Follow Me on Instagram

Instagram

Follow Me on Pinterest

don't miss dairy

Emily Stokes
I'm a lady who loves cheese, sour cream, & ice cream, but I recently became lactose intolerant. My key focus in recreating dairy recipes is taste, but I try to be as health conscious as possible. Some of my recipes are low lactose rather than dairy free. I'm also a writer, teacher, nanny, dog mom, housewife, native Yinzer, current Californian, and social organizer extraordinaire.

Entrées

Ketchup Haters Best Meatloaf Ever

My husband hates ketchup. I love ketchup, and I love meatloaf. So I concocted this recipe to make us both happy. After trial and error it is perfected. He also hates carrots. Along with the ketchup, he won’t even guess these ingredients are in here! Instead of empty carbs, aka breadcrumbs, use oats and toasted wheat germ–they are full of whole grains, vitamin e, folic acid, and fiber. You can find both in the cereal aisle. Make the switch to hearty grains; they are delicious when you cook with them in a great recipe like this one. The title says it all!

Ingredients:

1lb. extra lean ground beef or turkey
1 whole egg
1 egg white
1 small zucchini or carrot, grated
1 celery rib, finely chopped
1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup quick cook or regular oats
1/4 cup toasted wheat germ
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons Smart Balance Light Buttery Spread
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons Worcestershire Sauce
1/3 Heinz Ketchup
1 tablespoon Frank’s Hot Sauce, plus a little extra for brushing.
1 teaspoon dried oregano

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. In a large saucepan, melt Smart Balance over medium heat. Add onion, celery, carrot, salt and pepper and cook for at least two minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add garlic and cook for thirty seconds. Stir in Worcestershire Sauce, oregano, ketchup, and Frank’s until well combined. Cook for one more minute.

3. In a large bowl, combine ground meat, eggs, oats, wheat germ, and cooked veggie mixture. Mix well. It’s easier to use your hands.

4. Form mixture into a lightly oiled nonstick loaf pan. Brush the top with a thin layer of Frank’s Hot Sauce.

5. Bake meatloaf 50-60 minutes. Goes great with roasted potatoes!

Homemade Cabernet Tomato Basil Sauce

Making your own tomato sauce can be super easy!

There are many complicated and time consuming ways to make tomato sauce. I researched a thousand recipes that all called for skinning the tomatoes and boiling down the sauce to make a thick, rich tomato sauce.

For one thing, I didn’t want to toss out all the skins–it seemed so wasteful. I’ve been refining my gardening skills which is why I need to make tomato sauce. I spent months caring for my plants to get those beautiful tomatoes! Maybe I could toss the skins of store bought tomatoes but not my homegrown roma’s. Besides, the skins have the highest concentration of antioxidants.* I’d rather not throw out the health benefits.

Aren’t they so pretty?

I also don’t have the right tools for pureeing and straining, and I didn’t want to stand at the stove boiling the sauce forever. I mean, come on, I have laundry to do!

So I took my own fresh approach. I got out the slow cooker to make it easier. I generally like my tomato sauce herby and with a touch of sweetness. A sweet and salty tomato basil sounded perfect for my roma’s, and since I’ve been growing oregano as well, I decided to add that to the batch. Finally, I added a taste of cabernet to give it a unique flavor. My husband said it was award winning! It’s definitely the type of sauce I would expect of a great restaurant.

Honestly, homemade tomato sauce is simple and it’s hard to go wrong. It’s much healthier than store bought sauce and tastes better. By eliminating some of the steps it becomes a quick process yet maintains great quality. You know what you put into it and know what you get out of it.

Ingredients:

2 cups roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped (makes 2 servings)
1/3 cup yellow onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons cabernet sauvignon
1 teaspoon white sugar
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
10-12 fresh oregano leaves or 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
10 fresh basil leaves, chopped

Directions:

1. Turn your slow cooker on high. While it’s warming up, heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium low heat. Toss onions into the saucepan and sprinkle with a pinch of the sea salt and pepper. Cook for three minutes or until tender, then add minced garlic. Cook for no more than thirty seconds.

