Tomato Cream Sauce

The Fish Fam LOVED this Tomato Cream Sauce.

It's from the Pioneer Women, which I love pretty much all of her recipes!

I changed this one up a bit though because we limit cows milk as much as possible, so instead of using the heavy cream I made a white sauce with butter, flour, and coconut milk. Very easy. Directions here.

I've also got lots of help in the kitchen! My little one opens the cans of organic tomato sauce and while another grates the parmesan cheese. Very helpful!

Mine didn't turn out so orange, but the family said it's super super good and we've had it quite a few times these last few weeks with organic pasta.

Pasta with Tomato Cream Sauce

The Pioneer Women

Ingredients:

• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 2 Tablespoons Butter
• 1 whole Medium Onion, Finely Diced
• 4 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 2 cans (15 Oz. Size) Tomato Sauce Or Marinara Sauce
•  Salt And Pepper, to taste
•  Dash Of Sugar (more To Taste)
• 1 cup Heavy Cream
•  Grated Parmesan Or Romano Cheese, To Taste
•  Fresh Basil, Chopped
• 1-1/2 pound Fettuccine

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain, reserving 1 cup of pasta water.

Heat butter and oil over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and saute for a minute or so. Pour in tomato sauce and add salt, pepper, and sugar to taste. Stir and cook over low heat for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove from heat and stir in cream. Add cheese to taste, then check seasonings. Stir in pasta and chopped basil and serve immediately. (Thin with pasta water before adding basil if needed.)

*Switch out the wheat noodles for gluten-free to make it gluten-free!

Theirs vs. Mine

 We had this spaghetti for dinner one night...I made the sauce from organic canned tomatoes, added spices & herbs, veggies (green peppers, onions, garlic), cooked up organic beef, baked asparagus, and boiled some organic quinoa/corn noodles. It's gluten-free. I'm trying to use less and less wheat for my family.

Then there was mine...

I'm doing totally grain-free. I've gone gluten-free, but never grain free. Basically, grains and meat, especially large quantities of both, don't mix well in the digestive system and can cause more discomfort and problems.  Ever heard that the gut is the brain? Make sense to me. It's vital for our guts to be healthy and strong so that the rest of our body can function and work properly, like our brain. Eating healthy fats for brain development/nervous system development is so very important especially in the womb as a fetus and as a growing child. We gotta promote healthy guts for healthy bodies! But, gong grain-free isn't for everybody, it just depends on the way you metabolize, convert, and use your food. Some do better than others and their bodies need very different foods for energy, strength, health, stamina, and life! That's why is so important to listen to your body.

So, for my noodles I julienned zucchini and then steamed them for my noodles. Then added the sauce on top. I'm super sensitive to a lot of foods and lately wheat and grains have been bothering me, so they are out of the menu for me. Which means I pretty much eat Paleo Diet and have noticed a big difference in the way I feel. Onward to bigger and better!

Tomato Coconut Basil Soup

A friend gave them this recipe from another friend and it's super easy and best part is my kids loved it with some noodles! Her friend's recipe...

Tomato Basil Soup  

"This one minute soup is a healthy alternative to a Martha Stewart classic that bursts with such flavor, you'll want to cheer!"

-1 quart Classico Spaghetti Sauce
-2 (13 oz) cans coconut cream
-1 Tablespoon dried basil

*Classico brand is sold in packs of 3 at Costco. Or your choice of sauce. Sugar-free is better.

*Coconut cream is sold at Good Earth and probably other health food stores. 

*Try part coconut milk w/ any other milk...rice, soy, almond, or diary.

*Along with the basil I put in more spices.

Here it is with the added organic noodles...

Homemade Superhero Pizza's!

For our little superhero's birthday party we made homemade superhero pizza! Recipe I use below. We usually make pizza's with half no cheese and the other half very little cheese. these ones we loaded it on to get better color. The kids loved them! The Batman pizza was the only veggie, ha, with olives only.

Basic Pizza Dough

1 tablespoon active dry yeast

1 cup warm water (105-115 degrees)

2 1/2 tablespoons applesauce

1 tablespoon agave

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

3 cups organic white flour

*I use applesauce in place of oil, agave in place of honey or sugar, sea salt instead of table salt, and organic flour instead of regular white flour.

1.  Mix the yeast and water in a small bowl, cover, and let stand until foamy, 5 to 10 minutes.   (Add a teaspoon or less of sugar if you'd like, sugar make the yeast more lively.)

2.  Mix the applesauce, agave, sea salt, and yeast mixture in a large mixing bowl.  If using a food processor, add 1 cup of flour at a time, up to 3 cups, mixing well after each addition.  You may have to stir in the third cup of flour by hand, depending on your machine.  Or mix in all 3 cups of flour by hand with a wooden spoon.

If the dough seems too wet, mix in more flour, 1/4 cup at a time until the dough is soft.  Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead in more flour, 1/4 cup at a time, until the dough is moderately stiff and somewhat firm to the touch, about 6 minutes. (I've noticed that making the dough with applesauce in place of oil makes the dough more flaky, but nonetheless always turns out fine and tastes great. If it's too flaky add a little more applesauce next time.) 

3.  Lightly grease pizza pan with oil and roll into shape desired or breadsticks etc.  Let rise a couple of minutes before putting toppings on. (Letting it rise always makes the applesauce dough easier to roll out.)

For bread sticks:  roll into sticks and brush with butter and garlic salt.  Let rise for about 15 minutes and then bake at 425 for 10 minutes, brushing with more butter/garlic halfway through.

  It's a soft but not sticky dough.  It's really fast and easy!

Here is the adult's pizza...

 My slice with avocados, yum. A friend puts fresh ripe avocados on her pizza. So glad I picked that up!