Squash Pasta Sauce

Seems I haven't been posting any of my new recipe loves.  I apologize.  Here is one we tried for the first time last night and loved.
Yesterday was fast Sunday.  In my currently 8-month pregnant state, I didn't fast.  Justin did and I let him pick what was for dinner.  "Pasta," he said.  Dang, I thought.  I really needed to use up that behemoth banana squash in the cupboard.  Wait, didn't I get an email from Blendtec about some squash pasta sauce or something?  We researched on their site and found what I was thinking of - a pumpkin pasta sauce that looked easy enough to substitute for banana squash (click HERE for the original recipe).  I got to work, and got creative using generous quantities of my fresh herbs (why are these still alive outside in the freezing cold? I don't know, I'm glad they are and I keep using them).  It was so good.

Pumpkin Pasta Sauce
(tripled from the original recipe to generously cover 1lb bowtie pasta)

• 1 TB coconut oil
• 3/4 large onion, chopped
• 6 roma tomatoes [I only had 3, so I did 3 + 1 can tomato sauce]
• 6 cloves garlic
• 3/4 tsp black pepper
• 2 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp fresh sage [I substituted 1TB fresh chopped marjoram + 1 tsp fresh chopped rosemary]
• 1 1/2 tsp fresh basil [I substituted 3/4 tsp dried basil, because I have no live basil]
• 1 1/2 tsp dried oregano [I substituted 2 TB fresh chopped oregano]

• 1 1/2 cups milk [I substituted for 3/4 cup heavy cream]
• 3 cups pumpkin puree [I substituted for 3 cups fresh banana squash puree]

[Prepare squash puree, if needed] Heat oil and sauté onion, tomatoes, garlic, black pepper, salt, sage, basil and oregano in large sauce pan until onion becomes tender.  Add milk and pumpkin and continue cooking until mixture is heated through [since I was using cream I added the squash and tomato sauce at this step and didn't add the cream until after pureeing].

Transfer all ingredients to blender jar and blend until chunky-smooth.  Serve with your favorite pasta.

Pasta Salad

I made this for a church potluck that some friends invited us to today. The picnic was fun and the salad was amazing. Really amazing. I would add more tomatoes next time, but that's because I'm a tomato fiend. :) Add grilled chicken and it's a great meal. I loved it so much that I think it will enter the repertoire of "things I can make in a moment without a recipe." You know, if I have smoked gouda on hand . . .

Smoky Pasta Salad

12 oz. Penne

1 cup mayonnaise

2-4 Tbsp red wine vinegar

1/4 cup milk

1/2 tsp salt

1 chipotle chile pepper, finely diced or 1 1/2 tsp. adobo sauce from the peppers

10 oz. grape tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise (double would be better!)

1/2 lb. smoked gouda, cut into small pieces

24 basil leaves, in chiffonade

Cook the pasta. Meanwhile, combine mayonnaise, vinegar, milk, salt and chipotle and whisk well to make the dressing. When the pasta is cooked, drain and rinse until cool, then make sure most of the water is off—we don't want soggy salad! Combine pasta, tomatoes and cheese, then pour the dressing over the top. Mix well, then add the basil. Give it a final stir, test for salt and pepper, then let it chill a while to get all mixed and wonderful.

You won't regret it. :)

Oven Roasted Tomato Sauce

It's time I give in and spill my guts about how amazing this Oven Roasted Tomato Sauce recipe is from Blendtec.  Oh wait, I already did that on the my blog...  The real news is that I've discovered it's a versatile crowd pleaser, even for kids!  And it's 100% healthy.  For kids!  Healthy!  Okay, so are mine the only ones that hate vegetables?

Yesterday I put it to the test.  In honor of our electricity bill, I left the oven off and cooked the ingredients in the crockpot.  All was smelling and tasting great.  Then I pushed the limits by adding half of a large zucchini (I would guess I added about 2 lbs) and two carrots.  When all of the vegetables got soft I blended it all and returned it to the crockpot.  Even more daring, I decided to cook the pasta in the sauce so that it soaked up flavorful vegetable juices.  I think I added a little over a pound of broken up whole wheat spaghetti, but it could have used more.  I stretched this recipe far.  Turns out it can cope.  Both of my children gobbled it up.  These, the children that don't eat vegetables.  Jaime ate two and a half bowls of the stuff and Vida couldn't get each tiny fist full of noodles shoved into her little mouth fast enough.  True story.  Justin and I loved it too.  It's not very often that we have this big of a success for our entire family on both fronts - health and satisfaction.  That's why I'm sharing this today.  It also happens to be a fantastic recipe for enjoying a plentiful garden.  Enjoy.

Oven Roasted Tomato Sauce

• 2lbs of tomatoes, quartered
• 1 medium onion, roughly chopped
• [2 lbs seeded and chopped zucchini]
• [2 large carrots, shredded]
• 8 cloves garlic [I used pre-minced]
• 3 TB olive oil
• 2 TB fresh oregano [I use 1 TB dried]
• 1 tsp salt
• [parmesan or feta cheese as at-table garnishes]

Toss all ingredients in a glass baking dish.  Roast for 1 hour at 375 degrees and remove from oven.  Let cool slightly, transfer to a blender and blend until smooth.

[Alternative: Place all ingredients in large crockpot and cook on high for 6 hours, stirring occasionally.  Transfer to blender and blend until smooth.]

Sausage and Pepper Penne Salad

We've been busy on the salads this week. This won't be the last one. This was a meaty, grilled winner, and could easily be modified using Italian or any other sausage or skipping the meat entirely. Go with what makes you happy. Also, this is a biggie—it served 7 of us as a main dish, so scale down as needed, or invite someone over to help.

Grilled Sausage and Pepper Penne Salad

2 pounds fresh kielbasa, grilled to perfection

3 bell peppers, various colors, roasted or grilled, then diced

1 pound penne, cooked and drained

2 cups fresh spinach, chopped

2 large, ripe tomatoes, chopped

1 cup shredded cheese

Dressing:

1/2 cup [light] mayonnaise

2 Tbsp red wine vinegar, or to taste

salt and pepper

Combine salad ingredients in a large bowl and toss together. Combine dressing ingredients and pour over, then mix well. Want more mayo? Add it. Need a little more vinegar tang like I did? pour it in! This is a great salad for using up leftovers.