HOMEMADE MARINARA FROM FRESH TOMATOES

One of my favorite parts off Autumn is harvesting our garden. We had some early frost warnings so a lot of our tomatoes were picked early, most were still green. I tried letting them ripen up in a bowl last year, but learned they do better in boxes and paper bags. So this year we corrected our error, and had a bounty of tomatoes all at once. We diced some for salads, made a round of Ketchup, and ate tomato-filled foods for a week- I am surprised I haven't turned into a tomato, seriously like Violet Beauregarde from Willy Wonka turning into a blueberry.

But we still had 7 huge tomatoes left and they were on the brink of getting too soft. Usually if something was about to rot, I would throw it in the worm composting bin but we stopped feeding them so we could transition them to winter. (More on that next week)   I couldn't stand wasting them, and I wasn't about to dive into the deep abyss really homemaker-ey moms call vegetable canning, NO, not over 7 measly tomatoes. Long story short, I made this marinara sauce, and it was so good, beyond good even. You can actually taste the flavors, it was so easy that I will never buy the canned stuff again. Seriously, your mouth is gonna be like, WHAT?!

Ingredients
6-8 large tomatoes, chopped
2 small onions, diced
1 clove of garlic, diced
1/2 T fresh basil
1/2 T fresh thyme
1/2 T fresh oregano
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Chop the onions and garlic and saute in a sauce pan. When those have caramelized stir in  chopped tomatoes. Incorporate the fresh herbs. Let the sauce simmer stirring occasionally, the water from the tomatoes will cook off and you will be left with a thick, hearty sauce.

CREAMY CILANTRO LIME DRESSING

This is a super simple, homemade cilantro dressing that we like to add to tacos, or Southwest style salad. I've seen a few variations online but most called for mayo and a packet of processed Ranch dressing mix. We like to keep things pretty basic around here- so I started making homemade ranch mix in a decent sized batch a while ago, you can safely store it for about 3 months. And as a general rule if a recipe calls for mayo, I always substitute Greek yogurt, it cuts down on fat and has a fair amount of protein, its win, win! I've included the dressing recipe, and the homemade ranch dressing mix as well, but be warned that you will become addicted!

Ingredients
3/4 cup cilantro chopped, no stems
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/2 cup milk
juice of 1 lime
2 Tbs homemade ranch dressing mix (recipe below)
1 Tbs salsa, or green chilies

Directions:
Puree all ingredients in a blender or food processor until smooth.
Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary, if you want more heat add more salsa or chilies. I like mine mild.


Homemade Ranch Mix

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. dried parsley
1 1/2 tsp. dried dill weed
2 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. onion powder
2 tsp. dried onion flakes
1 tsp. ground black pepper
1 tsp. dried chives
1 tsp. salt


Whisk all ingredients together until blended. If you want a more finely-ground seasoning mix, you can pulse the mixture in a food processor until it reaches your desired consistency.

To Make Ranch Dressing: Combine 1 Tbsp. seasoning mix with 1/3 cup Greek yogurt and 1/3 cup milk, and whisk to combine.

FOODS MOST/LEAST CONTAMINATED BY PESTICIDES

Thanks to Pinterest my "How to Eat with the Seasons" post has been the most popular tip on the site. To go along with that I wanted to give you gals and guys a great resource on pesticides. I don't always buy organic fruits and veggies at the market- but I ALWAYS buy organic when it comes to the "Dirty Dozen" list below. Usually the prices aren't too much higher, and the trade off is well worth paying a few cents more. The "Green Fifteen" list are the fruits and veggies least sprayed with pesticides, so those are typically safe to buy in the non-organic produce department. Just keep in mind that some of the items on the good list can still be genetically modified to create larger fruit that doesn't necessarily taste better, I'm looking at you tomatoes and avocados...

MUSHROOM BROCCOLI AND RED PEPPER MELTS

I hope everyone had a fun Father's Day. We made this recipe as part of the "5 week vegetarian challenge" and again on Father's Day with some homemade sweet potato fries. (Recipe coming soon) I enjoyed seeing the look on John's face when he thought I was preheating the oven on to 500 degrees in the middle of June. His exact words were, "I always wondered what broil meant." I hope you enjoy. It's pretty good.

Ingredients:
1 head broccoli, cut into small florets
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and ground pepper
8 brown button mushrooms, or your favorite variety
1 red bell pepper
balsamic vinegar
4 thick slices of focaccia or ciabatta bread
4 ounces Gouda cheese, thinly sliced

Directions:
Heat broiler, with rack set 4 inches from heat. Slice mushrooms and peppers, cut up broccoli into florets  Saute veggies with olive oil for about 6-8 min.

