Immunity Boosting Tomato Sauce with Mushrooms

… is the name that Angela Liddon gives this recipe. I'll just call it  My FAVOURITE Pasta Sauce.

 I seem to give points to a recipe that is easy to make, but tastes like it took hours. This one gets a 9/10. It really is fast, but it doesn't compromise on flavour. If you have a half hour- you've got this one on the table.

Note: I did make some changes to the recipe. I added about 3 rather than 6 tbs of tomato paste (we prefer a thinner sauce, with less intense flavour). And 1 tbs of chia seeds to thicken- just right.

I scrimped on the salt but we added it to our own dishes after. Next time I would add about 3/4 tsp. Also, the full amount of red pepper flakes for a little kick.

I didn't add the lentils.

For the noodles- This was the first time I've cooked zucchini noodles. For the first batch, I made them with the blade that produced the thinnest noodle, and cooked them about 6 minutes. They were basically mush after I drained them, so I just added them to the pasta sauce. The next batch had the bigger noodle blade, and cooked them for half the time. Perfect.

The dish is light and refreshing served on the zucchini. We both loved it!

 Recipe from Cookbook: Oh She Glows by Angela Liddon:

IMMUNITY-BOOSTING TOMATO SAUCE WITH MUSHROOMS

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 sweet onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

8 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced

1/2 cup packed fresh basil, chopped

1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes, including juices

6 to 8 tablespoons tomato paste

1/2 to 1 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt

1 and 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper (optional)

2 tablespoons chia seeds (optional)

1 cup cooked lentils (optional) (I used yellow peas)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a large saucepan, warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic then stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper then sauté for 5 to 6 minutes, until the onion is translucent.
2. Stir in the mushrooms and turn heat to medium-high. Cook for an additional 5 to 10 minutes, until most of the liquid released from the mushrooms has cooked off.
3. Add the basil, canned tomatoes and their juices, tomato paste, salt, oregano and thyme then stir to combine. Next, add the red pepper flakes, chia seeds, and split peas or lentils, if desired, and stir to combine.
4. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer while stirring every so often. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes and serve over pasta.

Notes

I used 6 zucchinis to make enough pasta for the sauce.

Recipe from The Oh She Glows Cookbook

Almond Butter Rice Crisp Treats

I had some brown crispy rice cereal in the pantry begging to be used up, so I went hunting for a recipe and when I saw the Angela Liddon (Oh She Glows) site- I looked no more.

This is a really easy recipe that sets up in no time. I used peanut butter and it was delicious too. I missed the part about using 1/4 cup of chocolate chips (instead of 1/2 cup) if you want to drizzle it rather than spread it all over the top - so next time will definitely use that lesser amount.

This is light, crispy square just right for sweetness and over all yumminess. I could eat the whole pan which is why I'm kinda glad I used up all the cereal in this batch!

e.n.j.o.y.

Link to the recipe is found below.

Link to the recipe:

http://bit.ly/1Vvzg4h

Rice Casserole with Lentils

 I bought the book "From Forks to Knives" a couple months ago, but haven't made many of the recipes so decided to try a couple. I was in the mood for a casserole that included lots of vegetables and some beans. This one had it all. I used quinoa penne as the base, and it was very nice.

Word of caution- it does take time to make! Soaking the lentils and making each layer individually was time consuming, as was the clean up afterwards since many pots were required. However, the dish turned out so well, cut beautifully, flavours were complimentary and it was even better a day or two after I made it.

This is dish that is perfect for a large crowd or pot luck. I don't know how well it would freeze, so decided not to take the chance.

I will make again for sure.

The link for the recipe is posted below.

http://bit.ly/1GmsDuh