foodie: easy, fresh tomato sauce

once again, i brought home a bushel (well, not an actual bushel -- but close!) of gorgeous, delicious tomatoes from our csa.  so, i decided to make...drum roll please...simple tomato sauce!  fresh tomato sauce is so delicious, and surprisingly simple to make.  since tomato season is in full swing, head to the farmers market, stock up, and then treat yourself to some outstanding, homemade sauce.

here's what you'll need for sauce for 4...

2 roma tomatoes, chopped
10 plum tomatoes, chopped
(or roughly 3.5 cups of tomatoes total)
4-5 garlic cloves, crushed and roughly chopped
2 shallots, minced
1 small green pepper, chopped (optional)
1/4 cup fresh herbs (i used basil and parsley)
2 tbsp olive oil
salt

1. saute the shallots, green pepper, and garlic in the bottom of a sauce pot in olive oil, until veggies are tender and caramelized.

2. as the veggies cook, chop the tomatoes, and put them in a strainer in the sink so the excess water can drain off.

3. add tomatoes, herbs, and salt (it'll take more salt than you'd think) to the veggies in the sauce pot, and simmer on low for 30 min or so.

that's it!

we enjoyed ours over brown rice with chickpeas for a gluten-free meal, but it would be fantastic over pasta or roasted veggies, too!

enjoy :-)

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my perfect weekend menu

friday night dinner:


mashed sweet potatoes with spinach & goat cheese

saturday night happy hour:


champagne cosmopolitan cocktail - my two favorite drinks combined!!!

saturday night dinner:

the yoga pot - delicious combo of lentils, zucchini & ginger.  yum!

sunday morning brunch:

blackberry-lemon coffee cake

hope you have a delicious weekend!

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foodie wednesday: slow cooker gumbo {guest post}

Hi Lifestyle Maven fans, Sam here from fitness food & faith.  I’m super pumped to be sharing one of my favorite fall recipes on Cailen’s blog while she’s off becoming a wife!  As soon as the weather cools down, one of the first things I do is pull out my crock pot to make a delicious, easy and warming meal.  I love a good gumbo as it’s a great way to use up some lingering leftover vegetables in the fridge.

Slow Cooker Gumbo

1lb boneless skinless chicken, cut into 2 inch pieces

1 10oz package frozen okra

2 links smoked chicken sausage, sliced

1 cup chopped onions

2 celery stalks, chopped

1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp salt

2 bay leaves

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp mustard powder

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

2 cups chicken broth

1 15 oz can tomato sauce

2 cups cooked rice

print recipe {here}

Combine all ingredients except the rice in crock pot.  Mix well, cover and cook for 8 hours on low (or 4 hours on high).  Serve over rice with hot cornbread.

Thanks, Cailen, for letting me take over your lovely blog for the day!  I hope you’re having the time of your life. 

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good food week

the past 7 days have been filled with many, many delicious meals, so (being the food-lover that i am) i thought i would share some of my magnificent meals with you all.

tuesday, october 4th, 2011 - dinner at sprig & vine

sprig & vine is this totally awesome little vegetarian/vegan bistro not far from our house.  i went with my friend, laura (a fellow yogi), and my sister, hannah, for an inspired meal.  without the protein staples we so often rely upon to provide the foundation for our entrees, sprig & vine opens up a totally new world of mealtime possibilities.  i totally loved the encrusted tempeh with honey mustard sauce, the bbq eggplant and the zucchini & black eyed pea cakes.  it was a totally awesome meal!

laura & hannah

 friday, october 7th, 2011 - date night at home

october 5th marked the one-month countdown to the wedding.  in true celebratory fashion, craig and i popped open a bottle of bubbly friday evening to revel in the less-than-one-month-til-we're-married.  we ordered pizza and sipped champagne, as pizza & wine has always been our go-to date night.  hard to believe the wedding the just over 3 weeks away!!!

saturday, october 8th, 2011 - girls' lunch & sisters' dinner

saturday morning found me (accompanied by my mom and sis) at the bridal salon for my dress fitting. it was amazing to see what i thought was a well-fitting dress turn into a custom gown, tailored oh-so-precisely just for me. 

my turkey heaven...i mean reuben

after the fitting, my mom, hannah and i enjoyed a casual lunch at a quaint old tavern.  my turkey reuben on butter-saturated toasted rye was heaven in my mouth, and the side of super-crispy seasoned sweet potato fries with vermont maple syrup for dipping didn't hurt either : )

mom's crab cake

han's chicken quesadilla

my reuben...again...

for dinner, han and i decided to enjoy a sisters' night out while we still share the same last name.  we went to honey, a small plates restaurant with artisan cocktails and innovative cuisine.  they recommend 2-3 small plates per person, so we opted for 4 shared plates and were not at all disappointed with our choices...or the portion sizes...

1. porcini-parmesan risotto cakes with a lemon-vanilla emulsion, black garlic puree, crushed hazelnuts & arugula sprouts

2. spice-rubbed scottish salmon, soft corn tortillas, sweet corn & charred poblano relish with black truffle cream

3. duck samosas - sweet & salty braised duck wrapped in flaky pastry and fried, finished with spicy aji amarillo creme fraiche and apricot chutney

4. lobster in a tomato and miso broth, served gratin-style with bubbly mozzarella over korean rice dumplings, topped with bonito flakes

credit {here}

is your mouth watering yet?

and then for dessert we ventured over to bobby's for pumpkin mousse sponge cake with a side of pumpkin ice cream filled with chunks of gingerbread cookie dough.

as you can see, i was blessed with a week of amazing cuisine, and i thoroughly enjoyed every single mouthful.

so, mavens, have any super good food lately?  you know i'm all about a good meal...

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