Place bread on a work surface. Dividing evenly, drizzle with balsamic, and top with vegetables, then cheese. Place on baking sheet, and broil until cheese is melted and lightly browned, 2 to 4 minutes.

5 WEEK VEGETARIAN CHALLENGE MEAL PLAN

We did it! We completed the vegetarian challenge, without breaking a sweat. I am so excited to share with you the meal plan and some recipes. For a printable version of the meal plan click here. It wasn't as hard as I had anticipated, and I only anticipated it being difficult because we would have to come up with a lot of new recipes for variety. But as soon as it began I welcomed the challenge. I really enjoyed trying new things, like making risotto for the first time. And I can tell you I feel better- not just because I know I was kinder to the environment- but because I feel like I have more energy, because I had fun cooking, and because I enjoyed not having to stress over "what's for dinner." We will probably keep this up for quite a bit. I plan to make a 5 week meal plan for each of the four seasons, so I always have recipes with seasonal fruits and veggies handy. For now we are happy flexitarians.

To make it easier for readers I tagged all of the recipe posts with the label "5 week vegetarian challenge" and you can find most of these recipes by clicking here. You can see the term "leftovers" in the meal plan, I set it up this way for 2 reasons. The first being, if we had leftovers they got eaten, and the second reason was to offer a "free space" each week. For example, if a social engagement came up on a Monday and we were scheduled to make the Grilled Portobello Sandwiches, we would just swap that day with the leftover day from that week. The same goes for "salad," I stuck that in to help us eat the rest of the raw veggies we usually have lying around. We eat a large veggie salad at least once a week anyway, so that really worked for us.

BASIC RISOTTO WITH CAULIFLOWER

I was a risotto virgin before we made this recipe- John had made it before, and I had indulged in some great varieties at restaurants. But I had been wanting to try my hand at making risotto, and our five-week vegetarian challenge gave me the best excuse. I adapted this recipe from this Simple Risotto recipe found here. If you need a basic risotto recipe that you can add mushrooms or other veggies to, this one makes a great base. I was surprised at how well this recipe turned out considering everything I had ever heard about making your own risotto.

Ingredients:
1 head cauliflower
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
7 cups vegetable broth (you could probably make this work with 6 cups if you had to)
2.5 tablespoons butter
1 large shallot, diced
3/4 cup dry white wine
1.5 cups Arborio rice
2 to 4 cups spinach leaves
1 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp salt
 pepper to taste

Image 1 shows the first 1/2 cup of broth being added. Image 2 is what your rice will look like while it is absorbing the broth. Image 3 shows the creamy consistency once the rice is cooked and you no longer need to add any liquid. Image 4 is the final product.

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 450°F.
Place broth in a medium sauce pan and heat to a simmer; reduce heat and keep warm.
Cut the cauliflower into medium small florets. Toss the cauliflower, olive oil,and 1/2 teaspoon of salt in a bowl. Place cauliflower on a parchment lined baking sheet and roast for 30 minutes in the oven. You can stir them about halfway through baking. When they are tender and slightly browned they are done.

While the cauliflower is roasting, mince the shallot. In a large skillet add the shallot, butter, and 1/2 teaspoon salt, and heat to medium high. Once the butter is simmering, reduce heat to medium, and cook until the shalot is translucent.  Stir in the rice, coating it with the butter mixture.  Now you can increase the heat to medium-high and leave it there for the duration of the cooking process. Refer to the images above when adding your liquids.

Add  the white wine, I like to use Sauvignon Blanc when cooking. Stir the wine and rice constantly until liquid is almost evaporated. At this point, you can start adding the broth. Add the broth in 1/2 cup increments, and stir frequently until broth is almost absorbed. Repeat until rice is tender, but still al dente, you shouldn't let the rice absorb all of the water once it is ready because you want to have a bit of "sauce" left.

Stir in the parmesan cheese, and the cauliflower. We added spinach leaves because we had them, but you could also substitute kale or mustard greens. Keep stirring the ingredients until they are all incorporated and your greens have begun to wilt. Remove from the heat and season to taste.

PORTOBELLO SANDWICH WITH TZATZIKI

We made this recipe on Sunday, because we had some leftover tzatziki sauce and I was worried it was going to go bad. Being on our 5 week vegetarian challenge has made us a lot more creative in the kitchen, and has really gotten us out of our usual dinner rut. I can't wait to share the whole meal plan with you- only two weeks left! What has probably surprised me the most on this menu is how we don't really miss some of the old meat dishes we usually ate. I was sure I'd be craving a burger by week three, but this sandwich rivals some of the best burgers I have ever eaten!

