Tag: tomatoes

Main Dishes, Recipes, Sauces

Roasted Tomato Sauce

Sarah

So, let’s talk about red pasta sauce. Ahh, that oft-neglected component of many Italian dishes [at least in my world]. Funny, red pasta sauce is a staple in my kitchen yet I don’t really think about it. I’m too busy thinking about the layers of cheesy, meaty goodness in lasagna or the fact that spaghetti is a speedy, brainless, and relatively healthy dinner to truly consider what the sauce is made out of and how it tastes. Most of the time, I purchase a decent store-bought jarred pasta sauce and that’s the end of the story.

Things are a-changing now. I’ve moved passed the typical “end of the story” and on into uncharted waters. A sequel, if you will.

This journey takes us into the land where pasta sauce is just veggies and herbs, with a tiny bit of seasonings and oil, but mainly just the good stuff from the ground [and the bush and the tree, I suppose]. But you get my gist, right? It’s all about the flavor and freshness of ripe August tomatoes, nutty yellow summer squash, sweet onions, crisp Carmen peppers, and mellow cloves of garlic.

Not only do the flavor and freshness of these veggies make this sauce stand out, but the cooking method does as well. Slow roasting the vegetables provides extra depth, richness, and sweetness that cooking down on the stove top cannot achieve. Plus, this relatively hands-off cooking method is a breeze! Feel free to add a pinch of sugar or extra seasonings to taste, but we found anything else to be unnecessary.

We love topping hot noodles with Roasted Tomato Sauce, but it’s equally great eaten cold with a spoon in front of an open refrigerator door… or, you know, as a bread dip. Delicious either way. I don’t think I’ll ever leave this wonderful land of veggielicious pasta sauce. Stay with me? And eat cold pasta sauce? You know you want to…

What do you eat cold in front of the refrigerator? Fess up below! 🙂

Roasted Tomato Sauce
printable version

Ingredients:

  • 5 cups roughly chopped tomatoes [I used Roma]
  • 1 small yellow summer squash, chopped
  • 1 medium sweet onion, chopped
  • 1 Carmen pepper, halved [or substitute half of a bell pepper]
  • 4 cloves garlic, papery skin removed, and cloves smashed
  • olive oil
  • black pepper
  • salt
  • dried rosemary
  • fresh basil [about 4-5 leaves]
  • fresh oregano [about 2-3 sprigs]

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Using two baking sheets [preferably jelly roll-style pans with sides at least 1 inch deep], lay out all vegetables [tomatoes, squash, onion, pepper, and garlic] skin side down in one layer. Drizzle with olive oil, then sprinkle with pepper, salt, and rosemary. Bake for about 60 minutes or until vegetables start to blacken around the edges.

Remove to a deep bowl and add basil and oregano. Use an immersion blender to puree mixture until you reach your desired level of smoothness. Alternatively, a blender or food processor would work too but be careful with using hot food in those appliances. Serve on top of your favorite pasta.

Yield: 4 cups

Time: 70 minutes [10 minutes active]

Couscous, Recipes, Sides

Lemony Roasted Vegetable Couscous

Sarah

Okay, continuing on the CSA post trend… Sorry. [Not really. They’re  yummy, and half the veggies we have in the fridge at any one time.] So far, my favorite item that I’ve received in my CSA basket has been freshly picked sugar snap peas. Ohmygoodness, they are so great, so sweet, so crunchy. I’ve been eating them by the handful straight out of the fridge. Yum.

Since my husband isn’t much of a fan of very many raw veggies, I decided it would be nice to share some sugar snap peas with him. 🙂 Hence, this dish–Lemony Roasted Vegetable Couscous. I’m so nice, right?

This lovely little salad combines roasted tomatoes, peppers, and sugar snap peas, sweet raw corn, black beans, and tender, fluffy Israeli couscous. A simple lemon-basil marinade tops it all off and brings the flavors altogether in one refreshing bite. Though the veggies and grain can be swapped around, be sure keep the lemon-basil theme going on, because that is what makes the dish! This dish can be made ahead, but for best presentation, wait to stir in the black beans until serving because after a day or so they started to spread the love of their color all around. 🙂

This chilled couscous is fabulous for a lunch or as a side dish for a summertime BBQ. Just be sure you make enough to share!

