Grilled Beer Crust Pizzas

 

Friday the 13th is a special day in our lives. It's the day we got engaged (7/13/07)! Now, we always celebrate when it comes along.  One of our favorite celebration meals is grilled pizzas. Since we discovered them, W asks for them just about every year on his birthday. We have them way more often than that, although not as often as either of us would like!

 

It seemed fitting to share them today, since it's Friday the 13th. We won't be having them for dinner because W has to work, but I'm hoping to make them again soon!

 

I've shared pizza ideas with you before here & here, as well as our go-to crust, but recently I discovered a new crust. An Easy Beer Crust, to be exact. I've started making a combination of that & our go-to crust that uses whole grain flour. It's perfect on the grill!

 

 

When we do pizza, I like to top it with as many veggies as possible. On the long tray above, from top to bottom, we had red bell pepper, roasted Brussels sprouts, mushroom slices, onions, grilled ramps, & chopped ramp greens. Not shown was grilled eggplant. For sauces, we used homemade pesto, homemade tomato sauce, & Trader Joe's BBQ sauce. Cheeses included vegan parmesan, raw milk cheddar (we have a local farm that makes it & it's awesome!), & a syrah soaked romano. I like to grate our own cheese because then we don't go overboard with it & because freshly grated cheese doesn't have additives like the bagged variety from the stores.

 

 

About the controlling of the cheese...you can tell W grated it this time. He made the 2 on the cookie sheet that have a blizzard of cheese on them. :-)

The hardest part of grilled pizzas is getting the dough thin enough while still being able to pick it up to transfer it to the grill. Once it's on there, the rest is easy!

 

Grilled Beer Crust Pizzas
Serves 4 generously
Crust adapted from BevCooks & this crust

1 packet active yeast
1/4 c lukewarm water
1 tsp sugar (I use coconut sugar)
3-4 c spelt flour (or use white whole wheat flour)
1/2 tsp salt
1 c beer (I usually use Yuengling Lager, but most kinds will do!)

Topping Ideas:
tomato sauce
pesto
bbq sauce
bell pepper
greens (spinach, kale, chard, etc.)
onion
mushrooms
eggplant
zucchini
Brussels sprouts
broccoli
vegan parmesan cheese
freshly shredded cheese (cheddar, mozzarella, asiago, provolone, etc.)

In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine the water, sugar, and yeast. Allow to sit for 15 minutes, or until you see the yeast start to bubble.

Meanwhile, combine 3 cups of flour & the salt together in a large bowl. Once yeast mixture is bubbly, add it to the flour. Stir, then slowly pour in the beer. Mix until a dough comes together, adding more flour if it looks too runny. Dough should form a ball. Turn dough out onto a floured counter top & knead until smooth. If dough is still super wet, add more flour as needed. Lightly coat the empty bowl with cooking spray, then return the dough to the bowl, cover with a towel, and allow to rise in a warm, draft free spot. (I usually use our oven, keeping it turned off.) Let dough rise for 1 hour, then divide it into 4 balls. Cover and allow dough to rest for 30-40 minutes longer.

Preheat the grill to 425 (high). Here's the tricky part! Spray two large cookie sheets (make sure whatever you use doesn't have edges!) with cooking spray. Spread two balls per sheet into pizza crusts. Make sure you don't spread the dough too thin or you will not be able to move them from the sheets to the grill. Gently pick up/slide the dough from the cookie sheets onto the grill. Don't worry if it doesn't come off perfectly - you can gently pull any holes together once it's on the grill (just don't touch the grates). Close the lid & let bake for 10 minutes. Check frequently after that - you're aiming for a crisp bottom but not burnt. The top will look slightly underdone, but no longer be shiny.

Remove crusts from the grill, flipping them so that you are topping the side that was already grilled. Add desired sauces, toppings, & cheese. (See the third picture above.) Return the pizzas to the grill for another 10 minutes, checking frequently after that to ensure the cheese is melted but the bottom doesn't burn. Remove from the grill & enjoy!

Lightened-Up Cheese Sauce

Last week, I had friends over for dinner. We all love pasta & one of them suggested we have a cheese sauce. Because cheese sauce can be very heavy & highly calorie, I decided to lighten it up.  

