Whenever I make up my menus, I ask my kids and my husband if they have any requests. Tonight's dinner was a request from my eldest son, Avery. He loves tomatoes. He doesn't just love them, he looovessss them! If he had to eat only one thing for the rest of the life, it would be pasta with a tomato based sauce, done any way... just as long as it focuses on tomatoes! Needless to say, he was a happy boy tonight. Actually, both of my boys had second helpings. Oh, growth spurts! It's only going to get worse, isn't it?
I got the recipe for the greek salad from my friend Cara a few years ago. It's a favourite around here, so we eat it pretty regularly. I don't add olives to our greek salad since there is only one of us who likes them (Kyle), but feel free to add them to your salad. The muffins are adapted from a recipe in Moosewood Restaurant's Low Fat Favorites Cookbook. My friend Dylan bought me one of the Moosewood cookbooks for my birthday years ago, and I now own most of them! Love them!
Tomato Based Pasta Sauce
2 large cans (680 ml) of tomato sauce
1 large can of tomato paste (369 ml)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
15 cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 large carrot, sliced
1 bell pepper (I use whatever I have on hand - today was half of a red and half of a yellow)
1 medium zucchini, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
2 tbsp oregano
pinch crushed red chilies
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
freshly ground black pepper
In a large pot, saute the onion and mushrooms in the olive oil until soft. Add the remaining ingredients, and stir to combine. Simmer for at least an hour so the flavours can blend and the vegetables are tender.
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Lentil Balls
1 19 oz can lentils, fully rinsed and drained, and mashed
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 large clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup cooked baby spinach
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1 egg, beaten
splash of soy sauce
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp basil
Preheat oven to 350.
Mix all the ingredients in a bowl, form into 2 inch balls, and place on a baking sheet. Cook for about 20 minutes until they are browned and crispy.
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Greek Salad
2 romaine hearts, ripped into bite sized pieces
1/2 long english cucumber, chopped
15 grape tomatoes, cut in half
1/2 red onion, very thinly sliced
handful of pepperoncini peppers, seeded and chopped finely
1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
Dressing:
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup olive oil
juice of 1 large lemon
a pinch of allspice
coarse salt & black pepper, to taste
In a glass measuring cup, cover the garlic with oil and microwave on high for 30 seconds. Whisk in lemon juice, allspice, salt and pepper. Toss evenly into salad and serve.
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Urban Cheese Muffins
(It's actually Herb & Cheese, but my daughter thought I said Urban, so it stuck!)
1 cup unbleached flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup cornmeal
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 whole egg
1 egg white
1 cup buttermilk
3 tbsp chopped chives
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp dried dill
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp canola oil
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
Preheat oven to 350.
Spray down 12-cup muffin tray with cooking oil.
Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cornmeal and brown sugar together in a large bowl.
In a seperate bowl beat the egg and egg white. Add buttermilk, chives, mustard, dill, garlic, thyme, pepper and oil. Add the grated cheese, reserving some of it for the top of the batter.
Mix the wet ingredients into the dry and stir until evenly moist.
Scoop into the muffin cups and top with a small amount of grated cheddar cheese.
Bake for 20 minutes.
Sounds yummy! :)
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