Memorial Day Dinner Pt. 1: Italian Tomato Sauce

Sorry it has taken so long for me to post this. For Memorial Day, as I mentioned earlier, I cooked my grandpa a dinner that included some of his favorite foods (eggplant parmesan) and flavors (mint/chocolate). The recipe for the eggplant parmesan is actually two recipes combined into one: Italian Tomato Sauce and Eggplant Parmesan. These recipes I adapted from The New Moosewood Cookbook, probably my favorite cookbook on this entire planet. Not only are the recipes delicious, vegetarian, easy to 'adapt' (or change), but they are healthy! I really want to get Mollie Katzen's other cookbook, The Enchanted Broccoli Forest. This is the tomato sauce that will be used IN the eggplant parmesan.

Ingredients:

• 3 TBSP olive oil
• 2 cups chopped onion
• 1 medium-sized bell pepper, diced
• 1 TBSP fresh basil
• 1 TBSP fresh thyme
• 1.5 tsp kosher salt
• 1 1-lb. 13oz can of whole tomatoes
• 1 6oz can tomato paste
• 1 TBSP honey
• lots and lots of fresh ground pepper
• 6 LARGE cloves of garlic, minced

Directions:

1. Heat the olive oil in a dutch oven. Add onion, bell pepper, herbs, and salt and saute over medium heat until the onion is quite soft.
2. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, honey, and black pepper. Break up the tomatoes into bite-sized pieces. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer, partially covered, for 20 to 30 minutes
3. Add garlic and cook about 10 minutes more. Now....just wait.... for the eggplant parmesan!