Homemade Tomato Sauce

I love making tomato sauce from fresh tomatoes. Sometimes I peel them by cutting a small x on the bottom of the fruit then dunking in boiling water for about 30 seconds then into an ice bath. The peel comes right off. The sauce is thinner when the tomatoes are peeled, so it has to cook longer than if you leave the peel on. The benefits of leaving the peel on are greater with a better fiber value to the meal and also most of the nutrients are in the peel. The photo above was taken after my dear husband brought home a 3 beautiful cases of organic tomatoes from work. We gave away 2 cases to a neighbor and a friend because there were just too many and we like to share.

Ingredients:
2 pounds organic tomatoes
4 cloves fresh garlic
1 medium onion
2 stalks organic celery
1 T olive oil
Fresh or dried basil, oregano to taste
salt and pepper to taste

Method:
Wash and slice tomatoes, set aside in a bowl to reserve the juices
Chop up garlic, onion and celery 
Heat up pan and add olive oil. Add garlic, onion and celery and saute for a few minutes until the onion is clear.
Add the tomatoes and cook on medium heat, uncovered until sauce is thick, stirring often. This may take up to one hour of tending to. Remember cooking it longer on a lower heat means the flavors will be better and bolder. 

Serve over 1/2 cup of penne or pasta of choice (3/4 of a cup if you are maintaining your weight loss) with steamed broccoli or a vegetable of choice, ground turkey or chopped chicken breast that has been browned and drained. I cook most everything in my iron skillet. It cooks everything to perfection!