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Tomato Sauce + No More Canned Tomatoes

Posted on 9.20.11 by karla

Good morning everyone! So, pasta. It is always the go-to choice for dinner when we don’t want to complicate ourselves, or we don’t have much time. You just throw in the pasta in a pot of boiling water and add one of those {yucky} pasta sauces out of a glass jar. OK so I have to accept some of them are not yucky, they might actually taste good, but honestly – they are not healthy at all.

Today I am sharing one of the recipes I use often for a quick and very tasty pasta sauce. It is very simple, yet the basil and the truffle oil add a unique exquisiteness.

Now, a small health recommendation: don’t use canned tomatoes for this recipe. I used to be a fan of the 365 Everyday Value organic chopped tomato cans from Whole Foods. However, I recently discovered even their cans contain BPA. Whole Foods is doing what they can to push packaging companies to change this, but it’s not easy – so they are, for most of their cans, stuck with BPA in their lining. You can read more about this issue here.

So, if you also buy canned tomatoes like I used to do, please switch to tetra pack – which is BPA free and recyclable, or better yet, use fresh tomatoes. If you go for the tetra pack version, I recommend Pomi’s or Trader Joe’s.

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Posted in Recipes { Sauces and Jams } | Tagged health tips, recipes, sauces | 2 Comments

{ Almost } Sugar-Free Mango Jam

Posted on 9.2.11 by karla

You still don’t know this (but you will eventually realize), but my grandmother was a fantastic cook. When she was young, she and my grandfather lived in a ranch in Northern Mexico, where they grew all sorts of fruits. With so many fresh ingredients right at hand (and let’s face it – they were practically in the middle of no-man’s land) my grandma made everything from jam, to bread, to ice cream. She not only made it – she made it de-li-cious, and she even wrote two cookbooks. A copy of one of them is sitting in my kitchen (and is one of my most beloved treasures), and the other one got lost in time (sadly, we cannot find it).

My mom always tells me about the delicious jam my grandma made – and I believe that recipe was lost in that book we cannot find. Oh, what I would give for that recipe!

So without my grandma to lead me step by step in the jam making process, I was left to explore. And after reading about pectin and jam and canning, I kind of made this recipe up, and I have to say, it turned out pretty good. It’s yummy and it’s almost sugar-free! (and I say almost because it obviously contains the sugar in the mangoes). Tip: pair with cheese.

NOTE: This jam is made to be served fresh. No canning, no pectin. Maybe you can store it for a couple of days – so don’t make a lot (unless you have guests, or are ready to eat a lot of jam).

Almost Sugar-Free Mango Jam

Makes about 13 oz.

You Need:

4 cups ripe mangos
2 cups sugar (if you want the reduced sugar version, used granulated Splenda)
2 limes – juiced
Lime zest (a few strips, to taste)
Fresh mint leaves (to taste)

To Prepare:

1. Chop and mash mangoes. You can leave the fruit as chunky as you want. I don’t puree it because I like a texture in my jam.

2. Place fruit in a pot, and add sugar (or granulated Splenda), lime juice, lime zest and fresh mint leaves. Do not chop the mint leaves. I like being able to take them out once the jam is ready.

3. Bring to a boil and leave in medium heat for about 30-35 minutes. You will see the jam slowly thicken.

4. Once you see the jam reach a jam-like consistency, remove from the heat. Don’t let it overcook – it will stiffen up.

5. Let it cool, remove lime zest, mint leaves and enjoy.