Tomatoes are ripening in the southern and eastern part of the country and it brings to mind a craving for some rich, flavorful sauce. However, many people cannot tolerate tomatoes for a variety of reasons. The most common reason is because it is part of the nightshade group of vegetables. This group is composed of tomatoes, potatoes, eggplants and peppers and contains a chemical called solanine which may cause painful reactions in susceptible individuals.
Solanine is actually a poison that is found, mostly in potatoes, but also in tomatoes, eggplants and peppers, and any other compounds derived from this group such as chili peppers. It can drive inflammation and adversely affect someone who has arthritis or other inflammatory disorders and who is sensitive to it. For some people, staying away from any source of solanine helps them avoid painful, inflammatory flareups.
Having an immediate IgE allergy to tomato another reason to shun it. Some people are also sensitive to the acid in tomatoes. But if you suffer from any sensitivity to tomatoes you don’t have to be deprived! This recipe is amazingly like tomato sauce in flavor and texture and will satisfy the sensitive tomato lover.
The No Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups carrots well steamed
1/3 cup beets steamed or roasted
2/3 cup water
3/4 cup chopped onion (1 medium sized onion) sauteed in olive oil
2 cloves garlic sauteed in olive oil briefly just to bring up the flavor
1 1/2 teaspoon sea salt (more or less to taste) (where to get sea salt)
1 teaspoon basil (more or less to taste)
Other spices you like in your sauce like oregano
1 tablespoon lemon juice (optional)
Instructions
- Steam the carrots and beets until tender (or roast)
- Brown the onions and briefly at the end, the garlic with olive oil
- In a blender mix the carrots, onions, garlic and water (and lemon juice if you are using it)
- Add the beets carefully as you do not want too much, just enough to have the rich red color of tomato sauce
- Blend until it is very smooth
- Add the spices and blend
- Taste and add more spices if need be, or beets for color (small amounts at a time)
- Refrigerate
- This recipe tastes better after one day
- Make a double batch and freeze some for later use
This post is linked to: My Meatless Monday, Midnight Maniac, Melt in Mouth Monday, Seasonal Sunday, Sweet Details, Sugar-Free Sunday, Meatless Monday, Mangia Monday, Monday Mania, Weekend Carnival, Tuesday at the Table, Made From Scratch Tuesday,Tuesday Night Supper Club, Traditional Tuesday, Tuesday Tasty Tidbits, Tasty Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday, Tempt my Tummy Tuesday, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday Parade of Foods, What’s Cooking Wednesday, What’s On the Menu Wednesday, Real Food Wednesday, Cast Party Wednesday, Gluten-Free Wednesday, Made it on Monday, What’s Cooking Wednesday, Healthy2Day Wednesday, These Chicks Cooked, Creative Juice Thursday, Full Plate Thursday, Real Food Weekly, Turning the Table Thursday, Frugal Follies, Simple Lives Thursday, Recipe Swap Thursday, Pennywise Platter, Friday Favorites, Food Trip Friday, Foodie Friday, Foodie Friday, Fresh Food Friday, Fresh Bites Friday, Fat Camp Friday, Friday Potluck, Fun with Food Friday, Friday Food, Allergy-Free Friday, Fight Back Friday
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{ 45 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks again for another great alternative! Wondering if you could use chicken stock instead of water and make it taste a little richer? I’m excited to try this on some spaghetti squash!
Hi Alison,
Hmmm, the chicken stock instead of water idea is great! Why didn’t I think of that! LOL. I bet it would taste good and add so much. Next time I will try it that way.
This is awesome! I was just telling my husband last night that my little nursling doesn’t seem to be handling tomatoes in my diet, thank you for the alternative
Hi Genevieve,
So smart of you to notice that in your nursing child. This is a great alternative!
Very interesting! When I was a baby, I would break out in a terrible diaper rash when my mom ate tomatoes… She instinctively knew to stay away from them because of that, though not knowing it was an allergy on my part to nightshades… I must have outgrown it because I have no such response now! My dad was a heavy smoker too… wonder if that was a factor. Hmmm, I never cease to learn!!!
Jill, this looks amazing! I am forwarding it on to a friend who eats no nightshades. Thanks!
Hi Rebecca,
Thanks for your support!
Please, please add tobacco to the nightshade group! My sister developed rheumatoid arthritis in her teens. Her mobility became worse and worse through the years and additionally she found that she got fuzzy-minded and ultimately spoke with slurred speech if at all when she was in meetings. She had to tell her secretary to keep an eye on her and get her outside if she started looking strange. When she was in her sixties or so she began to notice that her symptoms seemed to be lessening. It didn’t take long for her to make the connection with the developing trend toward smoke-free public buildings (she was the state librarian in two states for many years). Unfortunately the many years of response to tobacco smoke – from father, grandfather, visiting smoker/poker-playing cousins, husband – she needed both hips replaced, but that was the end of it. I too have had lots of problems from tobacco (same family sources) though fortunately escaped at least the young onset of arthritis. We both have had to carry homeopathic anti-tobacco remedies when traveling, since no-smoking claims in hotels are misguided and ineffective. Partly this is because they don’t understand that tobacco smoke persists in pillows, bedspreads, drapes, and that tobacco-sensitivity doesn’t simply mean we don’t like the smell and that air-fresheners will do the trick. Those of course may only pile on another level of toxic exposure. Anyway – remember tobacco!! Two side comments: My sister always noticed escalating aches when driving past tobacco farms on her way to North Carolina beaches. And I’ve always wondered about a familiar smell when I open a can of tomato paste – until I realized that it smelled like tobacco!
