Tomato Sauce

This is a recipe from Biba's Taste of Italy, by Biba Caggiano. It is a delicious, light, and healthy sauce, and has a myriad of uses, from pasta to pizza. I have even used in soups. This is a tradional Italian staple, originally from the Tuscan region, and I find it nice to keep it on hand. If canning isn't your thing, it freezes very well.

Homemade Tomato Sauce
Conserva di Pomodoro

Ingredients
12 lbs. very ripe organic tomatoes, preferably plum tomatoes, cut into large chunks.
2 large organic onions, cut into pieces, coarsely chopped
3 organic carrots, cut into small rounds
3 organic celery stalks, cut into small pieces
1 cup loosely packed organic, flat-leaf italian parsely leaves
1 1/2 tsp. organic sea salt, or more to taste
small bunch of basil, stemmed (20-30 leaves)
1/4 cup organic, extra virgin olive oil

Directions
1. Combine the tomatoes, onions, carrots, celery, parsley, and salt in a large stockpot, over medium heat, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes begin falling apart and the other vegetables are soft, 45 minutes to 1 hour.

2. Puree the tomato mixture in batches in a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Place a food mill with the disk with the smallest holes over a large bowl and pass the tomato puree through it to remove the seeds and skins. Return the sauce to the pot and season with salt. Cook it at a gentle boil until it has a medium-thick consistency. Stir in the basil and turn off the heat.

Migas

I really wanted to wait to share this recipe until I had a picture of my own migas to add, but alas, there is no telling when this will happen. So, I have decided to go ahead and post the recipe, promising myself to add a photo later.

Despite the obvious Mexican influence, migas originated in Texas, birthplace of many wonderful Tex-Mex hybrids. Initially conceived as a meatless meal during lent, it has been adapted as both vegetarian and non vegetarian over the years.

If you have never had migas, you will love this dish. It is a wonderful, healthy, and satisfying Sunday brunch, or can even be used as an ecletic dinner. My recipe is meatless, but you can add pork sausage, beef, or chicken, if you choose. I will often add the meat or poultry on the side if I am cooking for non vegetarians. Chorizo is also a popular addition to migas for meat eaters.

Migas

Ingredients:

8 eggs (from organic, free range chickens!)
1 organic onion, chopped
1 large, organic jalepeno pepper, chopped and seeded
1 large organic tomato, chopped and seeded
6 organic corn tortillas, cut into strips
1 cup freshly grated, organic monterrey jack cheese
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup olive oil
1 TSBP red pepper flakes
1 tsp organic freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp organic sea salt
1/2 cup fresh, organic cilantro, chopped
1 cup salsa
1 chopped avocado


Directions:

1. In a large bowl, whisk eggs, water, salt, and pepper. Set aside.

2. In a small skillet, heat a few tablespoons of olive oil and add tortilla strips. Add a bit of sea salt and cook until they are slightly crisp. Set aside.

3. In a large skillet, heat olive oil and saute onions until golden. Add peppers and tomatoes. Heat throughm making sure not to overcook the peppers and tomatoes. You want them "just barely" cooked.

3. Add the egg mixture to the skillet; cook for a few minutes and then add 3/4 cup of the cheese, red pepper flakes, and 1/2 of the cilantro.

4. Continue to cook the egg mixture, stirring constantly. When the eggs begin to become firm, add the tortilla strips.

5. Continue cooking and stirring the eggs until until cooked throroughly. Top migas with remaining cheese and cilantro.

6. Top each individual serving with the avocado and salsa, and serve with flour tortillas.

Migas are delicious served along with sides of black or refried beans, quacamole, fresh fruits, hash browns (I will soon add a great recipe for Southwest Hash Browns that is amazing), or spanish rice.

cooking for vegetarians and non vegetarians

What a great and busy weekend we had to cap off the end of summer! A friend, who has been touring the country on his motorcycle, came to stay with us for 2 nights, which added to the sense of celebration and fun. The weekend also included parties, a work day at the community garden, yoga, shopping, dining out, a couple of large, fun meals at home, touring downtown, and a movie! Needless, to say, by Sunday night, we were tired, but a good tired.