Grilled Portobello Sandwiches

Ingredients
2 portobello mushrooms
2 tablespoons aged balsamic vinegar (I love Nappa Valley Naturals brand)
2 tablespoons olive oil
Focaccia bread
Tzatziki sauce (see below)
1 Red onion
4 oz Feta crumbles

Directions

Preheat your grill to medium-high heat. (We don't have a real adult grill so I did this on the George Foreman, which is what we use for paninis as well).

Lightly drizzle your mushrooms with olive oil. I also used balsamic vinegar because I have been putting it on almost everything lately, and it makes the flavors really stand out. Brush on for an even coat and let marinate.

Make the tzatziki sauce, see below, then slice the onion.

Grill the mushrooms for 4-5 minutes on each side.

Slice the focaccia bread, and drizzle a bit of balsamic. Add a dollup of tzatziki, and layer on some onions. Cut the mushrooms in half, and lay one of the halves on each sandwich. Then add the feta crumbles, and the other half of bread. Serves 4

Tzatziki Sauce

Ingredients
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 cup diced cucumber
1/4 cup fresh dill – minced
1/8 cup lemon juice
1 garlic cloves – roasted
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper

Directions
Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl check for seasoning. Add more dill, lemon, garlic or salt/pepper if you wish! Serve immediately or store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

TOASTED GOUDA QUESADILLAS

Our Vegetarian quest continues. This recipe is primarily why I couldn't be a vegan- I have pretty much given up dairy except for cheese, its my food weakness. You can't make a tasty quesadilla without cheese. We had family from Germany visiting us last week, one evening for dinner we had a great cheese plate- but so much smoked gouda left over. John is a master of throwing together a bunch of crazy things and having them turn out great. (With the exception of the spinach olive chili- I know you just gagged- I gave him props for trying, and I also never let him forget how great the chili was once I picked out the spinach and olives!) So this tasty recipe was all on him. And by all on him I mean- he invented it, and got it all over his white T-shirt.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 large onions (white or yellow)
1 1/2 tablespoons water
1/2 cup barbecue sauce
6 ounces smoked Gouda cheese
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 cup Italian parsley
4 flour tortillas

Directions:
Slice the onions. Chop the cilantro and parsley. Grate the cheese.  In a large nonstick skillet, heat the olive oil, and add sliced onions. Saute for about 5 minutes, until soft. Add barbecue sauce and water; stir until the onions are completely coated. Turn off heat.

Spread onion mixture, cheese, and greens on half of each tortilla, and then fold in over, this way you can toast 2 at once. Place the quesadillas back in the skillet.  Cook until toasted and the cheese is melted, about 3 minutes per side. Cut quesadillas in half, and serve. I added a bit of avocado to mine, and John added hot sauce and salsa. We both loved them!

QUINOA AVOCADO CHICKPEA SALAD

John and I decided to try out being vegetarians for a few weeks. Because we do our grocery shopping one day per week now, I decided to make a simple meal plan. That way we could make multiple dishes, with similar ingredients, so fresh fruits and veggies wouldn't go bad before we could get to the market again. (We live a block away, and tended to go everyday- which is great for having fresh food- but we wasted so much time!) This week we had dishes that included tomatoes, cilantro and basil. We created a 5 week plan, so I'll share a few recipes from each week, and at the end of the plan I'll share a printable file of the plan so you can try it out too! Last night's dish was this salad, it was filling and I loved how the lemon dressing brought out all of the flavors of the veggies.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup dry quinoa
2 cups water
1 can chickpeas, rinsed
1 cup cherry tomatoes cut in half
2 avocados diced
2 cups spinach
1 bunch cilantro
1/4 cup onion
2 small cloves garlic

For the dressing:
1/3 cup lemon juice
2 tsp. mustard
1 tsp. agave nectar or similar sweetner
2 tsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. cumin
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Make your quinoa first. Add quinoa to the water and turn on the heat to medium high.  Let the quinoa come to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and allow to simmer. Cook quinoa for about 15-20 minutes, until the water is absorbed.  Remove it from the heat, but keep the lid on.  Set it aside.

2. Finely chop your spinach and cilantro. Add the greens to a bowl, and set aside.

3.  Next take your onion and garlic and finely dice those, and add to the greens mixture. Next add your chickpeas and diced tomatoes.

4. Dice your avocados, and add them to the bowl. I like to cut the avocado in half, remove the pit and slice them while they are in the skin (it's a lot less messy). Then stir in quinoa, and mix all of the salad ingredients.

