Every Thursday I will show you how easy it is to replicate a processed food in your own kitchen…not only are most recipes easy to replicate but they make far more … are much more cost-effective …Who doesn’t like 3 for the price of one?
I am also really trying to get over the message that we should first and foremost be counting chemicals in our foods, not calories or cost…I was going say count the sugar, salt and fat but we all know how important they are to our health and well being and that we should be aware of government guidelines but it seems the chemicals in our foods ..don’t quite carry the same importance for many…
Many illnesses/diseases are proven to be a direct result of the food and drinks we consume…I would much prefer to change my diet than pop a pill or three… Highly processed foods consumed in excess are known to have consequences for our health and our families health…
I am noticing when doing research the word “likely” crops up very frequently as in “likely safe”…and most times more than once in the same sentence…I don’t like it! It makes me uneasy…
Tomato Sauce:
This sauce is ideal as a base for pasta sauces, a pizza, a panini, stuffed peppers, a cocktail sauce it can be used anywhere where you use tomato sauce I keep a pot in the fridge and freeze portions…
I first started making this when my kids were small the reason with 6 kids to feed and two adults imagine how many jars of pasta/tomato sauce I would need to buy and cart home every month… it made sense to make my own plus I worked full time so it meant that once a month I would have a big cooking weekend and make enough for the month which saved me time and money it also most importantly cut down quite substantially the amount of salt and sugar that my family was eating as processed sauces are known to be high in sugars and sodium…A win-win situation.
If it all got too much then half a cup of tomato sauce just don’t use one with meat in…mixed with 1.5-3 oz of vodka …well one BM is not enough …lol…Lime juice, horseradish and a shot of pickle juice… equal 2 Bloody Mary’s…Ahhhhhh
Need a quick vinaigrette then combine a spoonful of tomato sauce with a 1/4 cup of red wine vinegar, 1/2 cup good olive oil, fresh basil, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Whisk everything together and drizzle over your lunch or dinner.
Tomato Sauce:
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 3/4 cup chopped onion
- 4 cloves garlic finely minced
- 4 cups peeled and quartered tomatoes (5 to 6 tomatoes)
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 (8-ounce) can tomato paste/puree.
- 1 tsp dried oregano or 3 times the amount if using fresh oregano
- 1 tsp dried basil or twice the amount if fresh
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1-2 bay leaves
Let’s Cook!
Grease a baking sheet and place tomatoes skin side down then lightly coat the peppers and onions in olive oil and place on the baking tray also throw the unpeeled garlic into the tray…Pop it in your preheated oven for about 45 minutes. Allow to cool slightly before peeling the skin should come away quite easily.
When the tomatoes and peppers are roasted heat your pan and add a little olive oil add the onions and cook without growing when just softened add the garlic and cook for a few minutes then add roasted tomatoes and pepper with all the other ingredients, cover with a lid and turn down to a really low simmer and cook for about 45-60 minutes stirring occasionally.
Remove the bay leaves.
I like to roast my tomatoes and also add a red bell pepper but you can add the tomatoes raw and cook just the same if you don’t have fresh tomatoes then I have used the same ingredients and used tinned tomatoes and cooked them down to make a nice thick sauce. It is quite easy to double this recipe if you want to make and freeze some…if you feel it is a little chunky if you are making a cocktail sauce for example just give your portion a little whizz in a small blender…Play with it and adjust to your taste as that is what food is all about taste…your taste…x
While doing my research I came across an article on what foods you should always buy rather than make at home…among those foods was bread, peanut butter, beer? a strange thing to have on an article on what not to make at home…even I don’t make wine or beer…I was however quite pleased with the comments especially regarding bread and peanut butter… most people disagreed with the writer who didn’t respond at all I will add… it didn’t take into account chemicals, preservatives, sugars, salt, fats, the volume of what you can make versus the gms in a jar or packet it was more promotion of all the gadgets you would need to buy…and costings and comparisons were based on the cheapest foods which are known to be the least healthy.
I am not a gadget person and I do know what it is like to work, bring up children and all the other chores which go with running a household but this is where planning and batch cooking comes in…I just feel we need to encourage people to cook from scratch and not put up barriers…I don’t use a bread maker my mother did in later years, either way, is ok but not essential to have a bread maker… a tin or self-shaping works fine…
BUT it did make me wonder what are the barriers as to why more people don’t cook from scratch…Your thoughts? It would be interesting …I need a stats person…
Thank you for reading this post I hope you enjoy this new series…if you cook from scratch and have some tips to share please leave a comment I would love to hear from you…Love Carol x