Easy-Peasy-Tomato-Squeezy...a post about sauce.

So here’s my quick, homemade solution to cracking open a jar of store made sauce. It’s fresh, all natural and can be done in about 30 minutes or less. Oh and it makes a TON – so you’ll always have a jar handy when you need it.

(Note: I came up with this during a 30 day cleanse/detox where anything processed is not allowed. Normally, I would use a couple of tablespoons of veggie broth to get the sautéing party started).

Easy Peasy Natural  oil-and-fat-free Tomato Sauce

What you’ll need:

A large selection of your favorite tomatoes. I used 10 vine ripened red tomatoes, 6 kumato (brown) tomatoes and a pint each of red and yellow grape tomatoes.

1 pint organic mushrooms, 1 large organic onion, 2 organic zucchinis – all roughly chopped

A generous sprinkle of Himalayan pink salt

Freshly ground black pepper – to taste

Copious amounts of dried oregano and basil

A dash of cayenne pepper or chili flakes (or more if you like it spicy. I was making this for Little Miss Vegan so I kept the heat on low)

A really small pinch of ground cinnamon – yes, cinnamon

A little water to sauté your veggies

What you need to do:

Grab a large pot, two large bowls, a cutting board, a good knife, a stick or traditional blender and some tunes. The tunes are a must.  Music makes food taste better. I swear.

In bowl A, prep your tomatoes. Cut them all up – even the grape ones.  Chop big tomatoes into quarters, small ones in half. Discard some of the pulp and seeds (they make the sauce too runny).  Set aside.

In bowl B, prep your veg.  Peel and chop zucchini; wash and de-stem your ‘shrooms and chop your onion. If you’re like me – open a window, light a candle, wear goggles or do whatever else you can to keep the onion-triggered tears from falling. 

Heat your pot on the high end of medium…but no higher. You’re sautéing in water, which evaporates quickly so you want a low heat.  Give the onions a head start…they take the longest to cook.  Slowly sauté them until they start to get translucent and soft. Add a tablespoon of water or two as needed to keep the onions from sticking. 

After about 5 minutes, add the mushrooms and zucchini to the party.  When they’ve started getting soft, add salt, pepper, chili or cayenne, cinnamon and about 2 tablespoons each of oregano and basil. Remember: this is an all natural sauce so all the flavoring comes from whatever spices you add, so go BIG!

Now add in all the tomatoes.  Give them a good stir. Simmer for about 20 minutes or until tomatoes are really soft and breaking down when stirred.  Remove pot from heat (but keep the stove on); skim off some excess water – about 1-2 ladles full depending on how watery your sauce is; grab your stick blender and blitz the heck out of everything.  Or leave some chunks if you like. Little Miss Vegan has a thing about textures so our sauce is pretty smooth. When smooth, return to heat.  Taste and adjust seasonings – all of them – if needed.  Simmer for 5 more minutes and you’re done!

When cooled, seal ‘em in mason jars, pour them in a Tupperware or invite the entire street over for a spaghetti party!

{Quiche} Me...

I’ll admit: I still love eggs. I don’t eat them, but I love them.  I wasn’t crazy about meat, so that was easy to give up; and thanks to Daiya and Sheese, my lifelong love affair with “cheese” hasn’t skipped a beat.  But eggs were a tough one to replicate.  Yes, there’s tofu for the texture and protein, but how do I make them exude that rich decadence that only an egg yolk can provide?  

Meet nutritional yeast. Cheesy, nutty, creamy and rich, yet it contains absolutely no animal by-products and no dairy.  Nutritional yeast is a deactivated yeast
(which means that it is no longer living and will not produce the effects of “active” yeast), and is a complete protein.   Add a tablespoon or two mixed with water in a food processor, blitz for 30 seconds, and you have an egg yolk. Seriously. I’m not kidding. 

I’ve used nutritional yeast as a cheese substitute when cooking but never thought to try it as an “egg” until recently, thanks to Daddy Vegan’s discovery of a product called Vegg. It’s basically fortified nutritional yeast with black pepper, beta carotene and a bit of salt.  And it has changed my life (and my breakfast menu).

I love quiche.  It’s rich, satisfying and always a crowd-pleasure. Most importantly, I can hide all kinds of vegetables in it and Little Miss Vegan is none the wiser as she gobbles it down. 

I had recently posted a picture on Facebook of a vegan caramelized onion, roasted potato and cheddar “quiche” I made.  The most asked question I got was, “it looks like it has egg in it. How did you do that?” followed by, “can I please have that recipe?”

Well, now you know how I did it. Here’s how you can too. 

Enjoy!

Caramelized onion, roasted potato and cheddar “quiche”

The building blocks of this recipe are the crust and the “egg” mixture. The toppings are optional and totally up to whatever suits your taste. If you’re looking to add a “meaty” addition, I recommend Field Roast brand vegan sausages, removed from the casings, chopped and mixed in with the cooked onions.)

This recipe is adapted from an original recipe for a creamy leek and cashew quiche that can be found at: http://mouthwateringvegan.com/2011/03/23/creamy-cashew-leek-cheezy-quiche/

Ingredients:

Crust

½ cup whole wheat flour

½ cup unbleached all purpose flour

¼ cup vegan butter (Becel Vegan or Earth Balance. I find Becel Vegan blends into dough better)

¼ teaspoon coarse salt

Cold water

 

Filling

2 large Vidalia or sweet onions, cut in half and sliced into half circles

Vegetable broth for sautéing

1 cup soy cream

½ cup soy milk

2 teaspoons: Vegg and ½ cup water blended in a food processor (if you don’t have Vegg, just use the same amount of nutritional yeast and a few turns of black pepper)

2 – 3 yukon gold potatoes (skins on), cut in small cubes

1 cup shredded Daiya cheddar cheese

½ cup roasted, unsalted cashews (totally optional – this is just a topping)

1 teaspoon olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1.       In a large bowl, mix both whole wheat and all purpose flour. Measure out butter into a measuring cup.  Put flour and butter and pastry cutter (or two forks) in the freezer for 30-60 minutes.

2.       Preheat oven to 425F. Toss potatoes, olive oil, salt and pepper in a bowl and combine. Spread evenly onto a parchment-lined baking sheet in a single layer and roast for 25 minutes.

3.       In a large non-stick sauté pan, heat 3 tablespoons of vegetable broth on medium high heat (6), add onions and sauté for approx 15-20 minutes, until onions are soft and golden. Stir often to ensure onions do not stick to the pan and add more vegetable broth (a tablespoon at a time) throughout the cooking process to keep onions from drying out/burning. Remove from heat when done and combine with potatoes. Set aside to cool.

4.       Remove flour and butter from freezer. Cut the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles a coarse ‘corn meal’ type texture.  Add cold water, 2-3 tablespoons at a time, and combine with fork until a dough is formed. Add more water a tablespoon at a time until dough comes together. Place dough between two sheets of wax paper and roll out until it covers the bottom and sides of a quiche , tart or baking pan. I use a silicone round baking pan. 

5.       In a medium size bowl, combine egg replacer (Vegg or nutritional yeast) with soy milk, soy cream and salt. Whisk until combined.

6.       Add onion/potato mixture to the pan, and spread out to evenly coat the bottom of the pan.  Pour the egg/soy mixture over the filling and tilt pan/spread with spatula until liquid covers all filling. Top with shredded cheddar and cashews if using.

7.       Place on a baking sheet and bake at 400F for 40 minutes, until cashews are browned, cheese is melted and mixture is bubbling. Remove from oven and let it sit at least 20 minutes to firm up before serving.