Why Chop ?

My red sauce might just floor you and it should save you from a lifetime of chopping onions + tomatoes every mealtime.

I accept all the judgement coming my way, starting a cooking newsletter and talking about not chopping as a part of my cooking.

But it is true that I dont chop in my cooking, it generally involves me making chunks out of my produce when i buy it top of the week/month or buying ready made chunks , blending them up and eating.

I dont care if I am the only one, but cooking with onions and garlic is not my thing, even though they do add some serious flavor, working with them raw (and cleaning up after that smell 🤢) is too much work.

So many quick recipes start with toasting the “aromatics” (Chopped onions , garlic , chilli etc) in oil and then add chunks of tomato generally and then add chunks of your favorite veggies caramelize them in a curry or sauce . If you are a pro with your knife it may be quick but I am a pro with coming up with workarounds which eliminate chopping altogether.

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Here is my ever evolving "red" sauce recipe for your benefit that you can use instead of the traditional tomato sauce :

How long its gonna take

• 10 - 15 min max (and I mean max) start to finish

What we gonna need

(These brackets are me giving you realistic swaps and welcoming you to not lose your shit because you dont have an ingredient , I promise with a little time, ingenuity and optimism this will work out #life. I care about you being well fed, not make you feel inadequate for not having or liking stuff that i like)

• Roasted Red Peppers (You can use fresh red peppers/or any fresh pepper you may have and put them directly on a flame and remove the char(blackened skin) in cold water , takes 5 extra min) This is will be our substitute for onion and tomato 🙃

• 🔥 Chilli flakes (optional according to taste)

• Lemon juice 🍋

• Raw sesame seeds / Almond powder (or soaked almonds) / Pureed carrots 🥕

• Flax seeds/ Flax meal (optional can be substituted for sesame seeds/ almond powder)

• Health Kick : Ragi flour / Hemp seeds/ Chia seeds(optional based on availability )

• Basil 🍃 (or any herb you have on hand or whichever feels right)

• Water 🥤

• Salt 🧂 , Pepper & Olive oil to taste

Method

Blend :

• 2-3 Red Bell Peppers or 1 medium can roasted red bell pepper

• 1 tsp Chilli Flakes

• 2 tsp Lemon Juice

• 4 - 7 tbsp Raw sesame seeds / Almond powder / Pureed carrots

• 1 tbsp Flax meal

• 1 tbsp Ragi flour / Hemp seeds/ Chia seeds

• 1 tsp Basil (or any herb you have on hand)

• 1 -1.5 cups Water

• Finish with Salt , Pepper & Olive oil

into a sauce consistency, trust your senses and you will not need measurements as much 😄

How to use it

• As a Sandwich spread to spread on sandwiches throughout the week

• As a dip

• Make Nachos topped with cheese when no one is around

• Make a cheats pasta arrabiata / pasta in red sauce

• It has become a great base for curries / soups

• Or my favorite use as pizza sauce 🍕

• Anywhere there is a tomato sauce involved, substitute it for this much healthier flavorsome sauce / dip

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• If you make it tag me : iamanunaik (Instagram & Twitter)

• Share this with your friends or anyone in your life who could use this as an inspiration. Yes feeding yourself is convenient , takes no time and EASY #selfreliance

• I am not a dietitian but you can try out this tool here to print a nutrition label for what you are going to make.

• I hope you add all the healthy additives like Chia seeds , Flax seeds and Hemp Seeds in these sauces, its a fail safe way to get great nutrients in your body 🤑

  They are not as expensive as they are marketed, My yearly supply of chia seeds comes for $6-7 USD from the local store.

A lot of people (who dont cook) turn up their nose at me , ask me why I dont chop 🔪 , but I ask “Why chop” when you can get away with not .

I don’t make apologies for this, for cooking minimally and conveniently. I love to cook don’t get me wrong, its my weekend self-care, self-healing getaway and I don’t like to compromise it but I want the convenience as well of not having to cook 3 times everyday because I want to engage myself in doing my life’s work, in serving my family and community, spending time with them and contribute to the greater good.

But to be able to still return to a home cooked meal at the end of the day is a true luxury that I want you all to experience for yourself and share in upcoming posts …

Time is precious, spend it how you want :-) 🤟