5. Make your dressing by whisking all the ingredients together. Pour over salad, and mix until combined. I like to put it in the refrigerator for about 10 min. I think it tastes better slightly chilled.

ROASTED BRUSSLES SPROUTS

I was craving brussels sprouts this weekend, which isn't a phenomenon I am accustomed to- So I picked some up at the market thinking I would try roasting them so the leaves crisp up like my kale chips. I was going blind here just hoping this was going to work- It must have been a long week because I didn't even think to Google "recipe for roasting brussels sprouts."  It took a little guessing on the time but I think I got it just right at 20 min. with a turn of the sprouts halfway through.  They taste so good this way, if you aren't a sprout fan you should really give them a second try. I'm hooked.

Ingredients
1 1/4 lbs brussels sprouts
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Trim and halve sprouts. In a bowl toss sprouts, 2 teaspoons oil, and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and freshly ground black pepper to evenly coat. Place on an aluminum foil or parchment lined jelly-roll pan, roast 10 minutes, then turn them, and roast for 10 more min.

TORTELLINI SOUP

I'm a huge advocate of eating soup in the winter, its easy, its affordable, and best of all it warms you up! We have been loving this simple tortellini soup recipe, because you can toss any savory veggies you have on hand right in and it always tastes great. I have made it on the stove or in the crock pot, its so easy and will impress any dinner guests. I have to give photo credit to Savoring the Thyme because we ate all of our soup before I could take a photo, hey sometimes you just forget you are documenting your whole life on the internet... it happens.

Tortellini Soup

Ingredients:
2 celery stalks, chopped
3/4 cup sweet onion, chopped
2 large cloves garlic, chopped
3 spring fresh thyme
1 (15 oz.) can organic diced tomatoes and juice
4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
10 oz. fresh tortellini
a handful of fresh parsley or spinach
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:
In a large pot saute celery for about 3 minutes, stirring often, Add the onion and cook for 3 minutes before adding the garlic and cook for another minute. (You could also add corn, or carrots to the soup if you have them on hand)

Add the thyme, tomatoes and broth and bring all to a boil. Add the tortellini to the pot and cook according to the manufacturer package directions. Remove the soup from the heat, mix in your parsley or spinach (I usually use parsley because I have an aversion to cooked spinach) Finally, season with salt and pepper if necessary. Makes 4 large servings. 

HOW TO EAT WITH THE SEASONS

I have been busy out in the garden harvesting all sorts of goodies, so today I wanted to share a list for eating and selecting foods with the seasons. Planning out your garden all year round, and selecting foods from the market that are in season will help you save money, and ensure that you are choosing foods that were grown closer to your home. It takes so much more money and energy to grow, harvest, and transport, a tomato to South Dakota in the middle of February than in late August. I know the winter food list isn't as appetizing as the summer list, but hey that's what canning is for right?

Update: for a great list on foods most contaminated by pesticides, see this post. 

HOMEMADE PESTO

This weekend we harvested our first vegetables from that garden! We have been picking lettuce for a while, but this week our peas and tomatoes were finally ripe enough to pick. The whole garden has gotten quite out of control, so we had to cut back a few things, including our basil plants. We couldn't eat the basil fast enough, and it's like Medusa, you cut one stem and 2 grow back in its place. So, I decided we would make pesto.Which would go amazingly with this recipe. Check out our out of control veggies below.

The tomato plants are taller than I am. Isn't it Miley Cyrus who sings "I can't be caged?" I'm pretty sure that's how the squash feels.

Yields 2.5 cups of fresh pesto

Ingredients

1/2 pound of basil leaves, washed and dried thoroughly
4 oz freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup pine nuts
3/4 cups walnut halves
1-1/4 cups extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1 tablespoon chopped garlic (you can add more if you like garlic but I'm not a huge fan)


Heat walnuts and pinenuts in a dry, heavy skillet over medium heat for 5 to 10 minutes or until they’re golden brown and give off a rich, toasty fragrance. Stir or toss frequently for even toasting. Remove from pan to cool.
Chop the garlic cloves finely, sprinkle a teaspoon of salt on top and mash to a fine paste with a fork.
Place garlic and half of the basil leaves in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process for 15 seconds.
Add the rest of the basil leaves and with the processor running, slowly pour the olive oil through the feed tube and process until the pesto is thoroughly pureed.
Add the Parmesan cheese and toasted nuts and puree for one more minute.
You can use it the right away. If you’re going to store pesto for a short period of time, place in a jar with a thin film of olive oil on top. You can also divide it into 1-cup portions and store in the freezer for a few months. Make sure to defrost in the refrigerator overnight.