Lemony Roasted Vegetable Couscous
printable version

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes
  • 2 cups red, orange, and yellow sweet peppers, cut into thin, long slices [I used mini peppers but bell peppers would work too.]
  • 1 cup sugar snap peas, stems removed
  • 2/3 cup fresh, raw corn kernels, cut from one ear of corn
  • olive oil
  • freshly ground lemon pepper
  • 1 cup Israeli couscous
  • 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
  • 1 cup [canned] black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1/2 cup red onion
  • zest of one lemon
  • juice of half a lemon
  • handful fresh basil, sliced thin

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. On a large baking sheet, spread the tomatoes, peppers, and peas out in a single layer and drizzle with olive oil [maybe a tablespoon or so], then season with freshly ground lemon pepper. Toss to coat. Roast for 10 minutes or until tomatoes burst and peppers begin to blacken. Remove from oven and let cool.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepot, heat about a tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Pour in couscous and saute for 2-3 minutes until grains are lightly toasted. Then, pour in chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10-12 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.

Next, heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a small skillet set to medium. Add black beans and onions and cook for about 4-5 minutes, or until onions are crisp-tender and beans are heated.

Finally, in a large bowl, stir together roasted vegetables, raw corn, couscous, and black beans. Mix in lemon zest and juice, then top with basil. Serve chilled.

Main Dishes, Recipes, Turkey

Creamy Taco Mac

Sarah

Have you heard the news? After all these years of being with my husband, the Hamburger Helper fanatic, I have found a variety of Hamburger Helper that I tolerate like enjoy alright, I give up, love. I have recently fallen in *love* with the one and only Creamy Taco Mac. Me, the girl who despises packaged foods and powdered cheese and all it stand for!

Creamy Taco Mac - a fast, easy, homemade version of Hamburger Helper made with ground turkey & simple pantry ingredients | thepajamachef.comAlright, enough, you say. Why are you posting about a packaged food product on a food blog? Well… there’s a catch. [There’s always a catch, isn’t there?]

It’s homemade Hamburger Helper.

Bet you didn’t see that one coming, did ya? 🙂 [Don’t worry, I will not ever post a recipe for any sort of boxed food product. Except maybe one discussing how amazing boxed brownies are and how yummy they taste in pillow cookies.]

This is Hamburger [Turkey?] Helper as you’ve never had it. Oodles of gooey, melty cheddar cheese covering chunks of tomato, tender macaroni noodles, and taco seasoned ground turkey, all bound together by a luscious cream sauce with a tiny bit of kick. It’s like a return to childhood right on your dinner plate, with good enough leftovers to fight for. Creamy Taco Mac - a fast, easy, homemade version of Hamburger Helper made with ground turkey & simple pantry ingredients | thepajamachef.com

Creamy Taco Mac

  • Servings: 4
  • Print

from Smells Like Home

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound ground turkey
  • 8 ounces elbow macaroni, uncooked
  • 1 cup reserved pasta water
  • 14.5 ounce can sodium-free diced tomatoes, undrained
  • 4 tablespoons taco seasoning [store-bought or from scratch]
  • 4 ounces cream cheese, cut into chunks
  • 1/2 cup sour cream, plus more for serving
  • 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese, plus more for serving
  • black pepper, to taste

Directions:

Cook pasta as directed in a large stockpot, reserving one cup of pasta water before draining. Return pasta to pot.

Meanwhile, brown ground turkey over medium heat until cooked through. Reduce heat to low. Add taco seasoning and tomatoes, then simmer, uncovered for about 5 minutes.

Add the cream cheese, sour cream, and cheddar cheese to the stockpot with the pasta.

Slowly and carefully spoon in ground turkey and tomato mixture. Season with a good amount of black pepper. Add as much reserved pasta water as desired. A full cup is usually too thin for me, but adding some of the water makes the sauce better, in my opinion. Stir until well combined.

Simmer over low heat for 2-3 minutes, or until cheeses are melted.

Serve with additional sour cream and cheese if desired. Enjoy!

Main Dishes, Recipes, Sandwiches and Wraps

BAST

Sarah

Need a simple, yet tasty and impressive-looking lunch? Well, your search is over. I whipped up this quick sandwich, which I have affectionately dubbed the BAST [bacon, avocado, spinach, tomato] several weeks ago in an attempt to use up some ingredients in the fridge before we headed out of town for the weekend. [Yes, I’m behind. We’ve been gone 5 out of the last 6 weekends, so this long Memorial Day weekend was much appreciated since we were actually home.]

