There was a time I wanted to be on the Food Network. I even auditioned for “The Next Food Network Star”. I was convinced I could create a show focused on how to make a healthy and easy dinner out of whatever happened to be in the pantry and fridge that day. While I didn’t get called back for the Food Network, I am still sure I could have rocked that show. “What To Do With Extra Vegetables” would have been my first episode.
My kitchen philosophy is this: healthy, tasty, easy, fast, as few ingredients as possible. I would love to say I spend hours in the kitchen with complicated recipes, learning new techniques, but that would be lying, which isn’t very nice to do. I buy the same things every time I go to the store and I keep a steady supply of fruit, veggies, grains and protein in the kitchen. (Oh, and almond butter. Lots and lots of almond butter). While I might not know what exactly we will be having for meals all week, I know I’ll have healthy items to chose from and I can usually throw something together fairly quickly. This means I usually have a ton of vegetables that I don’t always know what to do with.
Occasionally, creativity does strike, and this is one of those occasions. I had a bunch of veggies on hand (that were close to going bad – oops) and didn’t want to just make another salad. I wanted a way to use them that would give me a big bang for my buck – meaning I could pack in a ton of nutrients without doing much work. This amazing sauce is the answer.
I mixed baby tomatoes and red and yellow peppers with salt, pepper and olive oil, and then roasted in the oven at 300 degrees for 1 hour. Once they were all soft, I put them in my Vitamix (any blender will do) and blended until incorporated. Done!
This sauce is so versatile and completely adjustable for your tastes and needs. I used the sauce that night in a chicken pasta dish with spinach. With the leftover sauce, I added cumin and used it over enchiladas later in the week. You could add oregano and use it as a pasta sauce or pizza sauce. You can add garlic to the mix, and it’s also delicious with roasted broccoli and butternut squash. When I make pizza for my daughter, I always use a sauce like this versus just plain, jarred marinara. She gets her greens and doesn’t know the difference. Win win. It also freezes beautifully, so you can have leftovers on hand when you are in a pinch for a quick meal idea.
Don’t ever think healthy or creative has to mean hard and complicated! You can feed yourself and your family delicious and nutrient filled food without much work or money. Let me know if you try it and how you use the sauce!
