Roasted Tomato Sauce

I live in New Jersey, aka The Garden State, and we have some of the most delicious summer produce.  Despite all the jokes about my home state, we have the best tomatoes in the country.  So I frequent our local farmers' markets here, where the produce is so fresh and the price is right!  I got two beautiful pints of red grape tomatoes for $3, and combined them with a pint of yellow tomatoes I did purchase at the grocery store to make this delicious sauce.  Roasting the tomatoes gives a complexity you would not otherwise get.  This sauce freezes very well.

2 pints red grape tomatoes, washed and pat dry
1 pint yellow grape tomatoes, washed and pat dry
1/4 EVOO
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp basil pesto (I had fresh made, but you can use store bought)
1/2 tsp sugar
few shakes red pepper flakes (optional)
2 cloves fresh garlic, crushed (or 2 tsp garlic paste)
6 large fresh basil leaves (or about 8 if they are smaller)
1/4 cup fat free half and half
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Toss tomatoes, EVOO, pesto, salt and pepper, sugar, red pepper flakes and garlic.  Place in non stick foil lined 9x13 baking dish.  Roast in oven about 20 minutes or until tomatoes start to "burst," releasing juices.  Pour all contents of dish into medium sized pot, add fresh basil leaves and puree with immersion blender.  Adjust seasonings to taste, add fat free half and half and parm and cook over low until hot.  Serve over pasta.
**I highly recommend the purchase of an immersion blender if you do not have one, at $30 they are one of the most useful cooking instruments and not very costly.  If not, you can puree this sauce in blender or food processor, just stop processor and open lid a few times to let steam escape.

Mashed Cauliflower

I get so many requests for this recipe every time I post a picture, and it truly is very easy and very delicious.  I actually like it more than mashed potatoes (don't tell my Irish grandmother!).  Disclaimer: You do have to actually like cauliflower to like this recipe....it has the consistency of mashed potatoes, but I think the taste of cauliflower.

Mashed Cauliflower

20 oz bag frozen cauliflower florets
1 Tbsp butter (please don't use margarine, which is a chemical shitstorm)
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 Tbsp sour cream (can use low fat)
2 tsp. cream cheese (can use low fat)
salt and pepper to taste

Bring salted pot of water to boil and add cauliflower.  Boil for approximately 22-25 minutes (until pretty mushy...save the lectures about overcooking the veggies..it is necessary for this recipe).  Basically once a fork goes effortlessly into the cauliflower, it is done.  Drain and pat with paper towels to absorb most of the moisture.  Heat butter over medium and saute garlic for 1-2 minutes.  Add drained cauliflower and turn heat off.  add Sour cream, cream cheese and salt and pepper.  Use immersion blender to blend cauliflower into the consistency of mashed potatoes...you can alternately use a food processor, but you have to be careful about the heat and opening the food processor a few times to let steam out so it doesn't explode on you.  Trust me....invest in an immersion blender, they are $30, and they make life easy. Blend until proper consistency and voila!

Spaghetti Squash with tomatoes and basil

this is a great recipe that can be adapted to suit your tastes...if you are vegan, leave out the cheese, you can sub the goat cheese with fresh mozzerella, cubed, feta, or parmesan if you like. I just love me some goat cheese. The original recipe is here...I changed it : http://allrecipes.com/recipe/spaghetti-squash-i/detail.aspx?event8=1&prop24=SR_Title&e11=spaghetti%20squash&e8=Quick%20Search&event10=1&e7=Home%20Page Spaghetti Squash with tomatoes and basil 1 spaghetti squash, halved lengthwise and seeded 1 T extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) 1 clove garlic, crushed 1 1/2 C grape tomatoes, cut in half 2 Tbs white wine 1/4 C crumbled goat cheese (or parmesan, or feta) 1 T chopped fresh basil\ salt to taste Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the squash cut side down in a large pan (9X13) with about a half inch of water in the oven for about 45 min or until a knife goes right thru it. Let it cool til you can handle it and then use a fork to "string it" , scrape down the insides so it comes out in strings that look like angel hair pasta. Heat oil over med heat and saute garlic 1-2 min, add tomatoes and then wine...cook til tomatoes are heated and wine cooks down a bit. Toss in squash, basil,and goat cheese. Serve warm. Salt to taste.

