This is a different and delicious spaghetti sauce or sauce to use on any other pasta. Do use an organic whole wheat pasta. It tastes so much better and is so much better for you.
I was listening to a lecture given by Dr. Joel Fuhrman, M.D. the other day. Dr. Fuhrman is one of those wonderful medical doctors that really wants to help people with a good diet, not with operations and more pills if at all possible. He carries the same weight he did when he was 18 years old. He looks very fit and trim and no where near his 58 years. One of the dietary pieces of advice he gives to maintain health, lose or maintain weight and feel well and wonderful is to eat onions and beans every day.
The following recipe has both onions and beans (legumes) in the form of lentils and is really excellent:
3/4 cup dried red or brown lentils, rinsed
3 carrots cut in thin diagonal slices
2 celery ribs, diced
5-6 cups filtered water to cover the above ingredients.
3 tablespoons olive oil (Dr. Fuhrman recommends against using any oil as it is just fat with no nutritive value.)
Use water or apple juice if you don’t want the fat.
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 6 oz can tomato paste
2 teaspoons organic no-salt seasoning
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1 pound organic whole grain spaghetti or other pasta
3 or 4 tablespoons cilantro and/or parsley minced
Boil the salted water and add the lentils, carrots and celery. Reduce the heat and cook for about 30 minutes until the vegetables are tender. Drain reserving the liquid. If you choose to use oil mix the mixture with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and set aside.
Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil (or use a little water or apple juice) in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the tomato paste and 2 cups of the reserved liquid depending on how juicy you like your pasta sauce. Mix well, add the vegetable mixture along with the no-salt seasoning and pepper. Simmer the sauce while you cook the pasta. If you like hotter foods (as in pepper hot) add a teaspoon of red pepper flakes while you are simmering the mixture.
Cook the pasta as per package directions. Top with the sauce and voila!! There you have it…a wonderful luncheon or dinner entre.
