar)
    • 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
    • 1/2 teaspoon black mustard seeds
    • Generous 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
    • 1/2 teaspoon paprika or bafaat powder (I’ve used both, bafaat powder is pretty good with it!)
    • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
    • Handful chopped fresh cilantro leaves
    • INSTRUCTIONS
        1. Put the lentils in a strainer and rinse them under running water. Add them to a bowl, cover with water and let soak for 30 minutes. Drain and set aside.
        2. In a medium saucepan, combine 2 cups of water, the onions, garlic, ginger, tomatoes, chile (if using) and the lentils. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Skim any scum from the surface. DO NOT ADD SALT YET; it will toughen the lentils, thereby lengthening their cooking time. Lower the heat, cover the pot with a lid and gently simmer until the lentils are tender, almost translucent, and almost falling apart, about 30 to 40 minutes.
        3. Whisk the lentils, releasing its natural starch, and mash some of them so the mixture becomes thick. Add salt, to taste.
        4. Tempering oil (bagaar): In a small bowl, combine the cumin and mustard seeds. In another bowl, combine the spice powders. Have all the ingredients ready because this will move very fast!
        5. In a small skillet, over a medium-high flame, warm 1 tablespoon vegetable oil. Once the oil is shimmering, add seeds and immediately cover so you don’t get covered in spluttering oil and seeds! Add the spices. They should sizzle and bubble a little – that’s the blooming and it’s exactly what you want. Don’t let them burn. The mixture should bloom for about 30 seconds, no more.
        6. Pour the oil mixture into the lentils, standing back so you don’t get hurt when the mixture splutters again. Stir to combine. Transfer the lentils to a serving dish and garnish with cilantro.

Per Serving: Calories: 237; Fat: 5 grams (Saturated Fat: 0 grams); Protein: 14g; Carbohydrates: 35g; Sugar: 4g; Fiber: 9g; Cholesterol: 0mg; Sodium: 23mg

Yummy Bean Soup

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This soup is delicious! It’s a little spicy and very satisfying with a side of toasted naan (if you eat bread, we do no more than twice a week) and a glass of red wine (or hemp milk for my toddler!). This recipe is from HealthyMammas.com – home of  the recently made Creamy Dreamy Superfood Pudding and Black Bean & Corn Quinoa (2 more fabulous recipes!).  This recipe is toddler approved, she ate the whole bowl but she commented on it being “spicy Mommy spicy” the whole time… you may want to back off the chili powder if you have a spice sensitive child. My daughter will eat wasabi peas and dried chili mango so she may be the exception. 🙂

Bean Soup

Ingredients (Serves 6-8)

  • 1 7/8 lbs 15 bean soup mix (I used the 8-bean soup mix from my CSA – about 5 1/2 cups)
  • 1 quart low sodium vegetable broth
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil (you can use veggie broth or water to sauté instead – I used broth)
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 1 garlic clove, chopped
  • 1 box frozen chopped spinach, or 10 oz of fresh, chopped spinach (I used fresh – 2 bunches organic spinach)
  • 2 carrots, thinly sliced (I used leftover shredded carrots from Healthy Veggie Muffins)
  • 1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained (I used fire roasted with garlic)
  • 8 tablespoons lemon juice (about 2 lemons worth) – this makes it!!
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 3 dashes Tabasco sauce (Didn’t have any so I used a big squirt of Sriracha)
  • 1 tablespoon oregano
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 2 teaspoons ground thyme
  • 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 tablespoon ground black pepper
  • 1/2 tablespoon salt (optional)

Instructions

  • Soak beans overnight, or at least 8 hours. Drain and rinse.
  • Cook beans in water until just tender by simmering on the stove in 2 qts. water for 1 1/2 hours. (or more) (Can also cook in slower cooker or pressure cooker.).
  • Shortly before the beans are done, saute onion and garlic in oil (or veggie broth) until slightly brown.
  • When beans are done, drain half the cooking water.
  • Add all remaining ingredients and simmer, uncovered, for 40-60 minutes, stirring occasionally. Adjust seasoning to taste.

Beans are cooked, adding in remaining ingredients (except spinach)

Added chopped spinach

Delish!!

Black Bean & Corn Quinoa

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This is very healthy, easy to make and delicious! My husband and toddler LOVED it! You could eat this dish with a ton of things, we had it with wheat tortillas, shredded carrots, cilantro and leftover TVP Taco “Meat” and a side of Garlic Yu Choy.

Black Bean & Corn Quinoa

I found this recipe on a new food blog I’ve been checking out – Healthy Mammas. I made their Creamy Dreamy Superfood Pudding a few days ago and that was really good!

Black Bean & Corn Quinoa

Ingredients (serves 4 to 6)

  • 1/2 onion finely chopped
  • 3 cloves minced garlic
  • 3/4 cup uncooked quinoa
  • 2 cups organic veggie broth (plus a bit more for sauteing your onions and garlic)
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional – I used 1/8 tsp)
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 cup frozen corn
  • 1 (15oz) can black beans drained and rinsed
  • Optional (Throw in a can of drained diced tomatoes – OR serve with some fresh salsa) – I added one can of Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes with Garlic… YUM!
  • Chopped cilantro, to top (optional but good!)

Instructions

  • Saute onion and garlic in a few tablespoons of veggie broth over medium heat until soft and almost translucent.
  • Add the garlic when the onions are about 1/2 done…you may need to add a little more broth as they cook to keep them moist and keep them from sticking.
  • Mix in quinoa and cover with 2 cups veggie broth.
  • Season with spices and salt & pepper.
  • Bring to boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer until most of the liquid is gone…about 10 to 15min.
  • Stir in corn, black beans and diced tomatoes – continue to cook on low heat for about 5 more minutes until all liquid is absorbed and everything is heated through. (add a little extra veggie broth if needed)
  • Taste and season with additional sea salt if needed.
  • Enjoy!

Saute onions & garlic in broth

Add quinoa, broth & spices

Add corn & black beans

Add tomatoes (if using)

I used these, they're yummy!

BBQ Tempeh Wrap with Goaty Cheeze

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I was craving “junk food” today so I searched through my fridge and came up with this BBQ Tempeh Wrap.

Ingredients:

* 1 Tbsp Olive Oil (optional if you’re oil-free – use water sauté or broth instead)

* 1 – 8oz block of tempeh (I like Trader Joe’s Organic Tempeh the best!)

* 1 1/2 cups leftover Finger Lickin’ Good BBQ Sauce

* 2-3 Tbsp leftover Kale Butter

* Whole wheat wraps or tortillas

* 1 cup baby spinach

* 1 tomato

* 2-4 Tbsp Goaty Cheeze

* Southwestern Chipotle Sauce

Directions:

* First I cut up a block of tempeh into 8 slices

* Heat cast iron pan (or regular if you don’t have cast iron but you may need a little oil or broth so they don’t stick)

* Brown tempeh slices on both sides, about 2 minutes each side

* Blot oil from tempeh and add to bowl with bbq sauce, coat tempeh

* Assemble wrap!

I spread Kale Butter on the wrap first, then added baby spinach, bbq tempeh slices, added slices of tomato, dolloped Goaty Cashew Cheeze on top and a little Southwestern Chipotle Sauce.

Yummy!!