Mock Spaghetti: Cabbage with Roasted Red Pepper (Nomato) Meat Sauce

Hi Friends,

Today I'm sharing my recipe for whole food Mock Spaghetti with Roasted Red Pepper Meat Sauce.  It is low in histamine, low chemical, low sodium, gluten and dairy free.  It is a healthier whole food version than traditional spaghetti.  While I am the only one in my family eating just whole foods for healing, I think they would LOVE this recipe!  There is a good bit of work to preparing the sauce, but it is OHHH SO worth it as I can't have tomatoes and this tastes so much like tomato sauce to me!!!  I also cook it in batches and freeze individual portions which makes it worthwhile.

Roasted Red Pepper Sauce (Nomato Sauce)

Ingredients:

4 Red Bell Peppers, washed, cut in half, deseeded
1 Small shallot, peeled, cored and cut in thirds
1 Large Orange Sweet Potato, wrapped in baking parchment then foil, bake until tender
2 -Half cup servings Organic Peaches in organic pear juice (I use Giant brand) or 1 peach fresh in season
1/2 Cup frozen cranberries, washed (don't skip this key ingredient--it gives the sauce it's tangy spaghetti sauce-like flavor)

Directions:

1) Roast prepared red bell peppers and shallot on a sheet pan covered with parchment in a preheated 400 degree oven for 40 mins.  After roasted, place in a large glass bowl and cover with a plate and allow to steam for 10 minutes.  This makes it easier to remove the skins.

2) Wash and mince frozen cranberries in small food processor and place in a medium-sized glass bowl.

3)  Process the 2 half cup servings of organic peaches and its juice until it turns to a smooth liquid.  Add to cranberries.

4)  Process the large baked orange sweet potato until smooth and add to the mixture.

5)  After peeling the red bell peppers, process them and the shallot until smooth and add to the mixture.  Stir until combined. (You may add your favorite organic herbs and spices, but I like to add the herbs when Im cooking my mock spaghetti to bring out their flavors.  Makes about 7 individual servings (one soup ladle per serving).  I freeze unused portions.

Mock Spaghetti with Meat
SERVES TWO

Ingredients:

1/4 lb. Ground grass-fed Meat of your choice (lamb, hamburger, buffalo, etc.) (I cook using smaller portions of meat but cook the desired portion of your liking.)  Cook, drain and set aside.
1/2 small head cabbage, cored and sliced thin.
1/2 box frozen artichokes
1 small sweet potato, cut in chunks (optional)
1 grated carrot
Dash of each Organic Herbs (I use basil, black pepper, turmeric, cumin, oregano, ginger and *ground mustard powder) but use your favorites that you love.

*TIP:   I add ground mustard powder right before serving.  This herb helps restore the sulforaphane (a powerful NRF2 activator) to the cabbage that cooking takes out.  I also add it to other greens like kale and broccoli after I steam them.

Directions:

1)  Use a medium to large stainless steel frying pan and add a cup or two of water.  Bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium.  Add frozen artichokes and small cut sweet potato.  Add sliced cabbage and cook on medium for 15 minutes. Add grated carrot midway through cooking and your favorite organic herbs and spices. Cook until tender, drain any remaining liquid.  Portion out onto 2 serving plates.  Sprinkle with organic ground mustard powder.

2)  Add cooked ground meat back to the pan and add 2 individual servings of roasted red pepper sauce.  Heat until warm.  Add meat sauce on top of cooked mock spaghetti.  Sprinkle with basil. Enjoy!

Lesson from a Painting in Progress

Hello Friends,

I think it's finally safe to say that spring is here.  Well, at least I think so.  Every year the large maple tree behind our house is an indicator of the arrival of spring.  On April 20th the leaves are just about opened, but not so this year.  Spring is a little late as the maple is still pushing out blossoms to date.  Sometimes things don't happen at the pace we would like them to.  However, if we look back, we can see small increments of progress.  One thing I have learned in life is that God is in no hurry.  He is often quietly at work in our lives and sometimes we can get a little frustrated (or maybe a lot) when it seems like nothing is happening.  I find that true in trying to heal my body from histamine issues related to vestibular migraine.  What can you do when you find yourself at a stand still?

