Joybee, What's for Dinner? : Spread

Showing posts with label Spread. Show all posts

Monday, October 12, 2015

Easy Marinara Sauce

A quick and simple marinara sauce made with tomato paste and spices. Great for pizzas and dipping.

I make this marinara sauce often. It's so simple and delicious and can be whipped up in no time. I never buy store bought marinara sauce because this is so easy and I usually have all the ingredients on hand (it's also probably cheaper than store bought). This will be your new favorite marinara sauce soon too.

Easy Marinara Sauce will be your new favorite [Tweet this]

Tomato paste is the main ingredient in this sauce. I always have tomato paste in my pantry. It's useful in so many recipes and has great tomato flavor. All that's needed for this recipe is a well-stocked spice cabinet (just common spices), tomato paste, and water.

I always have tomatopaste in my pantry [Tweet this]

Easy Marinara Sauce

Prep time: under 10 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients:

1 6oz can tomato paste
6-12 oz water
1-2 Tbsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp onion powder
1 Tbsp dried basil
1 tsp oregano
salt and pepper to taste
parmesan (optional)
red pepper flakes (optional)

Empty the can of tomato paste into a small bowl. Add the water (I refill the tomato paste can as a measurement) a little at a time, stirring until the sauce is the consistency you desire.

Add spices and stir well until combined (you may want to add a little more water). Taste and adjust seasoning as required.

The sauce is ready to use immediately but tastes best once it has set a while for the flavors to meld.

Makes about 2 cups of marinara sauce (about 4 servings). Use as a pizza sauce or as a dip for bread sticks, mozzarella sticks, garlic bread, calzones or stromboli, whatever you like.

Enjoy.

For more tomato paste recipes check out:

Simple Pasta Sauce -

Homemade Bloody Mary Mix

Meatball Calzones -

Linked to: Lou Lou Girls, Wonderful, Whimsy, Wakeup, Tickle my Tastebuds, Full Plate, Freedom, Foodie Friends, Pretty Pintastic, Show Off

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Friday, September 18, 2015

Sun-dried Tomato Spread

Yum

A zesty two-ingredient spread made with pureed sun-dried tomatoes and olive oil. A great appetizer for a party, a gameday snack, or anytime.

Sun-dried Tomato Spread: A zesty two-ingredient spread made with pureed sun-dried tomatoes and olive oil. A great appetizer for a party, a gameday snack, or anytime.

Wow. Sun-dried tomatoes are so rich in flavor. They add an extra pop of flavor to anything they are added to. I often just much them right out of the jar. I love keeping a jar of these little beauties in the fridge for easy addition to pastas, pizzas, and antipasti. Sun-dried Tomato Spread is simple (just a puree of sun-dried tomatoes and olive oil), packed with lycopene, versatile, and delicious.

Add rich flavor w/ Sundried Tomato Spread [Tweet this]

This spread is so easy and quick to prepare and it's so delicious it will impress everyone. It's perfect for a fancy dinner party or even a simple gameday snack. I also love that it is healthy (packed with fiber and lycopene) in kind of a sneaky way. Sundried tomatoes are just so delicious you don't even consider their nutrition, but it's there.

Snack healthy w/o realizing it w/ Sundried Tomato Spread [Tweet this]

Sun-dried Tomato Spread

Prep time: under 10 minutes

Ingredients:

Sundried tomatoes in Italian seasoned oil
Olive oil
Fresh basil (optional)
Parmesan (optional)

This is super simple.

In the bowl of a food processor, fitted with the chopping blade, add about 20-30 sundried tomatoes.

Turn the processor on and let chop/puree until the tomatoes are finely chopped. Add optional ingredients (if using) and continue to chop.

Add oil 1 tablespoon at a time while processing until spread is to your desired consistency. You may not need any extra oil if you use oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes ...if it looks dry add some oil (remember it's easy to add more oil but you can't really take it away so err on the less oil side).

The spread is ready to serve immediately. Serve with your favorite bread, meats, and cheese. It's great on sandwiches or paninis and as a pizza sauce too.

