Nightshade Free Pasta Sauce
Doing an elimination diet was very enlightening for me. One of the things I discovered is that I’ve been harboring a tomato allergy for who knows how long. Tomatoes also seem to have been the culprit for a large percentage of my acne! That means that figuring out a nightshade free pasta sauce recipe also became mandatory.
Because that means if I want to remain acne and rash free I have to give up a lot of my favorite foods. Pizza, pasta, BBQ sauce, so many delicious tomato based saucey dishes. I am not the kind of person to just give in though so I’ve managed to come up with nightshade free alternatives for all of these.
This nightshade free pasta sauce can be used at the beginning of any elimination diet. Once you can eat wheat you can use it over standard pasta but you could use it over zucchini noodles (zoodles) just as easily and have a completely fair game phase one elimination diet meal right from the start!
I looked through a ton of “nomato” sauce recipes and almost all of them use beets. I was very hesitant to try this because I really don’t like beets. I’ve always thought they taste like dirt. I still think that, honestly. But I have figured out a couple of tricks to neutralize the taste. First make sure to scrub and peel your beets. Or you can use canned beets which have already taken care of that for you. Second, cook them all the way down, you want to bring out their sugar. Third, acid, any time you’re cooking beets use vinegar. I also noticed that the beet flavor wasn’t as strong the next day. Try refrigerating the sauce over night to let all the other flavors merge before serving.
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Do canned foods have less nutritional value?
No! This is a common myth. People like to believe that fresh, raw, unpreserved, etc is always better. The simple fact is that this is not true. Canned and frozen foods are typically preserved at the peak of freshness. They are preserved when the fruits and vegetables are at their most ripe and therefore most nutrient dense.
When you buy fresh produce it is often before or after it’s peak date. Additionally, these foods are shipped in a wide range of temperature conditions which cause the foods to ripen unnaturally or rot faster. Foods that are to be sold “fresh” are also often picked before they are ripe in order to ripen on the journey instead, this stunts their nutritional growth.
Some companies artificially induce the ripening process with various chemical compounds. If you’re looking for completely untainted food the only way to do it is to grow your own. But buying canned and frozen is not a strategy to ignore. Many companies that grow for the can and freezer market actually have a more natural ripening process and in many ways might be even better for you than so called fresh produce. So go ahead! Buy that can of beets for this nightshade free pasta sauce recipe. It’s good for you and so much easier!
source: Healthline: Canned Food: Good or Bad?
Are beets good for you?
Absolutely! Beets are full of nutrients and fiber that make them a healthy addition to any diet. They’re known for their anti-inflammatory properties which make them great for joint pain and health concerns like high blood pressure. Beet juice is an often studied beverage that many people swear by as the perfect drink for exercise recovery.
I personally don’t love beets, I think they’re an acquired taste, but if you do make sure to include them in your diet. It’s always great to add some extra plant based fiber into your meals and this pasta sauce recipe aids in that goal.
Ingredients
- 1 yellow onion
- 1 large beet or one 15 oz can sliced beets, drained
- 2 carrots
- ½ tsp dried basil
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- ¼ tsp dried marjoram
- ½ tsp coarse ground black pepper
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 2 tsp honey
- dash cinnamon
- olive oil
- up to 1 ¼ cup vegetable broth
Instructions
- coarsely chop the onions, beets, and carrots
- heat your cast iron or nonstick skillet with the olive oil
- saute the vegetables in the olive oil until the beets are soft enough to cut with a spoon, the larger the chop the longer this will take but the deeper the flavor will be, if the veggies start to stick use a little of the vegetable broth to release them. If using canned beets add them to the carrots and onion after the carrots begin to brown
- add the dry seasonings to the hot pan and stir to blend
- transfer the mixture to a food processor or blender, add the vinegar and honey
- blend well while slowly adding the vegetable broth until the desired consistency is reached
Nightshade Free Pasta Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 yellow onion
- 1 large beet or one 15 oz can sliced beets drained
- 2 carrots
- ½ tsp dried basil
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- ¼ tsp dried marjoram
- ½ tsp coarse ground black pepper
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 2 tsp honey
- dash cinnamon
- olive oil
- up to 1 ¼ cup vegetable broth
Instructions
- coarsely chop the onions, beets, and carrots heat your cast iron or nonstick skillet with the olive oil
- saute the vegetables in the olive oil until the beets are soft enough to cut with a spoon, the larger the chop the longer this will take but the deeper the flavor will be, if the veggies start to stick use a little of the vegetable broth to release them.
- If using canned beets add them to the carrots and onion after the carrots begin to brown
- add the dry seasonings to the hot pan and stir to blend
- transfer the mixture to a food processor or blender, add the vinegar and honey
- blend well while slowly adding the vegetable broth until the desired consistency is reached