People often seem perplexed at how one can be a vegetarian and cook for non vegetarians, and vise verse. A question I frequently hear when we are socializing is, "But what will you eat?" I understand that the idea of cooking meals for both vegetarians and non-veggies seems daunting, but having done just that for the last 20 years, I can guarantee that it is much easier than in sounds.

The best way to approach it is to base a meal around a central, non animal food, such as rice, beans, pasta, a bread type food, and the like. For example, last night my family came over to welcome back my son who is home from college for a few weeks. I wanted to do something simple, healthy, and delicious that everyone would enjoy, but would not require much effort on my part. I consulted with one of my "partners in crime" (my mother), and we decided to do pizzas.

I made the dough in advance (see Pizza Dough recipe), allowing it ample time to rise, fall, and rise again. In this case, the pizza dough would serve as the central base, or core, of the meal. By evening time, all that needed to be done was to roll out the dough, add toppings, and bake. We made two cheese pizzas and one with sundried tomatoes (see sundried tomato recipe), artichoke hearts, kalamata olives, and balsamic vinaigrette drizzled over the top. Had we wanted to, we could have easily added chicken, beef, or pork to one of the pizzas, accommodating the meat eaters among us.

Another example from this weekend was Sunday Brunch. In this case, the core of the meal was an egg dish called migas (obviously, this would not work for vegans). Along with the migas, off to the side I served tortillas, veggie sausage, pork sausage, organic hash browns, sliced organic fruit, salsa, sliced avocados, and pico de gallo (see recipe). The migas as the base allowed everyone to tailor their meal to suite their own tastes.

Sometimes I will take a pasta dish and use grilled sliced chicken or other animal food, to top the pasta for the non vegetarians. This is so easy, and no one thinks twice about it. The trick is to change thinking from building the meal around the meat, poultry, or seafood, to building the meal around a non meat dish. It is simple when you think of it in those terms.

pico de gallo

Being Southerners, we love Mexican food. A wonderfully fresh and healthy staple of Mexican cooking is Pico de Gallo, an uncooked tomato sauce. It is traditionally used for dipping tortillas and tortilla chips, as a topping for enchiladas, chalupas, tacos, burritos, and other Mexican dishes, as well as a filler for wraps, tacos, burritos and the like. It can also be used as a delicious garnish to compliment most Mexican dishes. We like to keep fresh Pico de Gallo on hand as it is such a wonderful addition to so many meals, and also makes a great, healthy snack.

Pico De gallo:

Ingredients:

1 lb. large, ripe, organic tomatoes, chopped
2 fresh, large, organic jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely chopped
1 large organic onion, finely chopped
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup fresh, organic cilantro, chopped

Combine 1st 3 ingredients in a bowl; add cilantro and salt and pepper to taste. Makes about 2 cups. Refrigerate.

pizza dough

Ingredients:

2 tsp dry active yeast
2 3/4 cup lukewarm, filtered water
2 TBSP organic, raw sugar
1/2 tsp organic sea salt
2 TBSP organic olive oil
8 cups organic, all purpose, unbleached white flour

Instructions:

preheat oven to 450

1. Disolve yeast, sugar, and salt in the lukewarm water and set aside.
2. Mix remaining ingredients in a large bowl and pour into yeast mixture.
3. Mix and knead for about 15 minutes, until smooth.
4. Place dough into an oiled bowl, cover with a clean cloth, and place in a warm place (or a shut off warmed oven), until dough has doubled in size. About 1 hour.
5. Remove, punch down, and return to bowl, allowing dough to re-double.
6. Remove from bowl and separate into 3 equal pieces. Roll out each piece of dough, one at a time, and place on an oiled baking sheet, pizza pan, or stone. Stretch dough until pan is covered, making a small edge.
7. Spread pizza topping over dough and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until bottom is nice and brown.

