At first glance you might be thinking “She brought a dip and bread to a potluck?”
And you would be right, until you taste it. This is so much more than a dip. It’s everything hummus wants to be: spicy, complex & perfect with just about anything.
Dipped into crusty bread? Check.
Poured over pasta? Check.
Spooned onto roasted vegetables? Double check.
I double dog dare you to find something this dip doesn’t go well with.
Ok, I’m sure that this would taste horrible on ice cream, but you get the point.
I’m bringing this delicious dip for two reasons:
1. I know what a winner it is at potlucks
2. We will be in Barcelona by the time this is posted, a happy coincidence to share with you!
Think of this at the Spanish version of bruschetta; a simple appetizer that if done right is really, really, good.
Done wrong, and it’s nothing but stale bread and tomatoes.
The ingredients need to be of quality, I prefer making this in the summer with heirloom tomatoes, but any in-season kind will do.
On a completely unrelated note, I am beyond excited to be apart of this vegan potluck! If this is your first time here, grab a drink and be prepared to hop spend the next few hours drooling over plant-based favorites. The Virtual Vegan Potluck is a collection of 168 blogs with 8 courses! 168 bloggers and 8 categories! Whew. We are going to be full. And Happy. Each blog is linked up to the next so you can hop from one recipe to the next.
Cheers to a fun event and thanks again Annie, Somer, and Jason for hosting this. I look forward to many more events and get-together’s.
Spanish Romesco Sauce
Ingredients:
1/4 cup olive oil
1 slice stale french bread, cubed
1/2 cup slivered, blanched almonds
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 15oz. can whole peeled tomatoes
1 jar (8 oz.) roasted red peppers
1 tsp. salt
1 1/4 tbsp. smoked paprika
2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
Preheat the oven to 350°F and place a baking sheet in the oven to preheat.
Heat the olive oil in a saucepan; add the bread and almonds and stir frequently, cooking until they are golden brown. Add the minced garlic and sauté another 1 minute, stirring frequently.
Place the can of tomatoes in a food processor, with the juice. Drain the jar of roasted red peppers and place in the food processor. Pulse a few times until chunky. Add the salt, paprika, vinegar, and almond-bread mixture. Puree until smooth.
Pour the sauce onto the pre-heated baking pan in the oven and cook for 15 minutes until bubbly and lightly browned on top. Remove from oven, cool slightly and pour into a bowl.
There are a lot of things we eat in excess in my house. Topping the list: tomato sauce, spinach, frozen mango cubes, and salsa. I think BL single handily takes down a jar of salsa every week. Besides his chips and salsa obsession, salsa goes on most of his meal foods like salad, eggs, burritos, and more.
I have this very annoying compulsion to make most of my food from scratch. I’m sure I don’t have to dig too deep into my type-A personality to figure out where that need comes from, especially because I indulge it on almost a daily basis. Maybe it’s because most of the ingredients in packaged food disgust and/or scare me or that I like proving just how granola/do-it-yourself-y I really am. Whatever the reason, I also know that I get tired of buying endless amounts of salsa to feed BLs need, so I jarred my own. (P.S. Costco’s Kirkland Brand Organic salsa might be the best jarred salsa anywhere)
Thanks to my mother #2, BL’s Mom of Walnut Burger fame, I was gifted this recipe just in time for summer tomatoes. The other advantage of doing most things from scratch? You save a ton of dough. I bought lbs. of slightly-blemished organic tomatoes from the Farmer’s Market for just $0.75 a lb. Show me any market that you can get tomatoes for that price!
So, try it out! As far as canning recipes go, this one is pretty simple and only takes a few hours from start to finish.
4 jalapeno peppers chopped (leave seeds in for extra kick)
8 cloves of garlic chopped
6 tsp. canning salt
1 cup white vinegar
12 oz tomato paste
Put all ingredients into a large pot. Simmer for 20-30 minutes. Process 25 minutes in pint jars. Makes 6-8 pints.
Instructions
To remove the skins, boil a small pot of water. Place the tomatoes in, a few at a time, and leave for ~60 seconds. Remove and place in a ice bath. When cool to the touch, peel the skins off and discard. Then chop tomatoes.
Place all ingredients into a large pot. Simmer for 25 minutes.
