Sunday, March 23, 2014

Oven Roasted Tomato Sauce


I have a new found love for tomato sauce.  This recipe is quick, easy and versatile.  You can use it for pasta sauce, pizza sauce, or as a base for a wonderful creamy soup.  Best of all you are controlling what you eat!  Say good-bye to high fructose corn syrup and hello flavor!   No more added sugar or other ingredients that you can't pronounce or know what they are.  Plus, this sauce packs a ton more flavor than the name brands we all have in our pantry for the sake of convenience!

You can tailor this sauce to include additional vegetables such as red or green bell pepper for a slightly different taste and additional nutrition.  The flavor will knock your socks off and the wonderful aroma you have wafting from your kitchen will have your family salivating!

I've always been a "from scratch" kinda cook. However, "from scratch" spaghetti sauce never included making the tomato portion of the sauce.  I have always seasoned up a can of tomato sauce and tomato paste to make my pasta sauce.  This oven roasted sauce is fresh and tasty.

I can only imagine how much better it will be when summer finally arrives and the tomatoes are fresh from my farmer's market along and the herbs fresh from my garden!  I suspect I'll be making big batches and freezing some for the long winter months!

Saturday, March 15, 2014

Low Carb Rhubarb Custard Crisp



I'm a skeptic.  Yep, it is just my nature.  This recipe was one that caught my eye and I adore Rhubarb and they had a lovely supply at the local Sprouts market that I couldn't resist buying.  I had pinned this recipe that I wanted to try and alter just a bit for carb reduction.  However, the fact that the fruit filling contained cream cheese had me a little unsure whether I would like it or not.  I like cream cheese and all, but I just wasn't convinced it was a good option for mixing into the filling.  Well, I conquered my skepticism and gave the recipe a try and while it is not like your traditional "crisp", it is very good. The recipe really is more like a light custard pie with a crisp-like topping.  This is another recipe that I adapted from http://mariamindbodyhealth.com/.  I find her recipes to be very dependable on results and taste.

I'm anxiously awaiting spring and seeing the rhubarb in my garden push it's way through it's winter blanket of compost.  I will be coming back to this recipe when I have my first spring rhubarb harvest!


Sunday, March 9, 2014

Low Carb Quiche Lorraine

This recipe is not mine, it is one that I tried from Maria Emmerich's blog, Maria's Mind Body Health.

I've been making an effort to reduce my carb intake and eat healthier.  To help me along that journey, I am constantly on the lookout for new recipes that are low carb.

Maria's site is a good source for low carb, healthy recipes.  You can find her original recipe here.

I made her recipe exactly as written and it turned out wonderful. Okay, I did make a small tweak.  I used a little more cheese, adding some to the top, before putting it in the oven.  

This quiche is excellent and has versatility.  It can be a savory breakfast or shine as a main event accompanied with with a nice green side salad for lunch or dinner.