*The extra dough can be refridgerated and saves very nicely. We like to experiment with different pizza toppings. A favorite right now is brushing a light coat of olive oil on top of the dough, drizzeling with balsamic vinegrette, adding a very light dusting of freshly grated, organic parmesan cheese, and topping with sundried tomatoes, kalamata olives, artichoke hearts, carmelized onions, and basil. We vary this with using a homemade pesto as a sauce.
My son's love the traditional cheese pizza, which we make healthier by using homemade tomato sauce and topping with organic, freshly grated parmesan and mozzerella. You would not believe the difference the quality of cheese makes, so if you DO eat dairy, take the time to use the good stuff.*

sun dried tomatoes

I make my own sundried tomatoes at home in the oven (yes, a bit of an oxymoron, I know). They are so easy, far less expensive, taste great, are less processed, and I am assured they are organic. It is also a great way to use up all those tomatoes you have grown all summer, if you garden as I do. My family LOVES sundried tomatoes, and we use them in many dishes; from pasta sauces to pizza toppings. I will even put them on top of homemade bread coated with homemade pesto for a lovely breakfast or snack (this is soooo good it is ridiculous!). If you have never made your own sundried tomatoes, here is how I do mine....

Sundried Tomatoes:

Ingredients:

Organic tomatoes- I prefer Roma, but any type will do. About 10-20, depending on how many you want.

Organic balsamic vinaigrette

Organic olive oil

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 250
2. Cut tomatoes into halves, lengthwise.
3. Place on oiled baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinaigrette, and bake.
4. Bake for 3- 4 hours.

easy homemade bread

Ingredients:

1 cup warm, filtered water
1 TBSP organic milk (rice milk works as a substitute)
2 TBSP organic olive oil
2 TBSP organic honey (try to get local honey, of possible-helps with allergies)
2 TBSP organic brown sugar
1 tsp organic sea salt
3 cups organnic wheat flour
2 tsp organic instant dry yeast

Instructions:

1. Combine 1st 6 ingredients in large mixing bowl. Stir.
2. Add flour and yeast and knead until smooth, about 15 minutes.
3. Place dough in greased bowl, turning once to coat top. Cover with clean towel, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
4. Punch down dough, knead a few more times until smooth, return to bowl. Let rise, covered in a warm place until doubled again. About 30 minutes.
5. Shape into a loaf and place in an oiled bread pan. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes.
6. Remove from pan, let bread cool on a rack.

Bread can be stored in airtight bag or frozen. This recipe also make a nice white bread, in which case we simply substitute the wheat flour for an unbleached, organic white flour like Bob's Red Mill.

update on scary legislation and rant

Well, an update on some of the scary legislation out there. It is a sad time for organic farmers, home gardeners, and all those who place a priority on health and freedom. Many of you out there may already know that HS 875's more evil brother, HS 2749, was pushed through the house. It actually did NOT pass the first time, so rules were changed to allow for a 51 member vote, rather than a 60 member vote, and it passed. Next, it will go to the Senate, and if it passes there, our rights to garden our own food, eat organically grown food, organically raised animal products, and non gmo foods will be gone. I have written to my states representatives, and I strongly urge all of you out there to do the same. I would also recommend that you learn to grow your food and begin to stock up on heirloom seeds, while still available.

Yes, I realize this sounds Orwellian and extreme. Sadly, it is the reality of the age we live in. Check it out if you don't believe me. It is all about profit, and personally I am not going to allow my personal health and freedoms to be violated in the name of profit without a fight.

I have said it before, but it bears repeating. It IS NOT HEALTHY to eat food that has been grown or raised with chemical fertalizers, pesticides, or has been genetically modified of raised on genetically modified food. It is not healthy to eat animal products that have been fed diets that they are not biologically supposed to eat. It is not healthy to ingest toxins into our bodies, EVER. It is NO COINCIDENCE that the rates of DIABETES, CANCER, HEART DISEASE, and OBESITY have NEVER been HIGHER. This is no accident. It is profitable to have a sick, unhealthy population. It won't do the makers of roundup (Monsanto) any good to have more and more people eating organic produce. It will not do the makers of insulin any good if people knew that they could possibly cure their diabetes. It would not do the meat industry any good if people figured out that meat (especially conventionally raised meat) is a huge health threat and quit consuming it. No, it would drive these folks out of business! A very good, informative documentary on all of this recently came out, called "Food, INC.". I would highly recommend it to every person in this country, as it sheds light on exactly where our food comes from.

