Before I talk about “the best tomato sauce you have ever tasted in your life,” let me share today’s food awesomeness with you. The day began with Trader Joe’s crumpets with the last of my friend’s homemade jam (booooo). I might have had a red velvet cupcake to help wash down breakfast. For a mid-morning snack, I made my first Green Monster! I couldn’t believe how good it was! It didn’t taste like spinach at all. If I wasn’t looking at it in all its glorious greenness, I would have said it was a banana smoothie.
1 cup vanilla almond milk
1 banana
2 handfuls spinach
1 tbsp chia seeds
1 tbsp almond butter
3 ice cubes
For lunch, I made Amanda’s Garbanzo Bean and Goat Cheese Salad. I modified the recipe slightly, using a three bean mix from Trader Joe’s. My proportions were off, with too much goat cheese and too much liquid (I drained the beans but didn’t rinse since they were marinated). It was still yummy, but next time I need to use drier beans and less cheese.
Afternoon snack was a sliced Gala apple and snickerdoodle hummus. Delish!
For dinner, we had Chicken Casablanca in Grilled Pitas from Let’s Dish. It was super good, and I drizzled it with my new obsession, Balsamic Glaze. Served with leftover haricots verts and potatoes.
Okay, okay, so what is this about “the best tomato sauce you have ever tasted in your life”? My friend told me about it. She told me it was easy to make. Easy = key. The blog this recipe came from is interesting to say the least. And claiming your pasta sauce recipe is the best ever is alarmingly confident. But with a promise of easy and delicious pasta sauce, I had to at least try!
Ten tomatoes cut in half and put in a plastic bag:
Two bell peppers, cut in half, de-seeded, added to bag:
Drizzle with olive oil, balsamic glaze, and salt:
Put in the oven at 250 degrees:
Oh, and I also quartered an onion and put it in there after I took this picture. I left the veggies in the oven for about 3.5 hours. I totally forgot to take a photo of the veggies when I removed them from the oven. They were gloriously roasted. Added some fresh basil, dried oregano, and put it all in the food processor.
The verdict? Undecided. Husband and I both tasted it and agreed it is very sweet. I can really taste the bell peppers. Husband was tempted to spice it up a bit, but I asked him to leave it alone until tomorrow, let the flavors set first. If it’s still super sweet and bland tomorrow, we’ll add some more herbs and spices.
UPDATE 2/17: It didn’t get any better overnight. I am thinking my proportions were off. Or perhaps this sauce just doesn’t work for me. It’s a shame because my friend (who has very good taste and is usually right) swears by this recipe. I will try it again.
Do you make your own pasta sauce?
How about green smoothies? Have any good recipes for those? I’m very excited to try some more varieties.
what the front door?!?! 
I am glad you tried the salad! But I am more interested in your chicken casablanca!! That looks amazing!!
I keep meaning to get spinach so I can make some green smoothies and I keep forgetting! Sometimes I will get a cantaloupe or honeydew and cut it all up in chunks and freeze it and add to my green smoothies, that’s one of my favorite spring/summer combos. Pineapple is also really good mixed in.
We usually always make our own sauce-and it’s very similar to yours!!! YUM!
How amazing are Green Monsters???! I had one this morning 🙂 It’s a *little* warmer here in DC so I’m pretending it’s spring 😉
Bleh green monsters are not my thing!!!! Your’s does look tasty but I can’t stomach the idea. Maybe someday….
I usually buy a tomato base and then add a milion things to it. So it’s half my own and half out of a can.
I love green smoothies! (You can find some variations on my recipe page.)
The tomato sauce looks devine! I haven’t made any for a long time because I didn’t eat pasta anymore (wheat …), but I’m going to try some gluten-free pasta and then have a tomato sauce like this with it!
I haven’t tried a green monster either, I’m a bad blogger! hehe
My hubby is a pro at sauce, his Mom is Italian and that stuff is off the hook! I think the key to his is browing meatballs & sausage then cooking the sauce in all that goodness.
I love green smoothies!
And we just made homemade spaghetti sauce on Monday night. Added some cream cheese and it was so good!
I just made my first Green Monster last week! I used flax seeds but I’ve been curious about chi seeds. Going to have to get my hands on some of those!
This basic pomodoro sauce was featured in RW a few months ago. It is really easy and tastes amazing! I make a big batch and freeze most of it. If you try it be sure and get the San Marzano tomatoes, they really do make a difference.
http://www.runnersworld.com/article/1,7124,s6-242-303–13646-0,00.html
Ohhhh, I miss green smoothies! I’ve been house-sitting for my parents all week and my blender is, of course, still at my actual house across town 😦 I’m going to eat nothing but smoothies all next week 😉 One of my favourites is frozen banana, frozen pineapple, coconut milk (the thick rich kind from a can), spinach, vanilla extract, and some sweetener if desired. SO GOOD 🙂
I’ve never made my own pasta sauce before- I’m so lazy! This looks really simple and delicious. I’ll have to try it soon!
Pingback: Triumphant Return to C25K | Merf In Progress
I’ll have to try wheatberries like that, I have still never had them!
Also, I love green monsters! I usually use a little bit of soymilk, some ice, lots of spinach and various kinds of fruit to sweeten it up. I have used green pears which were great, I tried half an apple which was okay and most recently I have used a large handful of the frozen mixed berries from Trader Joes which was my favorite of all I think.
Pingback: Q1 2011 Performance Review | Merf In Progress