20-Minute Marinara Sauce

Avoiding marinara sauce was a skill I had perfected by the time I made it to college.  Pizza? Only pesto or olive oil please. Pasta? There are so many options, don't you dare put that store bought tomato sauce in front of me.

My tomato sauce radar reaches far and wide, extending to tomato paste and ketchup. Pretty much anything tomato sauce would have me turning up my nose. (I speak in past tense here, but I still avoid tomato paste and ketchup regularly).

But then a wrench was thrown into my tomato-avoiding scheme: I intended to cook dinner for someone, and they told me tragically that their favorite food in the world was spaghetti with marinara. Sure, I could've taken a pass and made something completely different, but this ignited a fire in me. It made me think twice about tomato sauce. Good enough to be a favorite? Who would've thunk. But I had to see for myself so I gave it a try, the right way: no store bought crap. 

I sliced onions, minced garlic, and added a touch of wine. I was overly cautious about letting it get to sweet, and added plenty (and I mean plenty!) of salt. Fresh basil was stirred in at the last moment. I took a bite, right there, standing at the white electric stove in my first apartment. And then another. Ok, this stuff is good. Suddenly I knew what all the fuss was about.

How had I spent so many years thinking all marinara sauce was created equal when there is clearly a divide between the stuff you pour from a jar and the stuff you stir with a wooden spoon? 

Homemade marinara sauce can be used just like any marinara sauce: on a pizza (puree it smooth), over pasta (leave it chunky, add some sausage or meatballs), in chicken parmesan, even Shakshuka. The list goes on a and on. What is your favorite way to use Marinara sauce? 

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20-Minute Marinara Sauce

Published May 2, 2017 by Caitlin Sherwood

Marinara sauce any time of the year, from your own kitchen. It’s better than store bought.

Serves: 4   |    Total Time: 20 minutes

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Ingredients:

• 1 medium yellow onion
• 1 tablespoon cooking oil (coconut, avocado, or olive)
• 1/4 cup red wine
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 24-ounce can diced tomatoes (you can use fresh too, but you’ll need to cook the sauce longer)
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano (fresh works too!)
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme (fresh works too!)
• 1/4 cup minced basil
• Salt & pepper
• Optional: red pepper flakes

Directions:

1. Heat oil in the bottom of a medium sized sauce pan. Dice onion, and when the oil it hot, add to pan along with the minced garlic. Sauté until the onion is translucent and starting to brown. Pour wine into pot, scraping the sides and bottom of the pot with a wooden spatula to release any brown bits from the bottom. Allow wine to reduce to about 2 tablespoons.
2. Pour tomatoes into pot, and stir. Bring to a simmer. Stir in oregano and thyme. Allow to simmer for 5 minutes. Add half of the basil, and then use an immersion blender to puree sauce until it reaches your desired consistency. I like mine slightly chunky. (You can do this with out an immersion blender, just use a label to transfer the sauce to a regular blender and pulse until desired consistency is reach. Then return sauce to pan).
3. Allow sauce to simmer for 5 more minutes. This helps some of the extra water steam off, which results in a thicker, more flavorful sauce. Finally, stir in last of the basil and season with salt and pepper to taste. If you like a spicy marinara, add red pepper flakes to taste. Serve hot, use on pizzas, or store in an air-tight jar in the fridge.

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Roasted Cauliflower with Olives & Oregano

Cauliflower is one of those humble vegetables that can take on almost any flavor. It plays a supporting role in curries and stir fries. Even in a Cauliflower Gratin or Casserole, where one would think it would take center stage, the focus tends to be on the cheese or sauce or breadcrumbs on top. 

Whole, a head of cauliflower is heavy and hard to cut into. Once dismantled, it's florets are delicate and easy to break apart. 

Oregano, while less of a "blank slate," is similarly humble. Basil grows taller and lavender blossoms into soft purple blooms. Thyme and rosemary seem to get all of the attention, compared to oregano. But oregano is there, just as important in making Italian Seasoning and Herbs De Provence. 

Roasted together, the cauliflower and oregano become my favorite part of this dish. Kalamata Olives are like little savory salty jewels in between, and lemon adds a fresh pop. But in the end, I would make this even if I didn't have any olives or lemon in the house. They may be simple, but I could eat this dish even if it was just roasted cauliflower and oregano. They are the center piece, the protagonist, the lead role. For once, the other ingredients here (Kalamata olives and lemons) lift them up. 