As I was considering what to use for creamy texture, I thought of white beans. They provide such a creamy texture to bean dips (like white bean hummus) that I thought they'd be perfect. Since I had a feeling my friends would be skeptical (one of them doesn't like beans!), I made the sauce before they came & had them taste it. Both thought it was tasty & cheesy. They were surprised when I told them it didn't have any cheese in it at all. After that, I did add a bit of parmesan, but if you are dairy-free or vegan, this recipe doesn't need it. It's still cheese-like without it.

I hope you'll think outside the box & try this recipe. It's full of flavor & much healthier than traditional cheese sauces. Beans not only add creaminess, but also fiber, protein, & numerous nutrients. It's win-win! Comfort food at its best.

Lightened-Up Cheese Sauce
Coats 1 lb. pasta

1 tsp. coconut oil (or olive oil)
1 small onion, chopped
1.5 c cooked white beans (or 1 can, rinsed)
4-5 cloves of roasted garlic*
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 c unsweetened original almond milk
2 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/2-3/4 tsp. salt (to taste)
1/4 tsp. black pepper
2-4 T freshly grated parmesan cheese (omit or use nutritional yeast to make vegan)

In a medium saucepan, melt coconut oil & saute onion over medium heat. Once soft, about 3-5 minutes, add white beans, garlic, mustard & almond milk. Heat until it just starts to simmer. Turn off heat. Using an immersion blender, puree sauce until smooth. (Alternately, you can pour the sauce into a blender & blend. Allow to cool slightly before blending to prevent any explosions!) Turn burner back to low & gently heat sauce. Add Italian seasoning, salt to taste, black pepper, & parmesan cheese. Keep warm until ready to use. If your sauce cooks too long, it may get too thick. Add another 1/4-1/2 c almond milk to thin.

*To roast garlic: Preheat oven to 350*F. Slice off the top of the garlic heads, to expose the tops of the cloves. Wrap each head seperately in aluminum foil & drizzle each head with 1/2 tsp. of olive oil. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until garlic is soft. Squeeze cloves out of the husks. Roasted garlic can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Another great use for roasted garlic is my Roasted Garlic & Kale Spread. Roast several cloves at once to make sure you have plenty - it never seems to go to waste in our house!

Parsley Walnut Pesto

You know how sometimes you find a recipe that calls for fresh herbs, so you buy some, but then you have a whole bunch leftover?

This pesto is a great solution for that! I had a bunch of parsley leftover from a quinoa salad I made & I didn't want it to go to waste. This pesto recipe is perfect for small amounts of herbs. So many pestos call for 2-3 cups of a fresh herb & I rarely have that much on hand. You could also use this recipe with a different herb, like basil or cilantro for a different flavor.

While this doesn't make a large quantity of pesto (only about 1/2 cup), it's just the right amount to use on a pizza, as a sandwich spread, or mixed with pasta for 2. Plus, it's yummy & full of flavor & healthy fats!

Parsley Walnut Pesto
Yield: 1/2 cup

1 c parsley, washed & de-stemmed
1/4 c walnuts
2 T lemon juice
2 T extra virgin olive oil
1/8 tsp. salt

Combine all ingredients in a small food processor & process until mostly smooth. You may have to stop a few times to scrape down the sides. Store in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to use (no more than a week). Pesto can also be frozen, either in one container or in small batches in an ice cube tray (once frozen, remove from tray and seal in a freezer bag).

Apple Cider Cranberry Sauce with Oranges

Are you getting excited for Thanksgiving? What do you have to give thanks for this year?

I'm giving thanks for many things...

• Brisk fall mornings that warm up into sunny days
• Kale & Brussels sprouts still growing in my garden
• Sipping hot chocolate in the evenings
• Hugs from my love
• A soft kitten to cuddle
• Warm soups, filled with nourishing foods
• Pretty leaves falling from the trees
• Fall/winter fruits, like cranberries & oranges
• Loving friends & family 
• Chances to learn more & hopefully use it in life!
• Fuzzy socks
• Pumpkin scented candles

With Thanksgiving coming up, I kept thinking about my dad's cranberry sauce. He handed me a packet of recipes he has been compiling, with one on top labeled "Best Cranberry Sauce." Over the years, he had tried many recipes, pulling the best of them all into one go-to recipe. It's a good one.

His recipe calls for orange juice, which we usually have, but we were out when I went to make this. Instead, I used apple cider. I didn't notice a huge difference, although this does have a very fall-ish feel to it. Cider has a nice sweet/crisp flavor that pairs well with cranberries.

