I have to admit I have tried so many batches of tomato sauce. For some reason I could never seem to get it just perfect. So one day my loving mother in law shared her secret recipe with me which is now not so secret since I am sharing with all of you but it is so delicious and fool proof that I can’t resist! The hardest part is waiting for it to simmer to perfection 

3 28 oz cans of diced tomatoes
3 cloves garlic
2 yellow onions chopped small
3/4 empty tomato can of water
1 can tomato paste
2 Tbsp Basil
1 Tbsp Oregano
1 Tbsp Summer savory
2 Tbsp organic cane sugar

Add all ingredients and cook on low 4-5 hours

*Optional add in 2 C dehydrated TVP in the last 30 minutes to make it a meat sauce (see http://livecleaneatgreen.com/?p=440 )

Slow Cooker Method:

Add all ingredients except TVP and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Add TVP in in the last 30 minutes. TVP will be ready within 5 but I like to keep it in the sauce longer so it can absorb as much flavor as possible.

Noodle Stroganoff

I stumbled on this recipe in reception area while I was waiting for an appointment one day and did the all familiar "quiet rip" out of a magazine. It was a recipe from Better Homes & Garden for a beef noodle toss. I have adapted it to make it vegan and this was delicious for when you are craving that hearty pasta dish. It's a definite "home run" as Chris put it!

3 Tofurkey sausages sliced
2 Tbsp whole wheat flour
1 tbsp olive oil
1 pint of grape tomatoes
6 C sliced white mushrooms
4 cloves minced garlic
14 oz of low sodium vegetable broth
1/4 C soy milk

Lightly dust sausage in flour & fry until brown in olive oil

Add tomatoes & cook for about 5 minutes

Add mushrooms & garlic

Add in broth & bring to a boil. Which milk & flour together & slowly add to broth for about 10 minutes until thickened

Add in some pepper & optional hot sauce to spice it up! Mix in lasagna noodles & coat well with mixture. Serve!

Savory Fruit Salad

Fruit salad is oh so yummy but sometimes you want a equally inviting sauce to coat the fruits instead of just the juice from the fruits! This is a classic twist on a basic fruit salad but the dressing makes it irresistible!

Fruit Used:
2 apples
1 carton of strawberries
2 grapefruit
2 oranges
2 bananas
Sauce:
4 T flour
4 T honey
3 C orange juice

Whisk orange juice & flour together until there are no clumps. Add in honey & bring to a boil cooking for about 5 minutes or until sauce thickens. Let cool for a few minutes. You can pour on while warm but not too hot as it will break down the fruit. Add to fruit bowl & allow to sit in the fridge for 30 minutes before eating to set!

Moist Blueberry Oat Muffins

Baking is something I rarely do but I am going to start incorporating some recipes into this site. My first mission was blueberry muffins! I made little mini versions of these delightful treat which turned out to be very moist & yummy! I think next time I will put just a little bit more honey to sweeten it up some more!

1/2 C Honey
1/2 C Apple sauce
1/2 t vanilla
1/2 C milk (i used soy)
2 t egg replacer
1 t baking soda
2 C whole wheat flour
1/2 C quick rolled oats
1/4 C canola oil
2 C frozen blueberries

Melt the honey in the microwave. Add in applesauce & stir well

In a seperate bowl add all dry ingredients except egg replacer

Mix egg replacer with a little bit warm water & shake in container until lumps are gone. Add to honey mixture & then to the dry ingredients

Gently mix in the blueberries

Grease a muffin pan & spoon in then bake @ 350 F for about 15-20 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean

Serve as a bite sized snack or with maple syrup drizzled on them!

Red Pepper & Artichoke Dip

Recently I had a potluck at work and I have to admit that for one of the first times ever I didn't feel like making anything. The thought of buying something didn't quite jump at me as a great idea either. So I opened one of y favorite cookbooks (The Vegan Table) and started skimming pages. I opened the book to where I had bookmarked it and clearly forgotten about it and this recipe for roasted red pepper walnut spread was there! So I decided to make a variation of this since I didn't have most of the ingredients. It was a hit at the potluck & the texture is similar to hummus so I will definitely be making this again in the future as a quick snack!

1 C Walnuts
1/4 C red pepper spread
3 1/4 piece of artichokes
1 T agave nectar or honey
1 T olive oil
1/2 C water
2 T tomato paste
Salt & Pepper to taste
1 t red chili paste or red pepper flakes
1 garlic clove minced
parsley for garnish

Add walnuts, garlic red pepper spread & artichokes to food processor & blend. Add remaining ingredients with water until it is smooth

Serve as a dip for veggies or chips or as a pate on a sandwich

Cajun Burgers

I have tried a lot of recipes for home made burgers. I don't mind the store bought one's but they are really processed & there can be a lot of preservatives in them. So I have tried many recipes & tried making many recipes but this one is the best one so far! This recipe calls to bake them but I usually bake them halfway so they will stay together and then put them on the BBQ with some sauce!

1 C dried TVP
1 C Oats
1/4 C fried onion crispies (optional)
1 tsp cajun spice
1 diced onion
3 tbsp flour
3 tbsp BBQ sauce & 1 tbsp ketchup

Rehydrate TVP with hot water by following instructions. While waiting dice onions & set aside & mix all dry ingredients together

Once TVP is hydrated mix with dry ingredients & onions

Form into patties with hands or spread the mix onto baking sheet & cut with the top of a small bowl (like with a cookie cutter). I use stoneware because it doesn't stick & you don't have to turn anything!

Bake for 20-30 minutes @ 375 C or until desired consistency is achieved & serve! I paired this with Pesto Tomato Quinoa

Moroccan Stew

A few weeks ago I was flipping thorough TV channels and stumbled on this recipe with chicken in it. It looked so yummy & easy to make so I decided I was going re-create it. I usually don't use cinnamon in main dishes so this recipe intrigued me with it's hearty vegetables & how easy it looked to make. I can't say I have ever enjoyed raisins but the white one's are great in something like this because they add a natural sweetness without adding the sugar!

1 yellow onion chopped
1 carrots chopped
2 small zucchini's chopped
2 C canned or cooked chickpeas rinsed
1 28 oz can of diced tomatoes
2 garlic cloves minced
1/2 C white raisins
salt to taste
1 jalapeno (optional)
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 C water or vegetable stock

Add onion, jalapeno & carrot to a pan with a tablespoons water & cook until softened (about 5 minutes).

Add the zucchini, garlic, cinnamon, turmeric, salt

Add tomatoes & stock or water

Simmer on low for about 20 minutes

If you are eating with rice put your rice on now

Add raisins and chickpeas & cook for 5  more minutes

Serve over rice, couscous or by itself as a stew!