It’s nice to make your own tomato sauce. Of course, time doesn’t always permit it, but when it does, try it. This is a favorite of mine that I use quite a bit in pastas and vegetable dishes.

12 medium ripe tomatoes or 16 ounces canned peeled organic tomatoes
2 medium onions, chopped
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup white wine
1 pound mushrooms, diced or chopped
2 teaspoons oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons basil
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon honey

If using fresh tomatoes, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Slice an‘X’ on the bottom of each tomato, and drop them in the boiling water until the skins start to loosen, about 2 minutes.

Drain and cool completely.

When cool, squeeze each tomato over a strainer set over a bowl to trap the seeds, reserving the juice and the pulp.

Purée the juice and the pulp in a food processor until smooth. If you are using canned tomatoes, simply scrape out the excess seeds and mash the tomatoes with their juice by hand or with a fork.

Sauté the onions with the green peppers in the olive oil in a large sauté pan for 5 minutes over low heat. Add the wine, mushrooms, herbs, salt, the tomato purée, and the bay leaf. Simmer for 1/2 hour.

Remove the bay leaf. Mix in the tomato paste and the honey and cook for 10 more minutes.

Makes about 4 cups

Serves 6

Per serving:
Calories 146
Fat 3.2 g
Saturated fat 0.4 g(18.9% of calories from fat)
Protein 4.6 g
Carbohydrate 26.2 g
Cholesterol 0 mg
Fiber 4.9 g

This recipe is from The Healthy Kitchen – Recipes for a Better Body, Life, and Spirit (Hardcover) by Andrew Weil, M.D. and Rosie Daley (Knopf)