Tomato Sauce With a Kick
1 can stewed tomatoes (approx. 14.5 oz)
1 can diced tomatoes, preferably with herbs (14.5oz)
3 tablespoons chopped onions, add more or less to taste
2 cloves minced garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup plain soymilk
1/4 cup chopped fresh spinach
1/4 cup finely chopped toasted pine nuts
pinch cayenne pepper and squirt of lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt, cracked black pepper to taste
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon basil
thyme to taste
ground celery seed to taste (optional)
To toast pine nuts: place whole pine nuts on a sheet in a 250-300 degree F oven for about 10 minutes or until they turn a light golden color.
In a large saucepan over medium heat, pour olive oil. When hot, add garlic and onions and use a whisk to move constantly until onions soften. Before onions brown, add stewed tomatoes (you can mush them a little with the whisk if they are large pieces. Add diced tomatoes and whisk in soymilk until combined.
Add all spices/seasonings and lemon juice, and stir. Cover and reduce heat to where sauce is only slightly bubbling for about 6-10 minutes (stir occasionally).
Stir in chopped pine nuts, cook 1 minute, and add spinach. Cook 5 more minutes or so until sauce has reached the desired consistency.
In addition to the chopped spinach, you may wish to add full spinach leaves to the sauce in the last two or three minutes of cooking.
This sauce is great over penne pasta and can also be used as a dipping sauce for bread. Increase the cayenne and black pepper if you want a stronger flavor (taste it to make sure you're not overdoing it though!). Enjoy!
SO HOW'D IT GO?
Really good. I think the magic ingredients are the lemon juice + soymilk; it adds a different tanginess/dimension to the sauce. Definitely beats any canned tomato sauce, and among my favorite for pasta sauce. I puréed it at the end, and didn't add pine nuts.