The best part of the whole thing is that I get the entire batch to myself! The Bup isn't much into cranberries, so he took one bite & that was enough. YAY!

If you are looking for something to add to your Thanksgiving dinner, this is the good stuff! It's quick to make, too, so it's easy to fit into your busy cooking schedule.



Apple Cider Cranberry Sauce with Oranges

Serves 6-8

12 oz. bag of cranberries (fresh or frozen), washed

1 c apple cider

2/3 c sucanat (or brown sugar)*

1/4 tsp. ground ginger

zest of 1 orange

1 orange, peeled & segmented

1/4 c Triple Sec

walnuts, to garnish (optional)

In a medium pot, heat cranberries, apple cider, sucanat & ginger. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes or until cranberries pop & mixture thickens. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking. While the cranberries cook, chop orange segments into 3-4 pieces each.

Once it is done cooking, remove cranberry mixture from heat. Stir in zest, orange pieces, & Triple Sec. Allow to cool, then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to use. Best served cold, although it is also good right from the pot (just don't burn your tongue like I did!).

*More sucanat may be needed, depending on your preferred level of sweetness. I like to taste some of the tartness from the cranberries, so I kept the sugar on the low end. If you prefer your cranberry sauce to be sweeter, add up to 1/2 c more, tasting as you go.

More Thanksgiving Ideas:

Quick & Easy Stuffed Potatoes

Roasted Beets

Champagne Roasted Cauliflower

Cinnamon Sugar Skillet Sweet Potatoes

Roasted Curried Butternut Squash

Roasted Curried Root Veggies

Roasted Squash with Kale

Cranberry, Beet & Pear Salad

Peach, Walnut & Roasted Beet Salad

Red Cabbage & Pear Salad with Mango Dressing

Vibrant Lemon & Avocado Kale Salad

Apple Pumpkin Beer Bread

Garlic-Onion Wheat Bread

Chewy Cranberry Chocolate Chip Cookies

Pumpkin Spiced Latte

Vegan Toasted Almond Drink

Zucchini & Eggplant Lasagna

We've made this twice in the last 8 days. It's that good. Both times required a trip to the grocery store for tofu. It was totally worth it.

I almost didn't share it with you because we were running super late & I didn't have much time for photos, but since we've had it twice, I had to snap a few quick ones. To note: lasagna is ugly in pictures, especially rushed ones. Don't let that put you off. It tastes 1000% better than it looks here!

Let me tell you about the second trip to the grocery store. It was on Sunday afternoon & I decided to bike. So I headed out, & started seeing some dark clouds coming in. I hurried through the store & got frustrated immediately. I thought I'd buy a couple boxes of tofu so this wouldn't happen again, only to find that they only had 3 containers & they all expired on Aug. 8. Strike 1. I paid for my items & headed out to my bike. It was really dark & blustery, but I decided to head home anyway. I took the shortest route, but it wasn't enough. As I exited the parking lot & turned at the light, it started to downpour. I was drenched within seconds, so I figured I might as well keep going...I'm pretty sure at one point it was hailing. Strike 2. I made it home safely, though. Next time I need tofu for a recipe, I'm taking the car & buying several boxes!

This recipe is perfect to make ahead of time. We assembled the lasagna on Sunday afternoon & then put it in the refrigerator, covered, overnight. When I got home from work on Monday, I took off the lid & put it in the oven while it preheated. Once the oven was at 400, I set my timer & dinner was ready 45 minutes later! It's great for nights when you have other chores to do before dinner because there's no prep involved that day. I would assume that it could be frozen & then baked in a similar fashion, though baking time would increase.

Grilling the veggies adds so much flavor to this lasagna! I do not recommend skipping that step. It also helps keep the lasagna from getting overly wet as it bakes. I hope you try this & enjoy it! It's light, yet filling - perfect for a late summer evening.

Zucchini & Eggplant Lasagna - Vegan
Filling adapted from PBS Food Fresh Tastes Blog
Serves 6

2 medium zucchinis
1 large eggplant
3 c thick tomato sauce
1 16 oz. block extra firm tofu
1 T nutritional yeast
1 T olive oil
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp oregano
2-3 cloves garlic
4 c swiss chard (or spinach), coarsely chopped
garlic powder
Italian seasoning

Cut tofu into 4 pieces & press for at least 20 minutes.

