The Solution To Too Many Tomatoes Pasta Sauce

Oh my god! I have tomatoes coming out my ears! They are taking over my house! I have been eating tomato sandwiches for days! What do I dooooooo? Why, you make spaghetti sauce!!! I just kind of invented this one but it's gooood.

About six or so medium-large tomatoes, diced
1 can tomato paste
3 garlic cloves, diced
1 medium onion, chopped
2 T olive oil
1 T sugar
1 t salt
some pepper
fresh basil snipped from your garden, to taste
pinch cloves
some oregano (remember, I don't measure things: do to taste.)
some rosemary

In a medium saucepan, heat olive oil over medium and saute the garlic and onion. Then add your diced tomatoes (don't forget to save the seeds from the heirloom tomatoes when you chop them up. They could be worth MONEY someday! At the very least, you can try to regrow them next year), the tomato paste, the sugar, salt, pepper, basil, and spices. Bring to a boil, then simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally. Taste from time to time (but don't burn your lip) and adjust any spices accordingly. I have no idea how long to simmer for. I'd say 45 minutes at the least but the longer you simmer it, the better it tastes. Sit down, relax, read your Surfer magazine or some Faulkner. When the house smells good, it's good. Serve over pasta of your choice or use in recipes like lasagna, etc. You can also put this in those freezer ziplocs and freeze for later use.

Tofu Chili

Mm, "meaty." Complete with quotation marks. I made this for Mason's biodad once, back when I cared whether or not he starved to death. Haley is a fan of it as well. Hey, even my DAUGHTER will eat this! And you know how Rayna is about... you know, eating stuff.

1 package extra firm tofu, in small cubes
1 large can (26 oz?) crushed tomatoes
6 oz tomato paste
8 oz can kidney beans, drained & rinsed
8 oz can black beans, drained & rinsed
1/2 vidalia onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, diced
2 finely chopped jalepeno peppers
3-4 cloves garlic, pressed
The following spices, to taste:
chili powder, paprika, cumin, turmeric, cayenne pepper

1. In a bowl, combine the tofu with the seasonings. Do remember that tofu will take on the flavor of whatever it's cooked in - so add the spices DIRECTLY to the tofu before you start cooking.
2. Transfer tofu mixture to a (lightly greased) pot and add garlic and onion. Cook over medium heat until the tofu and onions are softened and browned, taking care not to burn the garlic.
3. Add the tomatoes and tomato paste, heat through.
4. Add veggies and beans and simmer until cooked through. 20 minutes? Whatever.

I usually serve it with shredded cheddar (soy if you're a better person than I) and a dollop of plain yogurt on top.

Stuffed eggplant

I have no clue if this is really how you make stuffed eggplant; I made this one up, too. but it's good.

1 med-large eggplant (about 1 lb)
rice, brown or whatever you like
1 can of Italian-style diced tomatoes
Mushrooms, sliced (about six?)
1/2 large onion, diced
A couple garlic cloves, minced
basil, pepper, and oregano to taste (add other spices if you feel like it)
Shredded cheese, if desired
Olive oil

Preheat oven to 350. In a glass baking dish, spread a thin layer of olive oil on the bottom. Cut eggplant in half lengthwise. Scoop out most of the meat, leaving a very thin layer (about 1/8") of meat inside the eggplant. Save scooped meat. Place eggplant halves in baking dish and put in oven. Meanwhile, prepare rice according to package directions, either on stovetop or in microwave. In a saute pan on medium heat add 1 1/2 T of olive oil. Saute reserved eggplant meat, mushrooms, onion, garlic, and spices until all are soft. Add vegetables to rice, and stir in can of diced tomatoes. Remove eggplant halves from oven. Spoon rice mixture into halves. Top with shredded cheese, if desired (if you go without the cheese, it's vegan!) Return eggplant to oven and bake for approximately 25-30 mins. The key here is to make sure the actual eggplant halves themselves are soft and not tough so you can eat them too. Generally if the skin gets all wrinkly, that's how you know, but it can take some trial and error. You will probably have some rice mixture left over too, yummy for the next day!

Roasted Garlic and Spinach Dip

Very good with pita chips. Or if you just dive head first into the bowl. Either way.

1 whole head of garlic
olive oil
1 bag frozen spinach
1 can chopped artichoke hearts
8 oz of cream cheese, cubed OR 1 pkg soft tofu, cubed
dash lemon juice
1 tsp soy sauce
dash tobasco sauce
1 tsp paprika

1. To roast the garlic for the spinach dip, take the outer skin off the head but leave the individual cloves intact. Cut off each end of garlic head. Drizzle with olive oil, wrap in tin foil, and cook in 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. Cool.
2. Cook spinach according to package directions and drain well.
3. Combine, in food processor or blender (or Amy's magic bullet) all ingredients. Remove garlic from pulp by squeezing one end - it will literally fall out of its skin. Blend until smooth.
4. If desired, transfer to saucepan and heat through until bubbly.

This dip is freakin' amazing. It's really just as good with tofu - I make it that way when the kids are around, since Liam is allergic to.. you know.. the world. Plus, it is vegan this way!

