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No Tomato 'Tomato' Sauce
Aug. 13th, 2017 09:51 amLong time no post. It's been sort of A Series of Unfortunate Events around here for the past little while, thankfully most of which have resolved favourably, or are on their way to being good. I'm not good for much these days, but Mom and I have been making some dietary changes, trying to swap out ingredients for healthier versions and eat a bit less, in aid of both our health woes. It's been really yummy! Dad had been doing most of the cooking for dinner and continually making meals that didn't appeal to Mom, who has very low iron still from the blood loss during her surgery last year. So we decided she and I would make dinner, and if Dad wanted, he could share, or he could make his own dinner, and the meals we've had have been really delicious.
Anyway, in my search for good recipes, I stumbled on pumpkin chili. About four years ago, I started reacting to nightshades (tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, eggplant) and had to cut them out from my diet. It wasn't that big a deal once I got the hang of swapping things, but things like spaghetti with tomato sauce and pizza with tomato sauce and chili was something I really missed. I decided to give the pumpkin chili a try and it was amazing! Not quite like real tomatoes, but a similar flavour, and very satisfying. After fiddling around, I was able to make spaghetti and pizza sauce from it, too, both of which were also excellent. I thought I'd post my method here, for those who also have allergies, or are avoiding nightshades due to arthritis or dietary concerns, or just wanted to try it. It still tastes of pumpkin, so if you don't like pumpkin, this won't make it taste any less pumpkiny. Just more tomato-y.
Tomatoish Sauce Base
1 15 oz/398ml can of pumpkin puree (or pumpkin/squash mix)
1 cup of broth of your choice
Seasoning of your choice (I use garlic powder, black pepper, and salt)
1 tbs white vinegar (optional, but gives it a more 'tomato-y' tang)
Combine all ingredients together, seasoning to your liking. Pumpkin is bland, so prepare to season a lot.
To make chili: throw the base into a slow cooker with some beans, ground meat of your choice (brown it first!), and whatever else you want. Cook on low for eight hours or high for four. I'm no good at serving sizes, but I got three large bowls of chili from it, so it will serve at least three if not more.
To make spaghetti sauce: add a little bit of sugar or sweetener to the base (I put in two tsps), and whatever else you'd like. We use ground beef, mushrooms, and onions, browned together. Add that to the base, and warm over low in a sauce pot until heated to your liking. I got two servings of sauce out of it. We take spaghetti seriously here, you might get more if you don't like as much sauce.
To make pizza sauce: add a little bit of sugar or sweetener. Stick on a pizza crust, add toppings, and follow crust directions to bake. I halved the recipe and got one pizza out of it, so the full recipe should be enough for two pizzas.
Anyway, in my search for good recipes, I stumbled on pumpkin chili. About four years ago, I started reacting to nightshades (tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, eggplant) and had to cut them out from my diet. It wasn't that big a deal once I got the hang of swapping things, but things like spaghetti with tomato sauce and pizza with tomato sauce and chili was something I really missed. I decided to give the pumpkin chili a try and it was amazing! Not quite like real tomatoes, but a similar flavour, and very satisfying. After fiddling around, I was able to make spaghetti and pizza sauce from it, too, both of which were also excellent. I thought I'd post my method here, for those who also have allergies, or are avoiding nightshades due to arthritis or dietary concerns, or just wanted to try it. It still tastes of pumpkin, so if you don't like pumpkin, this won't make it taste any less pumpkiny. Just more tomato-y.
Tomatoish Sauce Base
1 15 oz/398ml can of pumpkin puree (or pumpkin/squash mix)
1 cup of broth of your choice
Seasoning of your choice (I use garlic powder, black pepper, and salt)
1 tbs white vinegar (optional, but gives it a more 'tomato-y' tang)
Combine all ingredients together, seasoning to your liking. Pumpkin is bland, so prepare to season a lot.
To make chili: throw the base into a slow cooker with some beans, ground meat of your choice (brown it first!), and whatever else you want. Cook on low for eight hours or high for four. I'm no good at serving sizes, but I got three large bowls of chili from it, so it will serve at least three if not more.
To make spaghetti sauce: add a little bit of sugar or sweetener to the base (I put in two tsps), and whatever else you'd like. We use ground beef, mushrooms, and onions, browned together. Add that to the base, and warm over low in a sauce pot until heated to your liking. I got two servings of sauce out of it. We take spaghetti seriously here, you might get more if you don't like as much sauce.
To make pizza sauce: add a little bit of sugar or sweetener. Stick on a pizza crust, add toppings, and follow crust directions to bake. I halved the recipe and got one pizza out of it, so the full recipe should be enough for two pizzas.