Slice zucchinis & eggplant lengthwise into long strips, about 1/4" thick. Grill slices on a well-oiled grill at med-high for about 5 minutes per side or until browned.

In a blender, combine pressed tofu, nutritional yeast, olive oil, salt, oregano, & garlic. Blend until smooth. Add swiss chard & blend until only small pieces of swiss chard remain.

Preheat oven to 400*F. Spray a 9"x13" baking pan with cooking spray. Spread about 1/2 c sauce on the bottom of the pan. Lay a single layer of zucchini (about 1 of them) on the bottom. Cover with half of the tofu filling mixture. Sprinkle with garlic powder & Italian seasoning. Cover with sauce, about 1/2 to 1 cup. Layer with the eggplant slices. Top with remaining tofu filling & 1/2 to 1 cup of sauce. Sprinkle with more garlic powder & Italian seasoning, if desired. Place the remaining zucchini on top and cover with remaining sauce. Bake for 45 minutes or until bubbly.*

*Baking time is fairly flexible. I've increased the heat to 450 & baked for 45 minutes, so if you have something else to go in the oven also, it should bake nicely at 350 also, just bake it for an hour instead. All of the ingredients are cooked already, so baking it helps meld the flavors and heat everything evenly.

Roasted Garlic & Kale Spread

What if every night could be pizza night? I think it'd take me a pretty long time to get tired of pizza, especially with all of the varieties out there. We make 2 pizzas so that there are leftovers for lunches. One is always topped with bbq sauce, the Bup's favorite & a standard in our house. The other one is always different & I like to experiment a little.

I wanted to try carmelized onions & pears, but that got vetoed. :-( Maybe next time...

Instead, I made up a roasted garlic & kale spread, inspired by Ashley's Kale Pesto. We had 2 heads of garlic that were ready to sprout, so I roasted them before they went bad. Roasted garlic is fancy. The garlic turns creamy & spreadable after a short time in the oven., transforming it into a different food altogether.

We used the spread as a sauce on the pizza, but I can see it being great as a topper for baked potatoes or crusty bread, a spread in a sandwich/wrap, or mixed with pasta. I have some leftover to use!

Roasted Garlic & Kale Spread
Inspired by Ashley's Kale Pesto
Yield: about 1 cup

2 heads of garlic
1 tsp. olive oil
2 c kale, chopped (about 100g)
juice of 1 lemon
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/3 c roasted hazelnuts

Preheat oven to 350*F. Slice off the top of the garlic heads, to expose the tops of the cloves. Wrap each head seperately in aluminum foil & drizzle each head with 1/2 tsp. of olive oil. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until garlic is soft. Squeeze cloves out of the husks. Place garlic & remaining ingredients into a food processor or blender & blend until combined. I left mine with some chunks, but if preferred, continue to blend until smooth. Taste & add additional salt and/or pepper if desired. Store extra spread in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer for future use.

Cheezy Eggplant Bake

Did everyone survive the first of many holiday celebrations? I feel like Thanksgiving is always the kick off for an entire month of get-togethers & celebrating. It's a tasty step in the direction of Christmas, which is my all time favorite holiday.

Our aunt made a delicious butternut squash lasagna for Thanksgiving dinner & then sent us home with the leftovers! (Thanks! We've enjoyed every bite!)  As we were eating lunch on Saturday, the Bup had a great idea for a variation on the lasagna using eggplant & a pumpkin cheese sauce.

A few weeks ago, we discovered Angela's super delicious & creamy sauce that's cheesy in taste but very healthy & light. It's like a dream come true. We've had it on pasta twice so far, but I've never experimented further.

If you're a little iffy about eggplant, this probably isn't the recipe to kick off your love of the veggie. The flavor comes through & really compliments the cheesiness. You could substitute cooked noodles for the eggplant if that's more your style. Just try the sauce. It tasted even better after it baked & we loved this dish with all of its flavors & textures.

Spread out about 1/3 of the sauce in the bottom of the pan. Look at how creamy it is! You'd never know by looking at it that it's full of healthy nutrients. The main healthy components are pumpkin & nutritional yeast. Nutritional yeast is a relatively new ingredient in my cooking life & it's fantastic. It creates a yummy cheese flavor without all the fat, cholesterol & calories, plus it's a great vegetarian source of vitamin B12.

Lay half of the eggplant slices on top of the sauce.