*If you don't have a food processor you can use a good quality blender, just make sure to finely chop everything before hand.  If you want this to be vegan friendly just omit the cheese and use a little less oil.

KALE CHIPS

This weekend we tested out a recipe that I was a little bit leery about. It was homemade kale chips, and it seems like everyone is making them these days. I have a serious aversion to kale, I am not a fan. I only eat it when I put it in vegetable juice and it is hidden behind notes of carrot and apple. But, I was pleasently surprised. In fact, we devoured these within minutes of making the first batch. And it only cost is $2.00. you can't beat that with a stick, well you probably could, but I wouldn't recommend it. You have to taste these for yourself.

Kale Chips
Serves 3-4

1 bunch kale
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp ground salt or seasoning salt to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Rinse and dry kale leaves. Remove kale leaves from stems. Place the leaves in a mixing bowl and drizzle with olive oil. Massage the kale until the olive oil is evenly coated onto the kale. Place kale directly onto a baking sheet and sprinkle with sea salt or seasoning. Don't cut the Kale or trim it down, the leaves will shrink dramatically in size so they can overlap on the baking sheet. Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes or until crisp, moving the chips around and flipping them half way to ensure that they are evenly baked.

With an oven it is trial and error, you just have to keep checking them to see when they are done. If you have a food dehydrator you could use this recipe and dehydrate at 115° for 8-12 hours.

QUINOA LETTUCE WRAPS

This recipe is from Keep Your Diet Real  they have so many fun fresh recipe ideas you really need to check them out! 

Ingredients

½ cup chopped raw onion
1 red or yellow pepper (washed, seeded, and diced)
½ can black beans (rinsed and drained)
1 cup quinoa (dry and cooked according to package)
1 cup salsa
1 avocado, diced
Black pepper (to taste)
Salt (to taste)
Bibb lettuce or Butter lettuce

Directions

1. Cook quinoa according to directions on package.
2. Prepare onion and red pepper.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients above (except for lettuce leafs).
4. Once the mixture is combined, spread ¼ cup of the mixture onto each lettuce leaf and wrap/fold over like a taco shell.
5. Enjoy as a snack or a quick lunch!

This recipe serves 2 as a main course. The bulk of the calories and carbs come from the quinoa, but it is also packed with fiber and protein - you can't go wrong there. These calculations were done assuming you would use store bought salsa and not homemade or fresh. If you want to cut the fat exclude the avocado- although that's the best kind of fat you can get!

WHAT'S ON YOUR PLATE?

A few weeks ago I got a great cook book on cooking organically with the seasons. It had a great section about pesticides and which fruits/veggies to avoid if you can't buy organic. It was enough to convert me to organic cucumber and apples. This info-graphic on pesticides has convinced me to "go all the way." I just don't think the trade off of saving a few dollars is worth causing you body harm.The chart below will also help you pick which fruits and veggies are best during which months.

 

MEAN GREEN SMOOTHIE

Ingredients:
1 Banana
Handfull of spinach
1 cup orange juice
6-8 ice cubes
This recipe serves two.

After my morning workout I like to make fresh vegetable juice or a smoothie. This is my favorite smoothie to make. It's packed with Vitamin C and it tastes so fresh. All you have to do is put everything in the blender until its smooth. You can use store bought or fresh orange juice, and every now and then I toss is some blueberries or strawberries if I have them. What is your favorite post workout snack?

QUINOA PRIMAVERA

Let me preface this recipe by saying it is delicious. It is delicious because it has cream cheese. Over the past few months I have all but given up on cheese, and most dairy. I still make my own yogurt, but that's about it. I know what you are thinking- no dairy = self inflicted torture. And it would be except for I have lost close to 20lbs through cutting out breads and dairy along with a gym routine that kills me everyday. But because I had been doing so well I splurged and went for the dairy gold- well worth it. But I like to know whats in each recipe so I am going to start posting all of the nutrition info to all recipes from now on, because I think it is important.

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups uncooked quinoa
3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
4 ounces lite cream cheese
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil or 1 teaspoon dried
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
5 cups thinly sliced or bite sized pieces assorted uncooked vegetables
3 tablespoons grated Romano or Parmesan cheese

Directions
Rinse quinoa thoroughly; drain. Bring quinoa and broth to boil in a 2-quart saucepan; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 20-25 minutes or until broth is absorbed. While quinoa is cooking, melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook garlic in butter for about one minute, stirring frequently, until golden. Stir in vegetables. Cook about 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently, until vegetables are crisp-tender. Stir cream cheese and basil into cooked quinoa. Toss vegetables with quinoa mixture and sprinkle with cheese. Makes 5 servings.