Folks, the MOST IMPORTANT thing that you possess is your health. If you have health problems, or weight problems, it is NOT TOO LATE!! As long as you are breathing, you have the opportunity to turn things around. But explore and seek out ALL options and opinions. Consult with a Naturopath, a Homeopath, a Chiropractor, an Herbalist...not just an M.D. Learn about alternative cures. Once you find the right one, they work, I promise you, and without the side effects pharmacueticals cause. The information is out there, all over the place, go get it!! Become informed and mostly, TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR OWN HEALTH!! Because the government and the major corporations that are running the show do not want what is best for you, they are concerned only with the bottom line.

Basic Hummus Recipe

Basic Hummus:

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
1 16 oz can of organic chickpeas or garbanzo beans
1/4 cup liquid from can of chickpeas
3-5 tablespoons organic lemon juice (depending on taste)
1 1/2 tablespoons organic tahini
4 cloves organic garlic, crushed
organic sea salt, to taste
2-3 tablespoons olive oil

Preparation:
Drain chickpeas and set aside liquid from can. Combine remaining ingredients in blender or food processor. Add 1/4 cup of liquid from chickpeas. Blend for 3-5 minutes on low until thoroughly mixed and smooth.

Place in serving bowl, and create a shallow well in the center of the hummus.

Add a small amount (1-2 tablespoons) of olive oil in the well. Garnish with parsley (optional

*This is a basic recipe. Feel free to experiment with various additions, such as roasted red pepper, crushed red pepper, sundried tomatoes, kalamata olives. This recipe makes a good amount of hummus, although since we go through alot of it in our house, I usually double it:)

Community Gardening

This year, my dear friend organized, spearheaded, and made happen a community garden. Loving gardening as I do, I quickly jumped on board and leased a plot, and then another. The garden quickly filled up, and people rallied around it, as if it was something they had been waiting for. I know I had been!

For $35.00 per plot, per year, you have a 25 by 12 ft. plot, access to water, and a space in which to grow whatever you wish. In return, you must donate 10% of your yield to the area food pantry and agree to garden organically. It is a wonderful concept: it does something positive for an old empty lot, helps the environment, brings the community together, helps feed the hungry, provides healthy sustenance to your family, cuts down on a households food costs, and even provides exercise and fresh air to the gardeners. What's not to love?

Imagine how surprised I was when I found out that ours was the first and only community garden in our county. Ours is considered a wealthy county, however, there are more and more "white collar" poor, and the food pantry is getting more clients every day. All this while there are still many empty lots here and there...every neighborhood has at least one....and so I have to ask myself why aren't more of these little gardens? With so many benefits, it seems to me that if every neighborhood had one, so many problems could be solved, gaps filled, and we would all be healthier for it. Maybe I am naive and it isn't that simple. Or maybe the answer is indeed that simple; staring right at us. Often solutions are just like that.

Of course, community gardening isn't in line with the agricultural giants agenda, which could explain why they are not more actively promoted. Sadly, if agri-biz gets house bill 875 pushed through, community gardens- especially "organic" community gardens, will become a thing of the past. Under the guise of "eliminating food born illness", house bill 875 will make it illegal to grow food organically (i.e without the use of fertilizers and insecticides), this even includes the home gardener who grows food only for his/her own family's consumption with no plans to sell or distribute.

This is something we should all WAKE UP and pay close attention to. Whether or not you are into organic food, it is really all about CHOICE. Do you really want the government taking away that choice? This bill, by the way, is backed by the very entities who will profit from the elimination of organic foods. Monsanto, maker of Round Up and the worlds largest seed distributor, is a major backer. Do you want those who profit most from what you eat deciding what you eat? Do you want to lose the fundamental freedom to decide how to nourish you own body? And if you allow the government to take away your right to choose, what is going to be next? It is a slippery slope, my friend.

It's time to get informed. There is plenty of information out there on this bill. Find out all you can and then let your voice be heard.