Marinara Sauce for Canning

 Ingredients:

• 12 pounds ripe tomatoes
• 1/2 cup dried/dehydrated minced onion (provides a great flavor boost and is especially suited to canning for long-term storage) 
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons sea salt
• 1 tablespoon dark balsamic vinegar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried rosemary
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon crushed fennel seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon dried ground sage
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 bay leaves
• bottled lemon juice, if canning (per USDA guidelines as a requirement for safe canning)

Instructions:

1. Cut out the cores and process the tomatoes in a blender or food processor until smooth. 

2. Place the tomatoes in a large pot along with the remaining ingredients (except for the lemon juice). Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered for 2 hours, stirring every now and then.  Discard the bay leaves.  Adjust the salt and pepper to taste.

3. You can use the sauce now (flavor gets better in a day or two), freeze it or can it for long-term storage. 

4. To can the sauce: Place 1 tablespoon bottled lemon juice in the bottom of each sterilized pint-sized jar (double the quantity for quart jars). Ladle the hot marinara sauce into the jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Wipe the rims clean with a damp cloth. Screw on the clean lids and rims. Place the jars in a boiling water canner and process 45 minutes for pints and 50 minutes for quarts. Turn off the heat and let the jars sit for 5 minutes. Remove the jars and let sit undisturbed for 24 hours. Check the seals. 

Stored in a dark, cool place the jars will keep for at least a year but for best flavor use within six months.

Makes approximately 6 pints.

Gingerbread Pancakes

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups/256 grams all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 ¼ cups whole milk
• ⅓ cup unsulfured molasses (not blackstrap)
• 2 eggs
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger
• ½ teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

Garden Salsa

Ingredients

• 9 cups blended tomatoes
• 2 1/2 cups chopped green bell peppers
• 2 1/2 cups chopped white onion
• 4 medium jalapenos, chopped (seed all but one)
• 8 large cloves garlic, chopped
• 6 teaspoons canning salt
• 1 cup white vinegar
• 1 (12 ounce) can tomato paste

Instructions

1. Make the salsa. Place all of the ingredients in a large pot (you will need a 10qt. saucepan for this batch, or split the ingredients among 2 saucepans) and simmer for 20-30 minutes, until thickened and cooked.
2. Prepare cans to be sealed. Ladle the cooked salsa into clean, sterile jars leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Wipe rims of jars with a damp, clean, paper towel, then place lids on top. To make filling easy, I highly recommend a wide funnel designed for canning jars.
3. Process using a water bath. To do this, bring a large saucepan filled with water to a boil. Your saucepan needs to be tall enough to have the water cover the jars by 2 inches- though the jars will displace some of the water as they are added.
4. Add the jars to the water bath and cover with a lid. Process for 30 minutes, then remove. I use these tongs to make things easy.
5. Let the jars sit for 24 hours. The salsa will remain good in the jar for up to 18 months… if you can keep yourself from eating it all before then!

Beef Stroganoff

INGREDIENTS

• 8.5 ounces (240 grams) wide egg noodles
• 1 lb. lean ground beef
• salt and pepper
• 1 onion finely diced
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 8 oz package sliced mushrooms
• 1/2 cup white cooking wine
• 1 ½ cups beef broth 
• 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 teaspoons Dijion mustard
• 1/4 cup plain 2% fat Greek yogurt or light sour cream
• Garnish (optional):
• fresh parsley finely chopped

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a large pot filled with salted water, cook the egg noodles according to the package instructions.
2. As your pasta water is coming to a boil, brown the beef in a large skillet over medium-heat. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Add and sautee the onion for about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and mushrooms, and stir to combine. Continue sauteing for another 5 minutes, or until the mushrooms are cooked and the onions are soft.
4. Add the white wine to deglaze the pan, scraping up the browned bits. You can also use a small amount of beef broth if you don’t want to use alcohol.
5. In a medium bowl, whisk together the beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, Dijion mustard and flour until smooth.
6. Once the wine has cooked off pour the mixture into the pan, stir and let it simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
7. Add the Greek yogurt (or light sour cream) and stir until combined. 
8. Serve this healthier beef stroganoff over the egg noodles and garnish with chopped parsley.

NUTRITION INFORMATION

Amount per serving (250 g) — Calories: 398, Fat: 18.2g, Saturated Fat: 4.1g, Cholesterol: 96mg, Sodium: 147mg, Carbohydrates: 20.8g, Fiber: 1.7g, Sugar: 4.2g, Protein: 32.9g