"A great man is always willing to be little.”  ― Ralph Waldo Emerson, on humility

A simple, 5-ingredient recipe for roasted cauliflower with kalamata olives and oregano. Full recipe: Music: www.bensound.com

Roasted Cauliflower with Olives & Oregano

Published May 6, 2017    |   Caitlin Sherwood    

Roasted cauliflower with herbs and Kalamata olives.

Serves: 4   |    Total Time: 50 minutes

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Ingredients:

• 1 head of cauliflower
• 1/2 cup Kalamata olives
• 1 tablespoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 lemon 
• 2 tablespoons avocado oil

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Chop the cauliflower into florets, and spread in a single layer on a cookie sheet.
2. Scatter olives across pan, and drizzle with avocado oil. Toss to coat vegetables. Sprinkle with oregano and salt.
3. Cut the lemon into wedges. Gently squeeze a few of the wedges over the cauliflower, and place wedges on cookie sheet.
4. Bake for 40 minutes, until cauliflower is browning. Allow to cool 5 minutes before serving.

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Fresh Mint Mocha Cold Brew Coffee

When there were only two coffee shops in town, you had your pick between Cup of Coffee, a large coffee shop with lots of seating and lots of windows (so many it feels fish-bowl-esque) and Vic's, which was downtown so you'd have to find parking or walk (or find parking and then walk). This was not, for any kid in their late teens, "the promise land." When you asked around, no one was looking towards graduation and saying, "I think I'll stay here." 

At first, things changed slowly. Too slow too notice even. A restaurant went in one year and just sat for a while, becoming an icon of main street in it's own time. A few years later a new coffee shop opened, and it was far cuter than the original two. They sold coffee from an old-timey house that was full of character, called their shop "Bitter Sweet" and encouraged you to sip your drink from their patio. Bitter Sweet turned on twinkle lights after sun down and served wine. 

Then it was like dominos. Almost the entire west side of Main Street was revamped. It feels like it happened over night but these things take time. I was in college, and every time I came back it looked different: A new barbeque joint replaced something that none of us remember. A taco shop went in next door (a second went in around the corner, because every small town needs a selection when it comes to tacos), and a new ice cream parlor opened up down the block. The old ice cream shop has since closed. The new shop serves flavors someone could've made up on a whim, like Honey Maple Grapefruit and Apple Pie. In terms of ice cream shops, it's pretty darn good. 

Next came, an artisan bakery that serves espresso and sandwiches. Pizza. A new yoga studio. A kitchen store 😍. You get the picture.

Living in the town you grew up in never had much appeal. Part of me never even considered it as an option. The way my mom spoke of her hometown probably reinforced this. The way my dad spoke of the suburbs certainly did. I was young, I had plans! I was going places. I wasn't sure where, but I was getting my degree in Spanish and that was certainly going to take me somewhere. 

It's a mixed bag when you tell people, "I'm from here," because part of you is so proud that you--yes, you!- are the one native left on the block. You are the O.G. Other than that small nugget of pride, part of you also shrinks inside: "Hi, I'm me, and I'm still right here where I've always been." 

Not a century ago, generations on generations stayed in the same home town. Today, it comes with such a stigma. And what for? This town has grown with me. I have grown with it. I have seen plenty of other towns. They were great. This one is too. So I'm taking all of the feelings that come with that stigma, and I'm balling them up, and I'm throwing them out the window. Will you join me? Toss out the heaviness you feel when you explain why you are where you are, and instead wear it with pride (this goes for anyone, where ever they are--home town or not). You worked hard for it, after all. (This is a technique a sports psychologist taught me: Bad day? Ball it up, and flush it down the toilet. Let go.) 

Mint Mocha Cold Brew Coffee

Paleo, Primal, Grain-Free    |   Caitlin Sherwood    

Cold brew coffee is refreshing and less acidic than regular coffee. The addition of cocoa and mint add a smoothness to this cold brew and a note of freshness that will wake you right up.

Yields: 4 cups   |    Total Time: 10 active minutes

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Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup ground coffee of choice
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup or sweetener of choice
• 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, loosely packed
• 1 liter water

Directions:

1. Place all ingredients in a pitcher and put in fridge. Allow to seep for 24 hours.
2. Remove from fridge and strain coffee through a coffee filter or even a very fine mesh tea stainer into serving glasses/mugs. Serve with ice and milk or cream as desired.