Tomato, Tomahto...

Canned tomatoes are GREAT for keeping on hand to add to soups, stews, and chili.  But they're great to keep on hand for a couple of other very important reasons.

1. They immediately bump up your veggie intake to whatever you add them.
2. They are full of Lycopene, "[which] is the pigment that gives certain fruits their red coloring. This carotenoid is believed to have strong antioxidant powers, with some studies showing a reduced risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease and macular degeneration. There is no established Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for lycopene, but there's evidence that phytonutrients like lycopene are an important part of disease prevention" [8].

So that brings me to one of my favorite foods: spaghetti!  I grew up, as many do, eating spaghetti sauce from a jar...until as chance would have it, I met my best friend Christi, who's mom (Cindy, aka one of THE best cooks/bakers on the planet!) made her own spaghetti sauce.  What?  WHAT?  OMG!  AHH-MAZING!! It changed my life.  Laugh, call me a drama queen, whatever. But it did.  Why?  It's amazingly simple and so much healthier & cheaper than the stuff you get in the jar.  Why?  Because you get to control what goes into it and it's fun to play around with different spices.  Over the years, I've modified her original recipe--a lot of it had to do with the lack of all the delicious herbs & spices Cindy adds...but the most important ingredient is LOVE.  Once you add that, you really can't go wrong and will never buy your sauce again!  Here is an uber-simple, but oh-so-delicious recipe for spaghetti sauce, that was thrown together last minute (and with a wonderful addition by Ann with the roasted garlic! so I'm completely stealing that idea!).  Add it to the whole wheat pasta of your choice and--if you have some--sprinkle a bit of parmesan cheese on top--if you don't have it, I promise you won't miss it!

Before I begin though, a quick word about herbs. Do yourself a HUGE favor and invest in an herb garden.  It doesn't take a lot of effort or space (mine is in the windowsills of my kitchen) or even that much money, but it is a fabulous way to add a freshness to all of your dishes, like my spaghetti!  Btw, a BIG, HUGE THANK YOU TO CINDY, who spoiled me from ever eating spaghetti from a jar again!!  xoxo

Sherry's Quick Spaghetti Sauce:

1 onion
1 head of garlice plus 2 cloves (don't panic...it won't be over garlicky i promise!)
Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper
1/2 handful of dried oregano
1/2 a cup or a large handful of fresh basil
1 large can of crushed or diced tomatoes
small package of whole wheat pasta

Preheat oven to 450F.  Slice of the very top of the head of garlic (so that the cloves are exposed).  Place on a baking sheet and drizzle a healthy amount of olive oil and add a pinch of salt and pepper.  Place in oven for about 10 minutes or until garlic is lightly browned and smelling delicious! 

Start the water for your pasta (making sure it's adequately salted) and then dice your onion, mince your 2 cloves of garlic, and give your basil a rough chop.  Once the water is boiling add your pasta.  The sauce takes like 5 minutes to make, so you don't want to start it until your pasta is actually cooking.  Once you've added the pasta, add a few tablespoons of olive oil to a large saute pan (I actually use a wok!) and saute' onions and minced garlic on medium high heat until translucent. Add tomatoes and a bit of water used to rinse out can.  Stir in oregano, as well as a pinch of salt and pepper. Grab a quick taste and adjust spices as needed.

Once pasta is al dente, drain and set aside.  Check the garlic, it should nearly be done.  If so, take it out of the oven and set aside. Add basil to the sauce and mix in really well.  Grab a bowl, add some pasta and a large ladle of sauce and a few of the roasted garlic cloves and then top with some parmesan if you'd like.  Ta-da!  That's it.  The great part is that for every large ladle-full of sauce you eat, you're getting nearly a full serving of vegetables!  Not bad for spaghetti night!

~a dash of salt for your bloody mary, as the tomato juice & celery up your veggie count (and is full of lycopene!)