Green Living - Organic Spaghetti Sauce

This sauce has become a staple in my list of meatless dishes. If Americans ate only one meatless meal per week it would be the equivalent of taking 8 million cars off the road. So, I encourage you to develop a few meatless meals for your family. The added benefit is that they are cost effective, even when made with organic ingredients.

Additional benefits of organic:

• Saves water, organic farming uses less water
• Studies are showing organic food has more nutrients
• Meatless is a day that you are not supporting factory farming
• No GMO - genetically modified organisms
• Supporting the farmers that are switching to organic farming

This recipe came to me through Dr. Weil who has brought alternative methods to the medical industry. He is an advocate for healthy eating and has great concerns about the food agribusiness has flooded into our food chain.

So, enjoy, have fun, be creative with this recipe. All ingredients can be adjusted to your taste. Serve with a salad, made from organic vegetables, organic salad dressing and some warm organic bread.

Organic Spaghetti Sauce 101

• ½ Organic Sweet Onion
• ½ Organic Green Pepper
• ½ Organic Red Pepper
• ½ Organic grated carrot
• 3-4 cloves organic garlic
• 2-4 tsp. organic olive oil
• Pinch organic fennel seed
• Pinch organic red pepper
• 1 organic bay leaf
• 2 tbsp organic basil
• 1 tsp organic oregano
• ½ tsp Kosher salt
• ½ tsp organic grated black pepper
• Pinch organic allspice
• 1 tsp organic sugar (optional)
• 1 large can organic diced tomatoes (28 oz)
• 1 8 oz can organic tomato sauce (15 oz)

Secret to GREAT spaghetti:

• Organic spaghetti
• 2 tbsp Kosher salt
• 1 tbsp organic Earth Balance, organic butter spread
• 2 tbs. organic olive oil

Dice onion, green pepper, red pepper. Grate carrot. Smash garlic with a large knife, peel and chop.

Add olive oil to pan and heat for about 30 seconds, add onion, green pepper, red pepper and carrot. On medium high heat sweat vegetables. You don't want them to brown, basically you are using the heat to start cooking them, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic, stir and sweat for about 1 minute. Add spices, stir and sweat for about 1 minute.

Add diced tomatoes and tomato sauce, turn heat to high. When sauce is boiling turn heat down to simmer, the lowest setting available on your stove. You want the sauce to just enjoy itself and have the ingredients mingle. Cover and let simmer for about one hour, stirring occasionally (if you are in a hurry the sauce can be ready by the time your spaghetti is cooked if you put the water on for spaghetti at the same time just make sure you have sweated the vegetables enough so they are cooked).

Fill large pot with water and bring to boil. Add kosher salt and measure spaghetti. I do 2 handfuls. Stir spaghetti as it begins to soften and stir occasionally while it's cooking. I taste it for doneness and like it a little al dente.

Drain spaghetti, I rinse mine, place it back into pan. Add olive oil, Earth Balance and a couple large spoons of spaghetti sauce. The spaghetti soaks up all the great flavors.

Serve spaghetti and spoon more sauce on top.

Some additional ideas:

• Once you develop a recipe that you like make larger batches and freeze.
• You can even freeze cooked spaghetti, my sister does and it works great.
• Add mushrooms for protein and a meatier taste.
• Don't be concerned about not having all of the organic ingredients, when you run out of a spice purchase organic the next time.
• There are more organic products on the market and sometimes grocers offer specials, stock up.
• Make sure that you are purchasing Certified Organic products, don't be misled by the word 'organic' it does not ensure that you are purchasing from certified farmers and distributors.

Explore and enjoy! You are worth it.