Friday, July 27, 2012

Spicy Arrabiata Sauce


I thought I'd experiment with a spicy tomato sauce. We love tomatoes in this house! I try to keep several jars of pureed or diced tomatoes on hand whenever possible. We put them on everything!

Arrabiata Sauce:

~3 lbs Roma tomatoes
3 TB tomato paste
1/2 cup red wine
4-6 leaves fresh basil
1 TB minced garlic
1/2 onion (I used a Spanish onion), chopped
2 tsp crushed red pepper (I used more on the first try....it was SUPER spicy)
1 tsp black pepper
salt to taste

Puree 1/2 the tomatoes with the basil. Chop the other half of the tomatoes. In a large pot, saute the garlic and onion in about 1/4 cup water. When soft, add the tomatoes, tomato paste, red wine, and both kinds of pepper. Stir and bring to a boil. Boil on medium for about 45 minutes, until most of the water has boiled off. Turn off heat and add salt to taste. 
This didn't last very long....S was eating it by the spoonful...adding capers and olives of course (yuck).


Did I mention I'm near a Trader Joe's now? :) I'd been buying the $5 coffee from Whole Foods in New Orleans, but I found that TJ also has $5 coffee:


I like them both. They're not quite a pound, but better than most bags that are now only 10 or 12 oz!

Which coffee do you like better? 

Eat smart,
T.

Friday, July 13, 2012

We're here!!!


Yes, we have finally moved into our new home in Massachusetts! We love it. Love the house, love the town, love the people...

Of course we still have boxes all over the place but I think I'll be able to start real cooking again! It's also a great place to walk...there's a great 2 1/2 mile loop from our house!

We are first-time homeowners now! So if you have tips, please let me know :)

I signed up for our first CSA with Red Fire Farm in Granby, MA. They have a sliding scale, which is great since we are now self-employed and with very little income at the moment. It's about a 15 minute drive from our house. The whole area is filled with farms! I don't think we'll ever have a problem finding fresh local produce around here....or local grains!

 





Here's the loot for this week: zucchini, broccoli, lettuce, chard, cilantro, green onions, green beans, okra (am I still in the South???), and I bought a few tomatoes too.









and tomatoes...


So there you have it! My first post back. I WILL be posting more....too much good food here :) And vegan restaurants too!!

Thanks for your patience through the move. Don't forget, you can stay up to date on my Facebook page too.

Any big changes in your lives lately??

Eat smart,
T.