Somerville to Sunnyville: Using Pantry Staples to Make an Easy, Delicious Dish

I’m back on the canned diced tomatoes. Last week, I printed a recipe that only works with the Del Monte non-organic diced tomatoes. It’s a marinara sauce that tastes just like I’m back in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn.

If I make that same recipe with their organic diced tomatoes, it doesn’t work. It’s a respectable sauce either way but for some reason the organic diced makes it very sweet, and it doesn't do justice to Brooklyn. See, in cans, diced tomatoes are always more fresh tasting than crushed or stewed tomatoes, so they don’t need to be sweetened up, in my view. It works against all the basil, too. The reason basil is so good with tomatoes, is because the tomatoes are bitter.

That said, when I’m just looking for a cup or so of chopped tomatoes, and I don’t have a French chef standing over me to make sure I know how to do it properly (it’s called “tomatoes concasse”--you steam off the skins, then remove the seeds and chop what’s left up in little dice), I use the Del Monte organic diced tomatoes, or Kirkland organic diced tomatoes. Like I wrote before, I just buy them by the box at Costco.

Here is a wonderful recipe that basically uses staples I have around anyway – canned organic diced tomatoes, canned artichoke hearts, red lentils, onions and lemon – some of which happen to be good for cleansing the system, especially the liver.

This dish aids the body’s production of nitric oxide too, which is essential for cardiovascular health and an overall feeling of well-being. And you might be interested to know that, according to acupuncture theory, tomatoes and red lentils make people feel happy and joyous. (Probably because of the nitric oxide but I don't think they knew about that when they developed the Five Element Theory a couple thousand years ago.)

There is ZERO ADDED FAT, too!

Can you stand it, all the great qualities you can get from ONE tasty dish???

And once you start eating it, you realize that in addition to all these wonderful benefits, it’s vegan. Yep, some delicious bean and vegetable dishes just happen to be vegan, by default.

I found it on one of those recipe cards at Whole Foods and was SO glad I tried it. It was taken from the creator of Compassionatecook.com, a great resource for healthy and delicious vegan food.

Before I tried the recipe, I was a little suspicious because she tells you to sauté the onions in a little water, not oil, and considered doing it in oil anyway. But experience has taught me to give a recipe a chance, at least the first time around. I am so glad I did.

It has a great Tex-Mex flavor, but not too spicy.

It can be eaten cold or warm alone, on polenta, or with plain tortilla chips. We heat up the leftovers and then pour the broken tortilla chips from the bottom of the bag on top! (You can have it with any whole grain to make it a complete protein, but we’ve so far only eaten it with corn.)

You could even melt some cheese on top when you heat it up in the microwave.

It’s something we love to keep around the house. I’m always glad when there’s a little left if I’m looking around for a tasty guilt-free snack.

Red Lentil Artichoke Stew

Adapted From The Vegan Table by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau

Serves 4

1 ½ cups water, plus 1 tablespoon for sautéing

1 large white onion

2-3 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 cup dry red lentils, rinsed

1 bay leaf

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

2 14.5-oz cans of organic diced tomatoes with juice

1 15-oz can quartered artichoke hearts, drained

¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Heat 1 tablespoon water in a soup pot over medium heat. When hot, sauté onions until softened, about 7 minutes. Add garlic, cumin and coriander, and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add more water if necessary. Add remaining 1½ cups water, lentils, bay leaf, lemon juice, tomatoes with juice, artichoke hearts and crushed red pepper. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 30 minutes or until lentils are tender. Add more water if too much liquid evaporates or stew becomes too thick. Remove from heat, discard bay leaf, and season with salt and black pepper.