Refrigerate any leftover spread. I've kept it for up to a week...it would probably last longer (maybe not as long if you add fresh basil), but I always eat it all right away.

Enjoy.

For more dips and spreads check out:

Bacon Jam -

Quick & Easy Guacamole

Hummus -

Linked to: Best of the Weekend, Pretty Pintastic, Tickle my Tastebuds, Wake up, Whimsy, Wonderful, Full Plate, Freedom

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Monday, May 11, 2015

Quick & Easy Guacamole

Yum

A four ingredient guacamole with a wonderful flavor that's ready in no time. So simple anyone can make it.

There are many uses for avocados but when I have them I always want to make guacamole. It's creamy, savory, and delicious. It makes a great snack or addition to meals like tacos, salads, even sandwiches. I'm a guacamole addict. Are you?

I'm a guacamole addict. Are you? [Tweet this]

One of the many awesome things about Hawaii is that avocados grow on trees. Buying avocados can be a little pricey but I have a friend with an avocado tree in her yard. It's a big old tree that produces lots of avocados and she shares them with me. At one point, I had about eight avocados on my kitchen counter waiting to become perfectly ripe. I love Hawaii.

Money doesn't grow on trees, but avocados do. [Tweet this]

Now I have to mention this mortar and pestle. I love it. My husband brought it home one day (I think from Costco, but I don't remember for sure) because he knew I always wanted a good one. That's my kind of romance. I don't want diamonds. The way to my heart is with cooking paraphernalia. Anyway, it's eight inches in diameter and heavy (I have to use two hands to lift it). It doesn't get moved often but has a place of honor on my prep table right beside my Kitchenaid. It's great for grinding hard spices and for this recipe, pounding garlic. The way to the best guacamole is with pounded garlic. You can mince all you like but when you pound/mash it all the oils are released and it becomes very fragrant and delicious. This is the way to make ready to serve guacamole. You don't have to wait for the flavors to meld when you pound and mash everything together. Now I love guacamole with lots of flavors in it like my Great Guacamole but, I love it quick and simple too.

The best guacamole is with pounded garlic. [Tweet this]

Quick & Easy Guacamole

Ingredients:

2-3 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 avocados
2 limes
Hot sauce (like Habanero Hot Sauce)

Peel and mince (or just chop into small pieces) the garlic. Then place it in a mortar and pestle and pound/mash it until it's very fragrant and kind of mushy (you can also use the edge of a knife or even a garlic press for similar results, but nothing beats taking out some aggression by pounding it in a mortar and pestle).

Then add the avocado and juice from 2 limes. Mash and stir the avocado until it's creamy and mixed well.

Add as much hot sauce as you like and stir to combine. You can add salt if you like, but I rarely do since I eat it with tortilla chips that are usually salty enough.

It's ready to serve right away. Refrigerate leftovers in a sealed container for up to a week (if it lasts that long). You can also freeze it in a zipper bag just make sure all of the air is squeezed out (I've had frozen mashed avocado with lime juice in my freezer for up to 1 month--it may stay good for longer but did I mention I'm an addict).

Enjoy.

Recipes mentioned in this post:

Habanero Hot Sauce

Great Guacamole

Don't know what to do with all this guacamole? Try:

Chicken and Black Bean Salsa Nachos

Guacamole Black Bean Tuna Salad

Tequila Lime Chicken Taco Salad

Linked to: 2 Cup, Treasure Box, Lou Lou Girls, Whimsy, Tickle My Tastebuds, Tasty, freedom Friday, Food Friends

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Friday, January 30, 2015

15 Super Dips for Super Bowl 2015

Yum

A roundup of 15 dips, salsas, and spreads to make any Super Bowl party super. I sure love dips.

Super Bowl is Sunday. Whether you are watching at home or away, by yourself or with a crowd, here are 15 dips that are sure to please even the pickiest eaters. Make one or make many you can use vegetables, potato chips, tortilla chips, crackers, bread, or pita for your dippers. Maybe even mix it up and have multiple dippers and/or dips.

Click on the pictures to go to the recipes or pin for later