Pizza Sauce

                   Every family has a kid that is picky.  I realized a long time ago not to fight it, but just be sneaky on how you serve vegetables.  Then when they finish the food you say, "hey did you enjoy the zucchini?", or whatever vegetable you're hiding, they realize that it isn't so bad.

                   I created this pizza sauce with my dear boy in mind.  One of his favorite things to eat is pizza.  He also loves dunking bread sticks in pizza sauce.  I decided to throw loads of veggies into a sauce and see how it would go over.  There was no flinching when eating, no wrinkling of the nose, and so 3 slices later I realized I had a winner.

                    I would like to share this recipe to help those of you with a picky eater.  You can even add other veggies if you like, like carrots or summer squash.  I am sure they would go great.



Ingredients

1. 1 Cup of chopped onion
2. 1/2 Cup of diced celery
3. 2 quartered and diced zucchini
4. 1 Cup chopped roasted red peppers 
5. 2 Tbl olive oil
6. 3 minced garlic cloves
7. 2 28oz. cans of tomato puree (I used Muir Glen)
8. 1 8oz. can of tomato paste
9. 2 tsp dry basil
10. 2 tsp dry oregano
11. 1 tsp salt
12. 1 Tbl sugar (or to taste)
13. 1/2 tsp pepper
14. 3 bay leaves

First, heat up the butter and olive oil in a large pot on medium heat.  Then add the onion, celery, and zucchini.  Cook the vegetables until the zucchini starts to brown.  Stir often so nothing burns.

Then add the peppers and garlic.  Stir for 2 minutes.

Then add the tomato paste, tomato puree and  stir to incorporate.

Add the spices and let the sauce cook on low covered for 30 minutes.

Remove the bay leaves and puree the sauce with an immersion blender for a smooth sauce.  Taste the sauce for salt and pepper.  Place the bay leaves back in and simmer for another 30 minutes.

Whatever sauce I don't use right away, I place in baggies in the freezer.  This works great for a future meal.