Sprinkle with mushrooms & onions. (No onions are in the pictured version.) I think it would also be good to add some chopped bell pepper or broccoli to the mixture, but I haven't tried that so I can't guarantee how the flavors would meld.

Top with another layer of sauce & sprinkle with garlic powder, black pepper & Italian seasoning.

Layer with the rest of the eggplant.

Top with the remaining sauce. At this point, you can go several directions. You can leave it as is or top with Italian seasoning. If you're feeling adventurous, sprinkle 1/3 cup of panko breadcrumbs on top for an added crunch.

After a short bake & broil, the top turns golden brown.

My favorite thing about this dish is how the creaminess of the sauce combines with the chew of the eggplant. It was filling & full of flavor without weighing me down - it was the perfect combo after all the Thanksgiving eating!

Cheezy Eggplant Bake
Serves 2

1 small eggplant (or 1/2 of a large eggplant), thinly sliced into rounds
6 white mushrooms, chopped
1 small onion, sliced
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp.garlic powder
1 tsp. Italian seasoning, divided
1/3 c panko breadcrumbs, optional
Pumpkin Mac 'n Cheeze Sauce

Preheat oven to 375*F. Spray a 5"x7" pan with cooking spray & set aside. In a small skillet over medium heat, saute mushrooms and onions until they soften & begin to sweat. Spread about a third of the pumpkin sauce over the bottom of the prepared pan. Lay half of the eggplant slices in a single layer to cover sauce. Spread mushroom & onion mixture over eggplant. Pour half of remaining pumpkin sauce over the mixture. Sprinkle with black pepper, garlic powder, & 1/2 tsp. of Italian seasoning. Place remaining eggplant slices in a single layer on top of sauce & seasonings. Top with the rest of the pumpkin sauce & sprinkle with 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning & panko breadcrumbs, if desired. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove aluminum foil & bake for 20 minutes more. Place under broiler for 3-5 minutes to lightly brown the top, watching closely so that it does not burn. Let stand for 5 minutes before slicing. Serve hot.

Note: Once you assemble the dish, it can be stored in the refrigerator until you are ready to bake it. Do not place a cold glass pan into a preheated oven! If you are going straight from refrigerator to oven, place pan in oven to slowly warm while the oven is coming up to temperature. Once the oven comes to 375*F, then bake for 15 minutes before removing the foil.

Pineapple Tempeh Stir Fry

Does anyone ever get in the mood for green beans?

Me neither.

I mean, they're fine and everything, but I'd rather have broccoli. Or zucchini. Or eggplant. They're just not my first choice. I don't grow them in the garden, but we always have an abundant supply from family every year. The in-laws, my parents, and my grandparents all grow them and we end up with just the right amount. 

I run out of ways to cook them, and I have to keep things interesting or we get sick of them. We've roasted, grilled, steamed, stir-fried and made soup out of our green beans, but we needed a fresh taste to them.

They were delicious! Paired with the chewy tempeh and the sweet pineapple glaze, we greatly enjoyed what will probably be our last batch of green beans for the season. 

First, I made the marinade. I got the idea from the Orange Pan-glazed Tempeh on 101cookbooks.com. I made a lot of changes, the biggest of which was using pineapple juice instead of orange juice. 

Tempeh is a very nutritious protein source. 20g of protein per serving! The ingredients are also all recognizable, which is something I look for on a package. It has a slightly nutty taste and a chewy texture that we really like. 

Slice the tempeh block in half to make the pieces thinner. I cut it into 16 triangles, just to be fancy!

Pour the sauce over it and let it marinade for about half an hour. We went to the grocery store during that time, so it was probably a little longer, but I'd recommend at least 30 minutes for full flavor.

Remove the tempeh from the sauce and cook it up.

These are the green beans in their ice bath. I briefly steamed them and then dumped them in cold water to stop the cooking. 

Once the tempeh is done, use the same pan to crisp up the green beans. I like to get little brown bubbles on the sides of them from being against the hot pan.

Pour on the sauce. Please ignore my weird duck hand in this pic.

Add the tempeh and bring the sauce to a boil. Mmmmm! It smelled so good!