A few weeks ago I started a painting titled, "Birds and Butterflies".  It took me FOREVER to get it finished! Some days it seemed like I made very little progress, even though I spent a great deal of time on it.

That painting reminded me of how God is at work in the smallest details of our lives, even though we see little to no change.

 One thing I did while painting was to take a few photos along the way, so that I would be reminded of the progress.  I also did that with my life for the last 11 months while changing my diet.  I started to write down the things that have healed in my body, so that I could look back at it and remind myself of my progress in case I get discouraged.

 When progress seems at a standstill, I pull out the index card and look at all the healing I have seen and it is so encouraging.  I have seen 8 things happen in my healing journey so far, and they are pretty amazing!  Just from diet changes, to name a few,  I have seen healing in inflammation, healing from Ulcerative Colitis,  healing from headaches, healing from heart palpitations, healing from vertigo spells and healing from most of the bobbing sensations of dizziness.  I'm about 85-90% better from the constant 24/7 dizziness from VM.  While I still have bad days, I am finally having good days after being stricken with this for the last 23 years.

Whether we are working on healing in some area of our life or if you are trying to finish a project,  we need to do our part and keep taking baby steps forward one detail at a time or one day at a time, even though we may not see a lot of progress.

 Some times we may need to take a momentary look back to see the progress we've made, so we don't get discouraged and quit.  Whatever you are facing, you are not alone.  God is waiting for you, right where you are.  His forgiveness, friendship and love will carry you through any obstacle you are facing.  Just call on Him and turn to Him.  Remember that even if you don't see progress, God is still at work in the smallest of details of your life and He will complete His work in you.

Philippians 1:6b

"...He who began a good work in you will carry it 

on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."

My before and after photos of my progress.

Keeping Christmas Simple

I hope you enjoyed Christmas this year with your family and friends.  This year the theme of simplicity kept coming to mind after I experienced simplifying my diet this past summer to help in the healing process for my balance issues.  While I am not 100% cured yet, I have found some very unexpected healing of inflammation in my body and quite an improvement in my balance.  So, I ran with the idea of keeping things simplified for Christmas.

For many, Christmas means added stress.  Since my husband and daughter both work in retail, it's nice for them to come home to some peace and calm.

I think our Christmas theme really started when we bought a tree light timer.  Wow! That sure beats trying to get to the back of the tree each day by parting a jungle of tree branches and tip toeing around wrapped presents.

I kept tree decorating simple, using a few store bought ornaments I had on hand, but mostly my handmade ones.

I also took a decorate-as-you-go approach this year and made small vignettes each week leading up to Christmas.  Here, I corralled some winter items and put them in a wood box on a bench in the foyer.

I also decorated our antique typewriter with some greens and one of my prints, "Warm Winter Wishes" that I cut and mounted to masonite board.

In the kitchen, I set up a snowman themed vignette in one of the windowsills featuring a snowman cupcake that I painted on a piece of wood...

and a snowman pin cushion that I made a few years ago with a hat made from a spool of thread and a wooden disc.  I found the little yellow bowl at a second hand shop to sit him in.  My grandmother's polka dotted spice tins add a fun touch.

In the other kitchen window, I created a gingerbread theme.  The kitchen smelled just like Christmas after I baked some gingerbread hearts for my little tree.  My grandmother's glasses added a nice touch on top of the cookbooks.  Coincidentally, her glasses work perfectly for me when I'm trying to remove a splinter from my finger as they seem to be a perfect match for my eyes.

In the dining room, I filled a box with a few of my painted bowls, some red transferware, a candle, Christmas balls and some Poly-fil for snow.

