27 replies to this topic

[tree23]

I did this because I'm trying to make it a habit to have some lycopene on a daily basis to protect my skin from the sun and because it's anti-androgen, but don't want to have pasta very often. Costco had an organic sauce 4 jars for about $9. Other than the use of soy bean oil rather than olive, there's nothing on the ingredient list but the same foods I'd put in a sauce if I made it at home.

What do you eat to get lycopene when you don't eat tomato? I too am trying to make sure I eat UV protecting foods every day. I am very white and live in Florida...haha.

My favorite way to eat cooked tomato is as the sauce on top of a delicious home-made pizza. I get millet & flax pizza crusts that are made in a bakery specializing in gluten-free products in the next city over. I realize many people don't have access to such awesome places. They are SO good though. I like to cover them in tomato sauce (always different types), sprinkle red pepper flakes, garlic and onion powder, maybe some kinda seasoning if I use a bland sauce, and top with mozzarella and spinach. I'm working on adding more veggies to my pizza, but I like it with just the ones I mentioned sooo much! ooh just remembered I add diced tomato on top too. yum

Edited by tree23, 08 June 2010 - 07:43 PM.

[spectacled_owl]

Stuffed Peppers have to be one of my favorite, easy things to make.

(Please excuse my lack of measurements - I usually just wing it)

Preheat oven to ~400 degrees F

Start with a green pepper (or any color!) and cut the top off. Save the top. Clean out the inside and remove the seeds. Set aside.

Next chop up some veggies of your choice. I like spinach, tomatoes, mushrooms, and onions the best. Put all your chopped veggies in a bowl and hand toss them with oil. (I like avocado oil) Sometimes I toss in some parmesan or romano cheese too. Set the veggies aside.

Now I take some tomatoes and smush them in a saucepan to make sauce. I simmer them on low to med-low with some garlic and I like to add some hot pepper for a kick, yum. Also add some basil or oregano to taste. I simmer for ~10 minutes. Turn the heat off.

Now I add my chopped veggies to the saucepan and mix it together so they are coated in the tomato sauce. Fill your peppers with the veggie/sauce mix and throw a little more oil on the outside of the peppers if you like, and some in the bottom of a baking dish. Put the caps back on the peppers and bake them for ~20 mins. (my oven is crazy though so pay attention and you could need more or less time)

That's it! You can also add some cooked hamburger.

[spectacled_owl]

A decadent, healthy dessert - Chocolate Mousse

Basically the less sugar you use in this recipe, the better! Make sure to use a low GI sweetener too - my favorite is coconut or palm sugar. (the only place I have ever found palm or coconut sugar is Whole Foods or online, but don't be afraid to shop around.) You can also use Stevia.

Now you're gong to need about 200g of chocolate. How sweet your chocolate is will determine how much, if any, sugar you need to add. I like Ghirardelli 100% cacao, which has no sugar. Try to use at least 60% cacao, remember the less sugar the better!

Ingredient List

200g chocolate
3 eggs
splash of vanilla
4oz warm water
sweetener of choice (optional)
cacao nibs (optional)
heavy cream (optional)

Start by taking a saucepan and filling it with about an inch of water. Now find a glass or metal bowl that can fit over the saucepan without touching the water and without being TOO big
Place your chocolate and warm water in the bowl over the water. Put the heat on low to low-med and the chocolate will begin to melt. Make sure you watch it! There's nothing worse than dried out burnt chocolate...ew. It's ready when it looks like a nice smooth paste. Remove from heat and set aside to cool a bit.

Now you'll need a small bowl and a bigger mixing bowl. Separate your eggs so that the yolks are in the small bowl and the whites are in the big bowl. Whisk the yolks together and if you are adding some sugar, add it to the yolks now. Set these aside.

Now take your egg whites and beat them until they cry. er, form stiff peaks
This is easily accomplished with an electric mixer but it can be done by hand. You just vigorously whisk the whites until they form stiff peaks (this means that it's thick enough to stay on the back of a spoon but not so stiff that it falls apart) If you do it by hand, you will probably get pretty tired

Anyway - once the whites are ready your chocolate should be cool enough. Whisk the egg yolks into the chocolate and then this is the trickiest part. You fold the egg whites very carefully into the chocolate. DO NOT STIR as this will flatten the egg whites. Try to just gently fold them in. This takes some patience, I know, but it pays off in the end. Once they're mixed in you can transfer the chocolate mousse into some small dessert dishes or a big bowl if you are lazy heh.

The mousse needs to set in the fridge for 2 hours. Then enjoy!

You can also whip some fresh cream for a topping. Just take a metal mixing bowl and pop it in the freezer for about 20 mins. Take it out and put some sweetener and vanilla in the bottom, then pour some heavy cream over it. Make sure to use heavy cream, not light or half and half. Now beat it with an electric mixer (or again by hand if it didn't fall off from the egg whites) and whip until it looks like whipped cream.

Top your mousse with the cream and sprinkle on some cacao nibs for a nice fancy looking and yummy treat.

[joris]

Also, now that they are in season and you can probably get local and even organic cheap, an easy way to use fresh tomatoes for sauce is to cut in half, then grate them cut side first into a bowl. You end up leaving the peel behind which is usually desired in tomato sauce. That Spanish chef with the PBS show demonstrated this on Martha Stewart.

You can also freeze fresh tomatoes with little effort for use in future sauces. Just cut them in usable chunks and you can spread them out on a dish or cookie sheet to freeze, then put them in freezer bags. And when they defrost, you can easily pick off the skins.

Why do you only buy them canned out of season? And why? Because they are expensive or because they are picked to early?

And what to do with the insides of the tomato? I want to make tomato sauce + pasta + meat balls for 3-4persons. How much tomatos will I have to use?
And can i coock the sauce with the meat balls after the meat balls are nice and brown or will I have to prepare it seperate?

[alternativista]

Why do you only buy them canned out of season? And why? Because they are expensive or because they are picked to early?

The issue is with the cans, not the tomatoes. The acidity of the tomatoes make it one of the worst for leaching BPA from the lining. If you can get them in jars, then they are great.

And what to do with the insides of the tomato? I want to make tomato sauce + pasta + meat balls for 3-4persons. How much tomatos will I have to use?
And can i coock the sauce with the meat balls after the meat balls are nice and brown or will I have to prepare it seperate?

I don't know how many tomatoes you'll need. You'll have to look for a tomato sauce recipe and see what it says. You may be able to cook the sauce after the meatballs are browned, but it depends on how much of a long simmered taste you want in your sauce. I personally prefer a fresh taste.

[joris]

ok thanks , im gonna try that tommorow.

[sarahyoung75]

Seafood is one of the best foods in the world. You need to cook the fish until it is flaky but still firm. Cook Shrimp until it changes to a pinkish color and crab or lobster based on the size and cooking style. Follow the good recipe book. In general rule cook fish 10 minutes per inch thickness, turning it halfway through the cooking process. Avoid over cooking any seafood as it become tough and very bland.

[alternativista]

sarahyoung75, on 19 April 2012 - 01:37 AM, said:

Seafood is one of the best foods in the world. You need to cook the fish until it is flaky but still firm. Cook Shrimp until it changes to a pinkish color and crab or lobster based on the size and cooking style. Follow the good recipe book. In general rule cook fish 10 minutes per inch thickness, turning it halfway through the cooking process. Avoid over cooking any seafood as it become tough and very bland.

Except that many shrimp/prawn, possibly most, are pink when raw so the pink tip won't help. Gulf white are the only that I know of that are grey until cooked. It's when they start to curl into a C, but before the curl all the way up at which point they are over cooked.