Daily Archives: April 3, 2010

3 Ingredient Tomato Sauce

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All of the cooking blogs that I read have been raving about this tomato sauce, it is the simplest sauce and even a non-cook can cook it (case in point my boyfriend did). From SmittenKitchen to The Amateur Gourmet to Sassy Radish I found this recipe everywhere and it is insanely pleasant because of its simplicity, there’s no chopping to be done and no babysitting needed. Three ingredients, 45 minutes and you have dinner for two, instant gratification.

When I found this recipe back in January I bookmarked it and thought I would look at it later when I was feeling lazy, it turned out that later meant in two days. As I worked late and thought about dinner and the things in my cabinet this was the only thing that came up as an option, simple fast and effortless. I liked it. I pulled out my butter, canned strewed tomatoes, and the last onion in the kitchen when I got home, thinking I was going to end up with something bland and boring. I was wrong. The sauce was rich and creamy, velvety almost with a smoothness I will forever associate with tomatoes.


We liked this sauce so much that I have made it twice since the initial find and the boyfriend has made it once, it is just that good. It hasn’t been adapted much from any of the guidelines I found online so Here it is, more or less as I found it/have remembered it over the past couple of months.

3 Ingredient Tomato Sauce

Adapted from SmittenKitchen via The Amateur Gourmet
Serves 2-3 people

Note: Crushed tomatoes work fine in this recipe but the cooking time should be decreased or else they burn a bit. Also this is one of the few sauces where I would recommend staying away from the parmesan or asiago cheese, it’s got enough flavor already and the cheese actually detracts from it.

1 28oz Can Whole Stewed Tomatoes

4Tbs unsalted butter
1 Onion cut in half

Add the tomatoes, onion and butter to a medium sized saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Once the tomatoes are soft enough (10-15 mins) using a wide potato masher break the tomatoes up so that the sauce is evenly smooth. Simmer for another 20 to 30 minutes or until you can smell the onion throughout your apartment (or in the next room). Take out the onion halves (make sure you hold them over the pan to drain a couple of seconds) and remove the sauce form the heat.

Pour liberally over pasta and enjoy!

Chai Spiced Apple Oatmeal Muffins

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Spring has sprung here in our fair city which means I have been faced with the dilemma almost daily of spending the time I have after work reveling in the lovely warm weather that spring has produced or blogging. I’ve been reveling.  

Admittedly with Spring having “sprung” there is also a LOT of rain, I don’t thing I ever realized that it could rain so much, If it’s not perfect out is rainy, can’t it just be a day I want to stay in and get real work done? Alas it can’t. Regardless I have been coping with these alternating perfect and pouring days by baking, a lot. I’m thinking that this baking is the reason I’ve decided to not go crazy on the rain and curl up on the sofa and feign a deathly illness. One such rainy terrible morning I made these muffins- Chai Spiced Apple-Oatmeal Muffins, even the name sounds decadent. They were light and fluffy and remarkably healthy and were nothing at all like Oatmeal, a flavor I love but a texture I just can’t support.

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So over the past couple of weeks I have been raving about these muffins, not only because they were delicious but also insanely nutritious, with only half a cup of oil and no processed sugar they tasted decadent without being decadent, especially with that lovely toasted coconut crumble on top. 

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These muffins paired perfectly with a cup of hot coffee, though I wouldn’t have said no to a cup of black or earl grey tea either. They had just the right crisp out of the oven and kept their moisture for a couple of days afterward (because they have so much apple) and were still delicious when chilled.

Chai-Spiced Apple Oatmeal Muffins 
Adapted from Everybody Likes Sandwiches through Cheap Healthy Good
Makes 12 Muffins or one loaf

Note: I made these with milk but I’m pretty sure you could substitute in almond or soy milk and they would come out fine. Also, If you are really averse to one or any of the spices leave it out, or leave them all out and substitute 1 tsp cinnamon for them (then you’ll have Apple-Cinnamon Oatmeal Muffins, and I’m pretty sure those would be delicious as well)

1 Cup Old Fashioned Oats
1 Cup Flour (I used unbleached white but if you use whole wheat let me know how they turn out)
1tsp Baking Soda
¼ tsp Ginger
¼ tsp Ground Coriander Seed
1/8 tsp Ground Cloves
1/8 tsp Ground Nutmeg
1/3 Cup Canola Oil
1/3 cup Milk
1/3 Cup Honey
1 Egg
4 Small or 2 Large baking apples (Cortlands work perfectly), Peeled, Cored and diced into ½ inch cubes
Unsweetened Toasted Coconut (This is entirely optional, I had some leftover from making caramels so I used it)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and oil and line a muffin pan (this recipe will also work as a loaf but I like muffins). In a medium mixing bowl mix together the oats, flour, baking soda, ginger, coriander, cloves, and nutmeg. 

In a separate larger bowl combine the oil, milk, honey and egg. Add the dry ingredients and stir until just combined (12-15 strokes should do it). Fold in the diced apples to coat. This batter is mostly apples, so it should look like a bowl full of apples – that’s ok.

Pour the batter into the prepped muffin pan until it’s all gone, the muffin cups should be mostly full, and sprinkle with the toasted coconut. Bake the muffins for 20-25 minutes, 40-50 for a loaf pan. The top will be a nice medium brown and a toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean. Let them cool for about ten minutes and enjoy.