Good ol’ Italian!

Que pasa amigos?  Sorry I’ve been almost nonexistent this past week!  It’s been one of those craaazy weeks, I’ve had something literally every night – including tonight actually!  My big sis and I met after work for a super intense spinning class at Equinox followed by dinner at the lovely Candle Café.  Vegan gourmet my friends… it’s one of those places where Omnis and Veg-heads alike can enter gustatory heaven.  However, as I don’t normally travel to the gym with my camera I don’t have any pics to show you L  Wait, don’t leave – how about I share my dinner from Wednesday night instead??  

Wednesday I got home a bit late because I had an organizing meeting for a non-profit that is very dear to me.  It’s called PowerPlay NYC.  It’s a really wonderful organization that educates and empowers girls through sports and life skills/nutrition workshops throughout the five boroughs of NYC, with a special concentration on low-income and underserved communities.  However, this organization deserves it’s own post, so more on that plus volunteer opportunities later – on to the eats!

I had little time for cooking, so a raw dinner had major appeal last night.  I had some zucchinis lying about which I quickly spiralized and then topped with some homemade Fresh Tomato Sauce!  I had some stovetop popcorn popped in olive oil on the side because I was in the mood for something light to eat while I watched my beloved Yankees (tear that Melky is gone…).  This is a wonderful recipe and really a blank canvas for adding in your own additions.

Fresh Tomato Sauce (makes 1-2 servings depending on appetite)

• 2 plum tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 6 sundried tomatoes, chopped
• 2 dried red chilis
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 1 bunch (about ¼ cup) fresh basil, julienned
• Salt & Pepper to taste

I threw the fresh and sundried tomatoes, garlic and chili peppers into Vinny (my Vita Mix) and blended on low until I had a well-combined, but not completely smooth sauce.  I just wanted to make sure I wasn’t eating any chunks of garlic!  Then I added in the basil leaves, salt & pepper to taste and blended a few seconds longer.

The result – a light, yet very flavorful summer tomato sauce.  The sundried tomatoes really add a nice dept to the overall taste and the peppers add just a little underlying spice, but don’t actually create any heat so the sauce isn’t overpowered. You could really mix it up though – add some nuts or nut milk for a creamier sauce, add some fresh oregano, thyme, onions, etc.  It might also be nice with some spinach & fresh lemon added in at the end.  Experiment & enjoy!