Pineapple Tempeh Stir Fry

Inspired by 101Cookbooks.com

Serves 2

1 8 oz. pkg. tempeh (any variety, I used Flax)

1 c pineapple juice

1/2 T minced garlic

1 T minced ginger

1 T tamari (or soy sauce)

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper

1/2-1 lb. fresh green beans, cleaned

Whisk together pineapple juice, garlic, ginger, tamari, and crushed red pepper. Slice tempeh into 1/4" thick pieces of your desired size. Lay in a single layer in a shallow dish. Pour sauce over tempeh and let marinade for 30 minutes. In the meantime, clean green beans and steam lightly. Submerge immediately into an ice water bath to stop the cooking. Remove tempeh from sauce, reserving sauce for later. In a hot skillet, cook tempeh until it begins to crisp, about 4-5 minutes per side. Remove tempeh from pan and set aside. Using the same skillet, cook green beans until they are heated through and the sides are slightly browned from the pan. Add tempeh and sauce and bring to a boil. Cook until sauce reduces by half, about 5 minutes. Serve immediately, drizzling any sauce left in pan over beans and tempeh.

Grilled Eggplant Sandwiches

If you ever want to eat a sandwich the size of your head, come on over. We'll dive right in and let the juices run down our arms. If you can open your mouth wide enough to bite into it, that is!

First you prep everything. Once the food gets on the grill, you want to be able to stay there. Or if you're lucky enough to have 2 people cooking, that works even better. The Bup does the grilling in our house, so I'm usually running in and out making sure he has everything.

See the small cuts all around the eggplant slices? They're very important. It'll taste the same whether you cut the skin or not, but it's a lot easier to eat if you take the time to cut it. 

Sprinkle the seasonings over the slices and get ready to grill. 

If you have seasonings left after you sprinkle one side, you can add them after you flip the slices on the grill.

Now for the toppings.

Crisp up the bread a little bit and then add eggplant. Next comes Mmmm Sauce (from Mama Pea), swiss chard, and sliced tomatoes.

You can vary your toppings. If you're a cheese lover, use that in place of the sauce. If you don't have swiss chard, use spinach. Some other great additions are mustard and/or half of a grilled bell pepper. We like the flavor combo here, but have had this sandwich with many variations and it's always delicious!

Add more eggplant and another slice of bread to complete the sandwich.

Stare it down. Don't be intimidated. Attack it with confidence and with a napkin at the ready.

Then sit back, sigh a little, and enjoy the meal!

Grilled Eggplant Sandwiches

Serves 2

1 medium eggplant

1 tsp Italian seasoning

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp salt

1 medium tomato, sliced

1 cup swiss chard, chopped (any green - spinach, lettuce, etc. - would work here)

4 T Mmmm Sauce (or mustard or sliced cheese, if preferred)

4 thick slices sourdough bread

cooking spray

Score the skin of the eggplant by using just the tip of the knife and dragging it from the stem to bottom of the eggplant. Make a cut about every 1/2" all the way around. Slice into 1/2" thick rounds and lay on a tray in a single layer. Mix Italian seasoning, garlic powder, black pepper and salt in a small bowl. Sprinkle evenly over the eggplant slices. Lightly spray grill rack with cooking spray and cook eggplant slices for about 5 minutes per side, or until grill marks appear. Meanwhile, toast bread on the top rack of the grill. Assemble sandwiches, layering 1 slice of bread, 2-3 eggplant slices, Mmmm Sauce, swiss chard, tomato, another 2-3 eggplant slices, and 1 slice of bread. There may be a few eggplant slices remaining, depending on the size of the eggplant. If so, serve on the side or reserve for future use.

Homegrown Tomatoes & A Quick Sauce Recipe

Twitter is always teaching me something. Someone that I follow always finds a great article or picture that interests me. I can't get enough of it!

Usually the things I learn are interesting and useful, maybe funny or slightly alarming, but it's rare that I read something that shocks me to the core.

This article about industrial tomatoes by Barry Estabrook from GiltTaste did. It shocked me like reading Skinny Bitch and watching Food, Inc. did. This is the factory farming of vegetables and harmful to all numbers of people. I'm pulling some (okay, a lot) of quotes from the article to share with you so that just in case you don't want to or have time to read it, you still know.

"Of all the fruits and vegetables we eat, none suffers at the hands of factory farming more than a tomato grown in the wintertime fields of Florida."

**I would love if you would read this information with an open mind. But if you don't have time or just aren't interested, there is a recipe at the end, so don't miss that!**



You're eating hard unripened tomatoes and paying for juicy ripe ones. Those lovely green tomatoes that you pick off your vines because you just can't wait another day are forced to turn red and then sold like they're the real deal. Fact: they're not going to drip with juice like the ones you wait for from the garden.