I was inspired by the classic BLT, hence the acronym and name of this delicious concoction, but decided to add a little something-something by subbing baby spinach for lettuce, adding some extra flavor and smoothness with avocado slices, and whipping up a light, sweet honey mustard sauce as a binder. Just like any good sandwich, no one component dominates–each joins together easily to create a party on your plate…and in your mouth! Enjoy!

BAST
printable version

Ingredients:

  • 3 slices good quality whole wheat bread, toasted
  • 2 pieces of thick cut bacon, cooked and broken into thirds
  • 1 roma tomato, sliced thin
  • 1/4 avocado, sliced into 6 pieces
  • handful baby spinach leaves
  • 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
  • 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon honey
Directions:
In a small bowl, mix together mayonnaise, mustard, and honey. Spread mixture on one side of each piece of bread. [I had some leftover.] Then layer spinach, tomatoes, bacon, and avocado on one piece of bread. Top with a second slice and repeat. Top with final slice of bread, then press down, pierce sandwich with toothpicks, and cut into two slices… diagonal is best. 🙂 Enjoy!
Appetizers, Recipes

Salsas for Cinco de Mayo

Sarah
salsas
salsa on the porch... peeking behind, see my new herby babies?! so excited it's spring!

It’s no secret based on my meal plans that Mexican is my absolute favorite cuisine. There’s just something so refreshing and inviting about the flavors. I just love the ooey gooey cheese, fresh tomatoes, spice, cilantro, tortillas, and more! In fact, for my birthday lunch last week Ben took me to my favorite Mexican place in town. It was absolutely divine.

Since today is Cinco de Mayo, I thought I’d jump on the blogger bandwagon and share two of my favorite salsas. I love salsa because it is so versatile. It’s great for dipping or topping Mexican food [nachos, anyone?] but also is very complementary to other dishes, like sandwiches, burgers, and fries. Seriously. I am salsa obsessed and I do not discriminate! All my foods are equal acceess for salsa. 🙂

Okay, enough of that. I’m weird. I’m sorry.

There are two salsa recipes to share with you today, in honor of Cinco de Mayo. The first is Simple Tomato Salsa. With just a little bit of kick and some distinct, pure tomato taste, this salsa is fabulous for any authentic Mexican fiesta. [well…. authentic… not sure I’m qualified for that but any fiesta will do!]. The second is Pineapple Salsa. This stuff is awesome! I experimented around with this recipe the first summer we were married and I’ve made it several times since then. Sometimes I add some mango into  the mix, but other times I keep it simple. This time, I kept it simple by choice as my Indiana grocery store was fresh outta mangoes. Sad day. But what I love about this salsa is the contrast between sweet pineapple, cool corn, crunchy peppers, and just the right amount of spice from my friend Mr. Serrano Pepper. Fabulous. I could go on and on all day about these babies but I gotta run… going shopping today! The semester is over and I’m taking a break today before my summer schedule begins next week. Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Simple Tomato Salsa [from Simply Recipes]

Ingredients:

  • 1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes, drained
  • 2 14-ounce cans fire roasted diced tomatoes, undrained
  • 2 7-ounce cans green chiles, drained
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 cup loosely packed fresh chopped cilantro
  • salt
  • freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Pour the whole tomatoes into a large non-reactive mixing bowl. Break them up into small, bite-size pieces with a fork and sharp knife or your fingers. Mix in fire roasted tomatoes and green chiles.

In a small bowl, whisk together garlic, olive oil, vinegar, and oregano. Pour over tomato mixture and fold in gently. Add cilantro and stir gently. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Make 4-6 cups.

Pineapple Salsa

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups finely chopped fresh pineapple [or 1 cup pineapple and 1 cup finely chopped mango]
  • 1 cup diced green bell pepper
  • 1 cup diced red bell pepper
  • 1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
  • 1 cup black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1/2 cup chopped green onions
  • 1 serrano chili pepper, finely chopped [control the spice by adding/discarding seeds and membranes]
  • 1/2 cup loosely packed chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1-4 tablespoons lime juice
  • salt
  • freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Stir together pineapple, bell peppers, corn, black beans, onions, and chili peppers. Add in cilantro and cumin. Add lime juice, salt, and pepper to taste.

Makes 3-4 cups. Delicious with lime tortilla chips. 🙂

Click here for the printable version: Salsas for Cinco de Mayo