Should look like this.

Are those tomatoes chopped? I like that my “waste” pile is very small.

2. Add tomatoes and wine to the saucepan and stir to combine with oil, onion, garlic mixture. Let cook for a minute, then add sugar, the rest of the sea salt and pepper, oregano, and basil. Stir to combine. Cook for five minutes, uncovered.

Two cups.
Salt and peppered.

4. Transfer to hot slow cooker and let cook on high for one hour. I let my Crock Pot heat up for 15 minutes before transferring the sauce. A doubled recipe may need another half hour to an hour to cook. You can also simmer over medium low heat on the stovetop for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve over pasta–I used tri-color farfalle and added some ground turkey cooked with a little salt and pepper.

Cooking in the Crock Pot.

This recipe makes about 2-3 servings, enough for one meal for a couple. Easily double if you need to make more or want to freeze some for later. I have about enough patience to chop two cups of tomatoes at a time :-).

Finished product.

Fun Facts:

*Did you know that the olive oil in the sauce helps your body to absorb the carotenoids found in tomatoes?

*Also, in the case of tomatoes, cooking for prolonged time at high temperatures makes carotenoids more available. I got my info from www.whfoods.com.

Easy Fresh Tomato Basil Pasta

Bucatini pasta with oven roasted grape tomatoes
 (Updated from original post from March 8, 2012.)

I didn’t come up with this simple pasta dish–I heard it on TV one morning and the recipe was so basic I remembered it exactly the next time I bought grape tomatoes. Whenever I eat it I swear there is nothing more perfect in life. I have yet to find a restaurant that makes such a delicious tomato basil pasta dish.

And it’s absurdly easy.

I have my own way of making this dish and love to share it! The freshness and quality of the simple ingredients really make it special.

I try to buy fresh pasta from a local farmer’s market. I also recommend Bucatini/Perciatelli Pasta if you do not have fresh pasta. While I’m at the farmer’s market, I  buy some good looking grape tomatoes, fresh garlic, and basil. You will want a light tasting olive oil as well.

It’s easy to add other ingredients either to the cooking process or to use as a topping to make this sauce your own. I would suggest trying onions, red pepper flakes, spinach, cooked bacon, or a shredded hard, aged cheese. Try adding all if you like! This is a very versatile dish that can be great for lunch or dinner, served as a side or a main course!

Easy Fresh Tomato Basil Pasta
Write a review
Print
Ingredients
  1. 1/2 lb. pasta of your choice
  2. 1 medium package grape tomatoes
  3. 3 cloves garlic, sliced
  4. 5-10 leaves fresh basil, chopped, or 1/2 teaspoon of dried basil
  5. Extra virgin olive oil
  6. Sea salt
  7. Black pepper
Instructions
  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. After rinsing your grape tomatoes, set them in a glass casserole dish in a single layer. Add sliced garlic.
  2. Drizzle with enough olive oil to coat the tomatoes and garlic well, adding a little extra as sauce that will coat your pasta. Sprinkle generously with sea salt and black pepper.* Stir to coat evenly. If using dried basil, sprinkle the on top. Wait until 1 minute of cooking remains to add fresh basil.
  3. Cook for 40 minutes.**
  4. While your tomatoes and garlic are roasting, boil water for your pasta during the last 20-15 minutes, depending on if you are using fresh or boxed pasta. Cook pasta and drain. To serve, spoon the tomato, basil, and olive oil sauce over your hot pasta. Top with more basil or parmesan cheese. Pair with a sweet Moscato and be in heaven.
Notes
  1. *I'm usually good about low-sodium cooking, but you want to add a generous amount of sea salt to this dish. It really brings out the overall flavor of the sauce.
  2. **If you want to make this dish faster, you can certainly cook it for 20-25 minutes at 425 degrees Fahrenheit. I don't think it's perfectly slow roasted this way, but I'm occasionally pressed for time.
don't miss dairy https://dontmissdairy.com/