To keep it simple, I decorated a corner cupboard in my dining room with a sweet vignette that I kept set up from last year.  I simply open the door of the cupboard at Christmas to display it.

I kept that same approach in the master bedroom by using a pre-decorated small tree from last year and found a new place for it on the bedside table.  Our bed was adorned with a paper wreath that I bought at a friend's open house.

In the living room, I decorated the hearth with my Central Market Putz House that I made a few years ago from cracker boxes and added a cute Christmas piece on our lamp table that I also purchased from a friend's open house.  Simple, but so sweet.

My daughter seemed to catch onto the simplicity theme this year by telling me, "If I just get chocolate for Christmas, I will be happy.  She is such a contented person!  Here, I have a little corner set up for the Jacques Torres hot chocolate we bought for her.  After we made some together last night, she remarked that her stomach was very happy!

On Christmas morning, we took a very relaxed approach--sleep in as long as you like.  When everyone was ready,  I made a stromboli for my hubby and daughter with store bought pizza dough and sliced meats and cheeses--no huge meal or cleanup on Christmas--just simple.  For my meal I chopped up some veggies and cooked them together to make a sweet potato hash.

After lunch, we exchanged gifts.  We kept things simple with one surprise gift for each of us and other gifts were things that we needed.   We bought frozen steaks and clothing for my hubby, new bedding and dresses for my daughter, and a few kitchen items like a stainless steel pan and wooden cutting board for me.  This year we also kept it simple by shopping early and online and avoided the long lines and crowds.  At the end of the day, I realized that Christmas doesn't need to be as stressful, as we make it.   If we are stressed over Christmas, I think we need to take a fresh look at the very simplicity surrounding the birth of Christ.  Why do we think we need to compete with or outdo others?  If we plan ahead and make it simple on purpose, it can be a joyous time as we celebrate the real meaning of Christmas with our loved ones.

What do you do to keep the stress out of Christmas?  Do you cook up a large pot of soup or have an easier approach to gift giving?  If you have a fun tradition that brings simplicity to Christmas, please share your thoughts below in the comment section.   I would love to hear from you!

"Better a small serving of vegetables with love

than a fattened calf with hatred."

Proverbs 15:17

Living Room Redo

Over the last few months we have been planning to redo our living room.  We got a lot of use out of the furniture over the last 17 years, but as you know, things wear out.   Here are a few before and after photos of the changes we made.

Before

Before

When you have a small room, you try to fit in as much seating as you can, like the love seat we squeezed into a small space.  Right???  I guess I like to break design rules.  However, when it came time for a redo, we decided to take a different approach this time around and get it right.

New Paint - BM Chelsea Gray

I'm not sure what the proper order is in doing a room, but as an artist, it's all about the paint!!!  Maybe some people start with a rug for inspiration, but I've been dreaming about using this color for quite a long time.  So I painted first and did the rug last.  I have a habit of breaking the design rules.

Next, we headed to several --no, make that a gazillion furniture stores until I saw this sofa....

...and this electric recliner that would actually fit in the spot and in our budget as well.  I wasn't in love with the fabric, but that was a quick fix.  

I choose this dark charcoal fabric, Pheebee Ebony for the sofa...

...and this black and white fabric, Dempsey Tuxedo, for the recliners. (It looks a little yellow in the photo, but it's black and white in person.)

Before

We also spent a lot of time running all over Lancaster County, looking for new lamps... 

                   

Before

...and a new rug.

So, here are the after photos.

The large framed print above the sofa is from my Happy Valley painting printed in a 24 x 30" size.

The rug is a salt and pepper color mix to compliment all the black and white in the room.  It is actually a piece of carpet.  We had it finished in a charcoal binding to look like an area rug, and put quality carpet padding under the rug. This saved us several hundred bucks and it feels very lush underfoot.

Sarah Table Lamp from the Crestview Collection.

Thanks for stopping by.  I hope you enjoyed the redo.  Next time I'll share some holiday decorating and vignettes.