"It takes a tough tomato to stand up to the indignity of such industrial scale farming, so most Florida tomatoes are bred for hardness, picked when still firm and green (the merest trace of pink is taboo), and artificially gassed with ethylene in warehouses until they acquire the rosy red skin tones of a ripe tomato."

Why are we wasting so much money on something that tastes nothing like what it should? We don't buy unbaked brown bread and expect it to taste like a bake loaf. Tomatoes are no different.

"Americans bought $5 billion worth of perfectly round, perfectly red, and, in the opinion of many consumers, perfectly tasteless fresh tomatoes in 2009"

All that money for less nutrients and more sodium. What a deal!

"...fresh tomatoes today have 30 percent less vitamin C, 30 percent less thiamin, 19 percent less niacin, and 62 percent less calcium than they did in the 1960s. But the modern tomato does shame its 1960s counterpart in one area: It contains fourteen times as much sodium."

Just in case it wasn't a good enough deal, they're throwing in plenty of herbicides & pesticides for us, too.

"The U.S. Department of Agriculture has found residues of 35 pesticides on tomatoes destined for supermarkets."
"And although Florida's sandy soil makes for great beaches, it is devoid of plant nutrients. To get a successful crop, they pump the sand full of chemical fertilizers and can blast the plants with more than one hundred different herbicides and pesticides, including some of the most toxic in agribusiness's arsenal."

 Yikes!!

"Florida's tomato fields provide a stark example of what a food system looks like when all elements of sustainability are violated."

If we can get past the horrible taste, the money, and the pesticides, then we're hit with the poor treatment of the workers.

"Paid on a "piece" basis for every bushel-sized basket they gather, tomato pickers are lucky to earn 70 dollars on a good day." And apparently, these "good days" are very rare."

The Civil War was centuries ago. Those men fought and died to set things right in this country. We have no right to go back on that because we want a rock hard, tasteless tomato.

"When I asked Molloy if it was safe to assume that a consumer who has eaten a fresh tomato from a grocery store, fast food restaurant, or food-service company in the winter has eaten a fruit picked by the hand of a slave, he corrected my choice of words. "It's not an assumption. It is a fact.""

The Land of the Free.

"I began to see that the Florida tomato industry constitutes a parallel world unto itself, a place where many of the assumptions I had taken for granted about living in the United States are turned on their heads."

Not only do the companies not pay their workers proper wages & subject them to slave labor, but then this...

"Pesticides, so toxic to humans and so bad for the environment that they are banned outright for most crops, are routinely sprayed on virtually every Florida tomato field, and in too many cases, sprayed directly on workers, despite federally mandated periods when fields are supposed to remain empty after chemical application."

Change this. Of all the big tough decisions in life, it's easy to decide never to buy a grocery store tomato. Such a simple choice.

It is yours.

"...a real tomato's taste is the distilled essence of sun, warm soil, and fine summer days."

If you made it through all that, thank you for reading! This is something that is important to me and I want to be able to share my thoughts with you openly. I'm sure all this serious talk made you hungry (I am!), so I'm offering you a recipe for a quick sauce, easy to throw together after a day at work, especially when company is coming. It's also great for lunch leftovers throughout the week.



Quick Tomato Veggie Pasta
Serves 6-81 large yellow onion, chopped
1 medium patty pan squash, chopped
4 mushrooms, sliced (optional)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 c fresh basil, chopped
6 fresh tomatoes, any variety (I used long johns from our garden)
28 oz. canned crushed tomatoes (either home-canned or organic)
1/4 c ricotta cheese (optional)
1 lb. whole wheat rotelle (spiral) noodles

In a large non-stick pan, cook onions over medium-high heat until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add squash and cook 3-5 minutes more. If using mushrooms, add them now. Once squash starts to become translucent, add garlic, salt, pepper, oregano & basil. Stir to combine and then add fresh tomatoes. Cook until the juices from the tomatoes are bubbly. Add canned tomatoes and let simmer while preparing the noodles according to package directions. Stir occasionally. When noodles are done cooking, stir ricotta cheese, if using, into sauce. Drain noodles, combine with sauce and serve.

*Feel free to add other veggies, too. Eggplant or zucchini would be good substitutes for the squash. Bell peppers or hot peppers would be a great addition. Just throw them in with the onions.



Quick Tomato Veggie Pasta