Creamed Spinach

I love real creamed spinach from a steakhouse, but it's not exactly a health food. This recipe is a little better, because I make a roux with fat free milk and use a tiny bit of heavy cream....hope you like it!

Creamed Spinach

10 oz package frozen spinach, thawed and all moisture squeezed out
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 small clove garlic, minced
1 and 1/2 Tbsp of flour
3/4 C fat free milk
1 oz (2 Tbsp) heavy cream
pinch of ground nutmeg
1/4 C Parmesan Cheese
salt to taste

Melt butter over medium heat in saucepan, add garlic and saute 1 minute. Add flour and whisk. Cook about 2 minutes until golden. Add milk and heavy cream, and whisk constantly so no lumps form. Cook on medium high until thickened and coats the back of a spoon. Add nutmeg, parmesan and salt. Stir until cheese is melted. Add drained thawed spinach and stir. Cook until heated through.

Whole Wheat Zucchini Bread

I was looking for a healthy Zucchini Bread...looked at a bunch of recipes and this is what I came up with. I am proud of myself, because I am not good at making up recipes for baked goods. This came out great. Was not too sweet, if you would like it sweeter, add 1/2 cup more brown sugar. I thought it came out great. Healthy, moist and tasty!

Whole Wheat Zucchini Bread

3 large eggs, beaten
1/2 C vegetable (or canola) oil
4 oz (1/2 C) cinnamon apple sauce
1 and 1/2 C light brown sugar
3 C grated zucchini
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 C Whole Wheat Flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 C chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
Mix eggs, oil, applesauce, brown sugar, zucchini and vanilla extract in large bowl. In separate bowl mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Slowly add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix well. Fold in walnuts.

Pour into loaf pan until filled halfway. This will leave you with a little more batter. I made 5 muffins out of it. Place loaf and muffins in oven. Take muffins out after about 20-25 min (until a toothpick inserted comes out clean). Cook the bread for an additional 70-75 minutes. Until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow to cool in pan and then remove.

Farmer's Market Thursdays

these were beautiful heirloom tomatoes I got from the Farmer's Market


Here is what I did with the beautiful zucchini and yellow squash I bought:


I do not have a recipe for it...but basically I sliced 1 zucchini and 1 yellow squash into half moons and roasted with olive oil, sea salt and garlic paste in a 475 oven for 20 minutes or so...then adding about 1/2 a cup of heavy cream and roasting for another 10 min until the cream thickens and gets bubbly...broil if you want for a few minutes...then add fresh chiffonade of basil.

Fresh Summer Salsa

I love fresh salsa, but I always thought it was so much work, it's not and it is soooo worth any little bit of effort it takes: *(warning....spicy, if you dont like it spicy, decrease Jalepeno to a half or remove the seeds)

Karen's Fresh Summer Salsa

4 med vine ripened tomatoes,
1 large or 1 and 1/2 small jalepenos, roughly chopped
2 shallots, cut up
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 T Lime Juice (juice of 2 limes)
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 c fresh cilantro
1 tsp Balsamic Glaze (Blaze makes a good one and now Wegman's has one too)
salt to taste

Peel and seed tomatoes (bring salted water to a boil and make an x in the top of the tomato...just barely piercing the skin...drop the tomatoes into the water and boil for about 30 sec until skin starts coming off...immediately drain and put into a bowl of ice cubes and water to cool for a few seconds....peel off skin, it should come off like a jacket...cut in half and squeeze seeds out with fingers, discard seeds).

In food processor, add garlic, cilantro, shallots, and jalepeno, pulse until chopped into fine pieces. Scrape down bowl and add remaining ingredients except salt and process until desired consistency. Season with salt to taste