Vegan Cooking with TLC

This week I'm sharing a salsa recipe that we often make instead of a salad. It's one of those things I'd never bothered to write down until recently. While I've made several versions of salsa, this one tends to be the one I return to consistently.I love that it's made with primarily fresh ingredients. Salsa 2-3 medium to large tomatoes 1 green pepper 4-6 spring onions ¼ small red onion 1 clove garlic ¼ cup fresh cilantro ½ fresh jalapeno pepper ¼ teaspoon ground cumin * ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper 1 lime Chop tomatoes and green pepper into bite-size chunks. Dice spring onions and red onion. Mince garlic. Chop cilantro. Dice jalapeno pepper. Juice lime. Place ½ the chopped ingredients in a food processor . Pulse a few times.** Place rest of ingredients in a bowl . Stir in the cumin, black pepper, and processed ingredients. Add lime juice. Stir together. * I was out of cumin today...

I originally wrote this barbecue sauce recipe for my Barbecue Sloppy Jacks Recipe (coming next week), but I quickly realized it could be used for other recipes so I decided to share it as a stand alone recipe. Barbecue Sauce   I cup (8 ounces) tomato sauce ¼ cup apple cider vinegar 2 Tbs molasses 1 tsp no-salt spice mix 1 tsp chili powder ½ tsp paprika ½ tsp ground cumin ½ tsp mustard powder Add all ingredients to a bowl . Stir together. Set aside until ready to use. If not using immediately, refrigerate in an airtight container for up to a week.

I rarely make Marinara Sauce with Fresh Tomatoes for several reasons. I used to convince myself it was too much work, but making it this week dispelled that excuse completely. Yes, it does add the step of cutting up the tomatoes, but that's not really that much work. Another reason I rarely make it is the expense. It is quite pricey to buy 10 pounds of tomatoes, particularly organic tomatoes. Years when I've had a garden and my tomatoes have done well, this recipe felt like it made more sense to make. All that said, in a side by side comparison, I'm not so sure this costs that much more than the version I make with canned tomatoes . Making marinara sauce with fresh tomatoes allows more control over the ingredients including the salt content, which makes me happy. Lastly, I will point out that making this in the winter when fresh tomatoes have almost no flavor really doesn't work out very well. Marinara Sauce with Fresh Tomatoes 10 pounds fresh Roma tomatoes...

I started making my own marinara sauce and freezing it many years ago. Over time I've adjusted the recipe as needed to better fit my lifestyle, health needs, and tastes. I've made it using fresh tomatoes and canned tomatoes. This is my recipe using canned tomatoes. I use canned tomatoes that are low in salt and only contain tomatoes. I started making my own because I wanted to control what was in the sauce, so I could customize it for my tastes as well as my health needs. This recipe isn't difficult, but it does take a full day to make it. Marinara Sauce with Canned Tomatoes 1 head garlic 1 medium red onion 2 medium carrots 1 small beet 1 stalk celery 1 medium bell pepper ½ teaspoon black pepper 2 tablespoons dried marjoram 2 tablespoons dried basil 2 tablespoons dried oregano 1 bay leaf ¼ cup water 2 tablespoons ground flaxseeds ½ cup red wine 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar 4 28-ounce cans whole tomatoes 4 28-ounce cans ...