Lentils with Chunky Marinara Sauce (vegan, gluten free)

Lentils with Chunky Marinara Sauce (vegan, gluten free)

We've been eating lentils quite a bit lately. While they have been a staple for some families for generations, I admit I did not know what to do with them aside from adding a handful into soup or tossing them into a stir fry. Lentils are quite versatile and have a meatiness to them. Full of protein and fiber, high in iron and folate, lentils are really cheap, too. Cooking dry lentils with a sauce gives them a rich flavour.

Lentils with Chunky Marinara Sauce brings lentils to one of the kids' favourite pasta dishes. Tangy tomato sauce, chunky vegetables, garlic, basil and oregano.... We served ours over homemade whole wheat fettuccine but rice or gluten free pasta would have been great, too.

For eight servings:

1 1/2 cups dry lentils
4 cups water
16 oz unsalted tomato sauce, either canned or homemade
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt or lite salt
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
1 tbsp minced garlic
1/2 red onion, chopped (or a whole one if your kids like onions)
3 stalks celery
4 small carrots, chopped

Put the lentils, water, tomato sauce, olive oil and seasonings into the pan to simmer and added the other vegetables as you chop them. As for cooking time, it could take between half an hour to forty-five minutes, depending on the lentils. (The brown ones seem to take longer than the red ones.)

Enjoy!






www.stealthymom.com

Thirty Minute Pizza (from scratch!)

Thirty Minute Pizza

Delivery pizza takes forty-five minutes. Homemade can take thirty. Delivered can cost twenty bucks a pie, including the tip. Homemade, even with high quality ingredients, costs a fraction of that. We typically have more choices for vegetable toppings than the local pizza joints.

Our secrets to a great pizza crust- crispy on the bottom yet tender and soft- without kneading or long proofing, are whole wheat flour and olive oil. (If you have only white flour, see this recipe.) Pans without holes in the bottom are essential.

While buying big blocks of cheese and grating it myself would save money, I wait for eight-ounce bags of grated cheese to go on sale so I can pop several in the freezer for occasions like pizza. In the summer, we make tomato sauce to freeze in eight-ounce containers. Small cans of plain tomato sauce also work in a pinch, so are useful to keep on hand.

For one large fourteen-inch pizza crust:

All-Purpose Tomato Sauce

All-Purpose Tomato Sauce

Last summer, I came across a great buy on tomatoes at the farmer's market. Some became pizza sauce, some became pasta sauce, and some were simply peeled, popped into ziplocks and frozen. We gobbled up all of little eight-ounce containers of pizza sauce rather quickly, since we eat pizza at least every week. The pasta sauce was also eaten up. We came to the last of the tomatoes in the freezer, about six quarts' worth, so I decided to make an all-purpose, plain tomato sauce with it. That way it could be seasoned up for pasta, pizza, or even homemade BBQ sauce.

To prepare 10-12 pounds (5-6 quarts) of fresh or frozen tomatoes...

Blend them up whole. The post originally had instructions to peel the tomatoes. Skip it and just blend them up whole. Just be sure to wash them and cut off any bad parts first.

Simmer in your crock pot until reduced.  There is no need to add water; just put the lid on, turn on the crock pot and walk away. For a ten-pound batch, all day (or night) on high is just right.

(If your tomatoes did not all fit in, blend up and add more as the sauce reduces.)

Blend the Sauce Again.  Even though the tomatoes were blended, the sauce will get lumpy as it cooks. Allow the sauce to cool, then blend it again, batch by batch.

[Season. I left this batch plain to be seasoned as needed. If you intend to use the sauce for pasta, you can add sauteed onions, peppers, carrots, or mushrooms at this point. You can also add oregano, marjoram, basil, garlic... Remember that the sauce will reduce so if you plan to add salt wait until you have the final volume.]

Portion and freeze. If you are using plastic containers, cool the sauce down first. Don't ask me what I know about melting plastic containers with hot sauce because I will admit to nothing. I find eight-ounce portions to be just right. If you are making enchiladas or lasagna, you can take out and thaw as many as you need.

Thaw as needed. For spaghetti, saute carrots, peppers, onions, mushrooms, and fresh garlic in olive oil. You can add ground grassfed beef or a bit of romano or parmesan cheese, too. Season with oregano, marjoram, basil, parsley, and garlic as you wish, then add the plain tomato sauce and simmer as long as you have time for. Salt as needed.

For pizza, pour the sauce over the prepared crust and sprinkle seasonings right over top before adding other toppings. Oregano and basil, garlic, onion powder... Sometimes we blend up plain tomato sauce with spinach to make Monster Pizza.

I shared this post with these natural food link-ups:  Meatless Mondays, Real Food 101, Make Your Own Monday!  Monday Mania, Fat Tuesday,  Real Food Wednesday, and Simple Lives Thursday.

www.stealthymom.com