This is a super tasty and versatile sauce you can prepare at home quickly and easily. It tastes a thousand times better than anything out of a jar or can plus you get the added benefit of knowing exactly what's in it and the quiet joy and pride you feel for making it yourself!
I love to have it on Quinoa with some baby spinach leaves and walnuts.. but it's also really yummy on pasta or zucchini noodles (zoodles).. you could even use it for a pizza sauce i guess.. or water it down a bit and eat it as a soup!
to make one batch (you might want to double it and keep it in the fridge or freezer) I use
4 red tomatoes
2 red bell peppers
1 onion
small handfull of pine nuts
1 or 2 cloves of garlic
a little chili (if you like a little spice.. or leave it out if not)
a slightly extravagant drizzle of olive oil..
fresh herbs (i usually throw in a good handful of basil leaves.. a little rosemary, parsley.. i don't mean to sound all simon & garfunkel.. but sage and thyme are great too)
juice of half a lemon
salt and cracked black pepper to taste.
*a little note on the herbs.. As you're probably going to be doing more cooking at home during the Diet Bet (and beyond?), I would really recommend getting some potted herbs to sit on your window sil or balcony or somewhere they might catch some sunlight.. It's such a beautiful feeling to cook with fresh herbs and get inspired by the tastes and fragrances.. and also beautiful to have the life of them.. the green of them.. in your home.. to water them.. make friends with them in a way.. If you're someone who doesn't usually enjoy cooking I really strongly suggest at least getting a Basil plant.. perhaps Rosemary and Parsley too if you can make space for them.. Mint is also lovely .. to make a fresh mint tea just pour boiling water on a handful of leaves and let it sit for a few minutes.. it's just a lovely feeling to pick some leaves and sprinkle them on your salad.. or just incorporate them into pretty much any dish! Anyway.. back to this sauce!
preheat oven to 180ºC (that's 356ºF for you guys)
slice the tomatoes in half at their equator.. roughly chop the onion and peppers (can be quite large, chunky pieces)
place in a baking dish (a dish will catch the juices and oil.. you want those)
drizzle with olive oil (I guess about 3 tablespoons).. sprinkle with salt and pepper.. and the fresh herbs.. and chili.. you can put the garlic in at this point too but i prefer to put it in raw later (the taste is stronger)
roast in the oven for about 15 minutes..
then i usually open the door and throw in the pine nuts.. roast a further 5 minutes.. just keep an eye on them.. don't let them burn, the little darlings..
remove from the oven..
let sit a few minutes.
then just throw it all into the blender and bzschhhhh it into a sauce. I throw the garlic in at this point.. you can also add some more herbs.. and the juice of half a lemon.. or the whole thing if you like it zesty and zingy..
the juice from the tomatoes and the olive oil should be enough liquid but you can add a little water (or veggie stock) if need be..
i promise you it's really yummo! hope it's useful to you guys..
:-) stay inspired..