Week of August 14th, 2022
Last week I was walking the packing floor and I was drawn to all the local tomatoes that are coming. As a lazy cook or efficient (I will let you decide) I love to make one pot everything and occasionally 2 pots, but mostly I am interested in eating well and with as minimal clean up as possible.
Around our home there is always lots of cut-up vegetables and fruit available. By prepping vegetables, the kiddos and adults gravitate towards them. It is an excellent strategy to get more veggies into our diets and family’s diet. Add some hummus and a quick nutritious snack or meal can be had.
All the vegetables are kicking in right now and when I saw the tomatoes from our farm and others on the packing line, I loaded up. I grabbed cherry tomatoes, Roma tomatoes, basil, Italian parsely, onions and garlic and head for the kitchen. Lunch was in the works.
I could hardly contain my excitement. I prepped the onions and garlic, added olive oil and sauteed them, Then I added the cherry tomatoes whole and the halved the Romas. It was those Romas that first caught my eye, red, firm and beautiful and right next to them we equally vibrant cherry tomatoes. After the onions and garlic were turning translucent, I added all the tomatoes, and let them sauté for a few minutes, then tossed in a hand full of Basil and Parsley, added a ¼ cup of water brought it all to a boil and then set it to simmer for a few hours. The whole office smelt heavenly.
Next, I poured all ingredients into a Vitamix to blend it and then added it back to a skillet of Italian sausage to continue to simmer. Time for a flavor check, Yum! The last item to prep was the Pasta and add it all together. 2 pots to clean and we are done. Super healthy, super nutritious, and super easy to clean up!
Cooking simple and flavorful dishes is my goal. And with fruit for smoothies and vegetables for soups, stews or sauces I can feed our team quick and healthy meals. And I always try to make enough for the next day, too. But more often than not, it all seems to disappear.