To process jars:
Heat a large pot of boiling water
Place salsa into steralized canning jars, leaving ¼” headspace at the top. Wipe the lid of the jar with a clean rag. Place the lid onto the jar and twist to close. Place the jars into the boiling water and process for 25 minutes. Remove. When they have sealed (you will hear a pop sound) store in a cool place until ready to use.
Have you tried canning yet? It is easier than you think and totally worth it. Especially for those foods you find yourself consuming in excessive qualities
I am eagerly awaiting fall to try my hand at pumpkin and/or apple butter!
It’s no secret that I love italian cuisine. Growing up in an Italian household, we ate pasta at least 5 nights a week. While that might seem a bit excessive, there is nothing I enjoy more than a simple bowl of pasta and homemade sauce. Lately, I have been exploring other types of pasta and fallen in love with Spelt varieties. Spelt has a mild, almost nutty flavor and is high in both protein and fiber. Also known as Farro in Italy, this grain is also perfect if your trying to reduce your wheat intake.
We received a ton of great heirloom tomatoes in our CSA this week and a fresh Pomodoro sauce seemed like the perfect accompaniment to my newfound love of spelt pasta. Tomatoes still have a few weeks in season so be sure to make this soon, Mangiamo!
Perfect Pomodoro Sauce
Ingredients:
1/4 cup good quality olive oil
3 cups chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup fresh basil, roughly chopped
4-5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced or minced
2 tsp. sugar
1 tbsp. Earth Balance Butter (or other non-hydrogenated margarine)
Salt
1 lb. Spelt angel hair pasta (VitaSpelt makes a great one or use whatever pasta you have on hand. I love a thin cappelini or angel hair for this sauce)
In a sauce pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and the salt, cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently until fragrant but not burned. If you burn the garlic- remove it or else it will ruin the sauce. Add the tomatoes and sugar and cook for 10-15 minutes until reduced and thick.
In the meantime, prepare your pasta; bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of pasta water.
Check on your sauce, if you like it chunky then leave it as is. I prefer a smoother sauce: using a immersion blender and pulse the sauce a few times to make a tomato sauce with a few chunks of tomatoes. Alternatively, you can puree a cup of sauce in a blender and add back to the tomatoes.
Add the torn basil and butter to the sauce. Toss with the hot pasta and 1/2 cup pasta water.
Makes about 6 servings: Per serving: 371 calories, 13g fat, 2g sat. fat, 58g carbs, 8g fiber, 12g protein.
I spent most of last week at a conference in New Orleans. I love exploring new cities but I was excited to get back to cooking in my kitchen. Of course the food was amazing but after a week of eating out, I was ready for some greener & cleaner eating. If you’ve ever left home for a few days or more, you understand coming home to an empty kitchen. Tired from traveling, I wanted a quick, nutritious meal without having to go to the store. I seem to always have frozen artichokes and sun-dried tomatoes around. Adding a few other ingredients, this light & easy pasta was born.
Artichoke and Sun-Dried Tomato Linguine
Ingredients: Serves 6-8
1 lb linguine or noodles, whole wheat if you’ve got it!
1 package frozen artichoke hearts, thawed or 1 can artichoke hearts packed in water, drained and chopped
3/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes (Use the dehydrated ones if you can, not packed in oil)
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp. low-sodium vegetable broth
1/4 cup white wine
2 garlic cloves, sliced
1/2 large onion, sliced into 1/2 moons
1/2 tsp. dried red pepper
handful parsley, finely chopped
1 tbsp. capers
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. In a separate bowl, add the tomatoes and 1/2 cup hot water. Let sit for about 10 minutes until the tomatoes rehydrate and plump up. Drain and slice into thin strips.
In a skillet, heat 2 tbsp. of vegetable broth over medium heat. Add the 2 cloves sliced garlic, sliced onion and a small pinch of salt. Cook for about 5 minutes until the onions have reduced. If the garlic or onion sticks too much, add a little more broth.
Add the sliced tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, capers, wine and remaining broth. Continue to stir, and cook for 10 minutes allowing the sauce reduce and thicken slightly. Add the pasta at this time and cook until al-dente.
Add the cooked pasta and 1/4 cup of cooking water to the skillet. Toss the hot pasta with the chopped parsley and serve!
Per serving: 292 calories, 2g fat, 10g fiber, 11g protein
