Looking for an easy, yet still homemade, very, very simple sauce for your whole grain pasta? I made this over the weekend and it was quick, easy, healthy, inexpensive, vegan friendly, and “diet” friendly, too! All I did was dice about 3 big ripe tomatoes into chunks (cutting around the core). No, I didn’t peel them or seed them, just diced them. After putting a small amount of olive oil in a pan on medium heat, I added a few cloves of finely chopped garlic and after a few minutes I added the tomatoes. Within a couple of minutes, the tomatoes started to break down and get very juicy…I lowered the burner to low and added a few sliced kalamata olives and some freshly chopped basil from the garden as well as a dash of red pepper flakes. I made my pasta and by the time it was done, all I had to do was mix the pasta with the sauce. DONE. With a salad, this was a perfect seemingly decadent meal, for a weekend night. A little red wine on the side and no deprivation, while staying in a calorie zone. As a by-the-way, the only inexpensive, commercial pasta that I have found in the grocery store that is 100% whole grain, is made by Muellers. I have found that cooking it a little longer than suggested really helps make it more like the semolina version, that many of us are used to. Can’t wait to make this with our own garden tomatoes in the fall! A dish like this, instead of semolina with jarred sauce, will not only enhance your health, and save you lots of calories, it will also save you sodium, and other preservatives, as well.
Speaking of calorie zones, I have once again started keeping a food journal. There is no better tip for those of you who are having a hard time losing the extra weight. WRITE DOWN EVERYTHING. Like myself, you may THINK you are keeping track mentally, but trust me, we all tend to forget some of the little, teeny, tiny, harmless calories that might just amount to what is sabotaging YOUR goals!
