Awesome Homemade Pizza and Lasagne Sauce!

Here are two recipes I have used in the past for pizza sauce and Vicki's recipe for Lasagna.  I believe the sauce makes the pizza or lasagna and that homemade sauces top restaurant's and store bought every time.  These are really easy to make and freeze also!

Lasagna Sauce: (from cookbook Vicki gave me of compiled recipes)
2 (15 oz) cans stewed tomatoes with green peppers (I've used ones without peppers too)
1 (16 oz) can tomato sauce
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp oregano
shake of thyme
 1 bay leaf
1/4 c sugar (maybe sub honey? stevia?)

Simmer 20 minutes.  This is enough to make a 9x13 three layer lasagna.

Pizza Sauce: (Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook)
8 oz can tomato sauce
7 1/2 oz can undrained tomatoes cut up (just use diced)
1/2 c chopped onion
1 T dried basil crushed
1 tsp sugar (sub honey etc)
1 tsp dried oregano crushed
2 cloves garlic minced
1/4 tsp pepper bring to boil. reduce heat, simmer covered 10 minutes or till onion is tender.

Healthy Nutella

http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2012/01/09/better-than-nutella/
We made this recipe and loved it. 

This picture came from:  www.chocolatecoveredkatie.com
I want to try several of her recipes.

Getting the skins off of the hazelnuts is a big pain.  Her recipe has you roast them.  I did not have much luck doing it this way.  I am planning to try this method next time. 

Raw Fudge Brownies with Chocolate Icing

This has become my favorite dessert recipe.  I love these brownies. 


Picture from www.oatmealwithafork.com

This link will take you to the recipe and you can print it from there. 
http://www.oatmealwithafork.com/2012/07/09/raw-fudge-brownies-with-chocolate-frosting/
This website has several recipes that might be worth trying. 

Chocolate Avocado Pudding

I am finally on here blogging.  You all should be proud. 

Here is the link (you can print the recipe from this site): 
http://www.fearlesshomemaker.com/2013/05/chocolate-avocado-pudding/

This photo is also take from www.fearlesshomemaker.com

A few of my notes:

• I like to use honey, but sometimes the honey is an overpowering taste and the last time it was way too sweet.  It kind of depends on the honey you are using.  You will just have to experiment.
• It calls for 1 avocado - I have used 2 small ones and had it turn out just fine.  It is really an easy recipe to adapt to your taste.
• It most definitely needs to be eaten after it has had time to be chilled.  Give it a few hours. 
• I want to try it with coconut milk.

I hope you like it as much as we do.  Enjoy!

Forks Over Knives Navy Bean Soup and Greek Stuffed Peppers

I have tried a few new recipes from Forks Over Knives cookbook (you can get them online at http://www.forksoverknives.com/category/recipes/page/2/).  I made Navy Bean Soup and Greek Stuffed Peppers.  I really like both but my family didn't absolutely love either of them but I will make them again for them.  One note about the peppers is that I think it's unnecessary to make them the way they did.  Next time I'm not going to worry about actually stuffing the peppers.  I'm just going to combine it more like a casseroleish thing.  I always add cheese for my family to make it more appealing.

Cauliflower Alfredo substitute

K frankly there are a lot of recipes out there for this.  I used a really basic recipe which was basically a bunch of cauliflower boiled for a while and then blended with some of the water and add garlic.  I was supposed to add milk but forgot and I still thought it turned out pretty good although my family were not fans.  I want to experiment a little bit.  I just saw a recipe that added nutritional yeast to it.  So, if I find another recipe that everyone loves or at least tolerates a lot better I will definitely post it.

Broccoli Burgers (or patties)

Ok Brenda and Lisa here you go! (sorry no pictures)
It's a little bit of work but I'm pretty sure you could 1. make them ahead of time and bake them for dinner 2. make a big batch and freeze them.  The sauce you could make whenever too.

This link takes you to the recipe too:
 http://thetolerantvegan.com/2011/05/baked-broccoli-burgers/

Burger ingredients:

• 1/3 cup dry couscous
• 1 cup water
• 1 1/2 cups broccoli florets
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup chopped scallions
• 1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 15 ounce can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1 tablespoon sesame tahini
• 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs

Tahini dressing ingredients:

• 1/3 cup sesame tahini
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 3/4 teaspoon sea salt

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
I did these first three steps simultaneously in order to speed up the prep time.
1. In a small pot, bring the water and couscous to a boil. Remove from heat immediately and allow the couscous to sit in the pot for 10 minutes, soaking up the water.
2. Steam the broccoli in a steamer for 5-7 minutes (or use a microwave or stove method, you just want the broccoli to be soft in the end)
3. In a skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat and add in the onion and scallions, stirring occasionally for 3-5 minutes until the onion softens. Remove from heat and stir in the cumin.

I made these last week and almost all of my family liked them.  I really liked them with the tahini sauce.  They get a little dry if you bake them too long so having a sauce is great!