Mind-Blowing Oil-Free Roasted Tomatoes

I used to love this recipe I had for olive-oil and herb roasted tomatoes, but lately I don't want to eat all that oil. I mean, the recipe called for 1/4 cup of olive oil, which equals 4 tablespoons at 120 calories each of pure fat (480 calories of fat total), which makes the dish a fat-and-calorie bomb. When you remove the oil from the recipe and add balsamic vinegar instead, the taste is more complex and you get a highly nutritious antioxidant-and-vitamin-rich meal or snack that you can enjoy until you feel full for very few calories and no fat. So, I re-jiggered the recipe with no oil and what you get after roasting is so mouthwatering, I'm going to give you 4 ways to use it...that is, if you can even wait that long without spooning them into your mouth straight from the oven!

Vegan Cooking Level: Beginner

Ingredients

2 - 28 oz. cans whole peeled tomatoes

4 cloves garlic, grated

3 tbsp. each fresh herbs, chopped: basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

Salt & pepper, to taste

Optional: 1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes after roasting

How to throw it down

Step 1: Remove tomatoes from the can sauce one by one and open each one over a bowl, smoothing out any seeds (does not have to be perfect - I am NEVER perfect!). Lay them open side up on a sheet pan lined with a SILpat or parchment paper.

Step 2: Grate the garlic using a fine cheese grater (see, I find a vegan use for all animal product gadgets, cookware and appliances!) Combine garlic, herbs and balsamic vinegar in a bowl and stir to mix.

Using a spoon, top each open tomato with a dollop of herb/garlic mixture until all used up. Sprinkle salt & pepper over top.

Step 3: Bake at 200 degrees F for 2 hours, until soft. Remove from pan. Coarsely cut the tomatoes crosswise twice into smaller chunks.

Serve it up 4 ways:

1. As a topping for crusty bread, as shown, sprinkled with your favorite "nut" parmesan.

2. Make a french bread pizza, or traditional pizza using a store-bought crust such as Sami's Bakery Millet & Flax Pizza Crust, and top with other roasted veggies over these tomatoes and your favorite "nut" parm. Go crazy!

3. Make a spreadable paste. Add 1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes for a spicy spread.

4. Freeze 1 cup of these tomatoes to add to your next minestrone soup, or other Italian soup or home made sauce.

Want to take back your health eating this way

but need help with how to do it?