Magic Bullet gazpacho

Here's another variation on gazpacho. I sort of invented this recipe yesterday for lunchtime, using stuff I had around the house. I used that handy Magic Bullet we have...it's the perfect size for making a single serving, but of course this could be made in a regular blender as well.

1 vine-ripened tomato
watermelon
approx. 1 tbsp lime or lemon juice
2 tsp diced onion
basil, approx 1.5 tsp dried, or fresh (you may adjust this to taste)
pepper, approx 3/4 tsp (adjust to taste).

Chop tomato into cubes and put in bullet/blender. Use melon baller to put balls of watermelon in bullet container until watermelon nearly reaches top. (If you are using a blender, obviously the container's a lot bigger, but I would say the ratio of watermelon to tomato is about 1.5:1.) Add lime or lemon juice, onion, and spices. Blend until mixture is smooth puree. Pour into bowl and enjoy. The watermelon gives it a little sweetness and I think kids would really go for this.

Easy Tofu Marinara

This is adapted from the various baked tofu recipes in a great vegetarian cookbook called Enemy of the Steak.

1 pound extra firm tofu, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1-1.5 cups marinara sauce (when I don't have time to make my own, my favorite is Newman's)
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
optional: minced garlic, to taste
optional: other herbs or spices, to taste (I added fresh basil from the garden)
optional: grated romano or parmigiano cheese (if you leave this out, the recipe is vegan)

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Mix sauce, vinegar, garlic, herbs, and spices.
3. Spread about half of the sauce mixture in the bottom of a shallow baking pan (9x13 or so).
4. Place the tofu in a single layer in the pan.
5. Top with the rest of the sauce mixture. Spread out the sauce so it covers the surface of the tofu - I find it's easiest to do this with a spatula.
6. Optional: Top with grated cheese.
7. Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes.

Serve with salad and the grain of your choice (suggestions: pasta, couscous, risotto), or use as a sandwich filling.

Eggplant Bharta

This is my all time favorite dinner. When I was single, I made it at least once a week - unfortunately, the man of the house isn't fond of eggplant so I don't fix it as often anymore. It's a Pakistani dish which I originally found on a vegetarian website several years ago. Spices are approximations since I never measure anything (sorry!).

1 medium to large eggplant
1 onion, sliced
1-2 tomatoes, diced
1 jalepeno, diced
1 tsp cumin seed
1/2 tsp red pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cooking oil
cooked basmati

1. Poke holes in the eggplant with a fork and place on foil-lined pan. Cook at 350 about 40 minutes or until the skin is brown and the inside of the eggplant is soft and pulpy. Set aside and allow to cool enough handle, then scrape out the pulp, mash, and set aside.
2. Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet and add the cumin seeds. Cook the seeds in hot oil until the sizzle.
3. Add all other ingredients and stir to mix. Heat until cooked through. Serve over hot basmati rice.

Tofu Mutter

Since I'm allergic to dairy, I generally use deep-fried tofu when I make mutter. You can use cubed paneer cheese to make it more authentic, if you prefer.

1 package extra firm tofu, cubed and deep fried OR 1 package paneer cheese, cubed
1 package frozen peas
1 large onion, chopped
2-3 jalepenos, chopped
2 entire green onions, chopped
2 large ripe tomatoes, diced
4 cloves garlic, pressed or chopped
1 piece crystalized ginger, chopped small
1-2 tbsp canola oil
to taste: turmeric, cumin, cayenne pepper, black pepper, salt, garam masala, whole cumin seeds.

1. If using tofu, cut into cubes and deep fry in about 1/2" vegetable oil until golden brown and slightly crisped on the outside. Set aside. If you have a problem with the tofu breaking apart when frying, freeze it overnight. If using paneer cheese, you only need to cube it.
2. Sautee onions and cumin in canola oil. Add the ginger and pressed garlic when the onions begin to turn brown and soft. Sautee while being careful not to burn the garlic.
3. Add the tomatoes, green onions, and jalepenos along with the other spices. Cook until the tomatoes and peppers are soft, about 10 minutes.
4. Add the tofu and peas and cook about 20 minutes longer, stirring occasionally.

Serve over basmati or jasmine rice. I also serve mine with homemade poori.

Garbanzo Bean Stew

A Moroccan recipe I found online with some minor tweaks and adjustments.

1 small acorn squash, peeled and cubed
4 small red skin potatoes, peeled and cubed
3 large carrots, cut into 1/4" coins
1/2 a large vidalia onion, sliced
1 package garbanzo beans, pre-soaked overnight
28 oz canned stewed tomatoes
1 cup golden raisins
2 tsp chopped fresh parsley*
1/2 cup vegetable broth
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

* Original recipe called for fresh cilantro. I substituted parsley since my kids don't like cilantro.



1. Sautee the squash, onion, and carrot in a pan with olive oil until the vegetables soften. It takes about 10-15 minutes - I threw a tbsp of butter in the bottom of the pan as well.
2. Add beans, potatoes, stewed tomatoes, raisins, and spices to the pan along with vegetable broth and bring to a full boil. Allow to boil for 15-20 minutes and then reduce heat and simmer until all vegetables are tender and the garbanzo beans are done.
3. Stir in chopped parsley or cilantro and simmer for an additional 5 to 10 minutes.
4. Serve over couscous.