When you’re starting to cook, the easiest thing you can do is modify an existing recipe or product to taste better, or be better for you. One of my FAVE pantry items was an organic soup-base from Pacific (tomato & roasted red pepper). I used it in everything from soup to pasta sauce to rice/quinoa stock & flavoring. It is really truly delicious. Mostly I dilute it with 4-to-1 water, so that the sugar and fat content are cut down to a quarter of what they normally are. You really don’t lose much flavor, and the consistency is actually better when watered down.

SO… what’s the problem? Two things:

1. It’s not cheap (unless you buy it in bulk from Costco, and they don’t always carry it).
2. It contains dairy, added sugar and A LOT of salt

I tried to replicate the recipe – using organic roasted tomatoes, tomato paste, red peppers, Vidalia onion, garlic, a small amount of sea salt & some herbs… then I added a couple of ounces of sweetened condensed milk for creaminess. The color, smell and flavor was very close! My base was slightly thinner and sweeter, but almost as good… and MUCH better for you. I’ll post the recipe soon… but for now, you must remember… it’s all ’bout that base!!