Hi Janet,
Yes. Tobacco is certainly part of the nightshade group and can cause serious problems for those sensitive. Since this post is really just a recipe, I didn’t want to make it too long with additional information, but thank you so much for sharing your experience! I plan to write a more comprehensive post about the nightshades in the future.
What a wonderful recipe to have on hand, Jill! I am so thankful for all of your GAPS-friendly info.
I loved the chicken stock-replacing-water idea, and am also wondering if we could replace it with coconut water? The coconut water would add sweetness, so I’m not sure how that would work. Any thoughts on that?
Thank you for all your wonderful posts and videos, Jill!
Hi Victoria,
I think the chicken stock is great, but the coconut water? Hmmm, I don’t think the flavors would meld well and I’m not sure cooking the water is a good idea. I’m not sure if it is traditionally cooked. But I guess you can try it.
I hadn’t thought about “cooking” with the sauce after making it! Good point.
Thanks!
Wow! This looks so yummy, can’t wait to try it. Beets are one my favorite things to sneak into meals with my family because they all claim to hate beets. I have a great recipe for chocolate cake that uses beets and its always a knockout. I’ll have to serve up this sauce for dinner and beet cake for dessert!
Hi Jami,
I’ve seen recipes from brownies with beets and they look good! I love responses like the one you got on the cholesterol article — I love to respond to them…
Jill,
Thanks again for your input on how to respond to my friend who thought the cholesterol article was “radical and socially irresponsible.” You hit the nail on the head about him being invested in the medical community already. I do like that it seemed to strike such a chord in him though, and maybe it will lead him to do a little independent thinking and research of his own.
Hi Jami,
Thank you for bringing it to my attention. The medical community loves to cite “studies” but forget that most studies are funded by pharmaceutical companies and therefore are subject to biase and fraud.
Wow what a great alternative!! It really looks like a wonderful recipe.
What a great idea! Really quite brilliant actually. So far I’ve been lucky enough to not have any problems with tomatoes.. but I like the look of this sauce and might give it a shot anyhow since most sauces in the store contain sugar and the one I make at home always looks a little funny.
Thanks for the share at this week’s Sugar Free Sunday. See you next week!
Hi Raj,
This is a great sauce even if you eat tomatoes!
What an informative post! I learned something new today, and it’s only 7 in the morning! I do have friends who have issues when eating red sauce, and now I’ll know a recipe to point them to. Thank you so much!
HI,
Thanks so much for your comments and for sharing this post!
You are now my daughter’s best friend! She has a tomato allergy and does poorly with high acid foods in general. But she loves lasagna which we cut out of the diet for the whole family for her sake leaving some very disappointed siblings. I am on this like brown on rice!
Hi Melissa,
Great! Let me know how she likes it!
Jill, this is very creative and worth a try even if one doesn’t have to avoid tomatoes! It looks terrific.
Thanks Linda!
We were told that our daughter had a low allergy to tomatoes and if she could tolerate them, then to let her have tomato based foods in moderation. This would be a wonderful alternative to try out. Thanks for sharing
Hi Mary,
I think she will really like this alternative.
How clever are you! Thanks so much for linking up to
“Made it on Monday”
Thanks so much for this! My MIL, who cannot tolerate tomatoes, is visiting next month, and you may have just saved the day!
I noticed my son is sensitive to tomatoes, but he loves it so much that its hard for me to say no to him, and then he ends up with a rash. I wonder if this will do the trick. What does it taste like? Can you trick someone into thinking it is tomatoes, or is it different but still yummy?
Hi,
I would definitely try it — on meatballs, or meat sauce it’s great and tastes just like tomato sauce!
I watched all your videos and it was like having a visit with you; I am impressed with your diligence and delicious, healthy recipes.
Hi Barbara,
I wish we could really visit! Thanks for your comments!
It looks like the perfect red tomato sauce (only it’s not!). Thanks for sharing with Fat Camp Friday. See you next week! http://bit.ly/npf0ml
Okay – I just stumbled upon this recipe from Food Renegade’s fight back Friday – I have yet to try it – but can’t wait!!! I’m just realizing how much the nightshade family bothers me and I can’t stand it! I love chili! I can’t wait to make this. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I will definitely add your blog to my google reader.
Hi Rhoni,
Thanks for your support! Let me know how you like it!
Hi Jill,
Your video is great and it is a very good recipe for all those folks who can’t enjoy the tomato and all its goodness. Thank you so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday and hope to see you next week. Have a great week end!
Miz Helen
Thank you for sharing this post, what a great alternative for those with sensitivities.
Thank you for sharing your recipe with me at Cast Party Wednesday. I hope you will come back tomorrow and share more of your recipes.
Thanks,
I hope to see you there!
not only is this gorgeous…it is so smart! i am not intolerant to tomatoes, but i love this recipe and will definitely give it a try. i am also thinking that cooking this down a bit and making it extremely concentrated, would make a wonderful soup base…particularly for lentil soup. oh the possibilities are endless! thank you for sharing with tuesday night supper club.
Hi Christy,
Thanks for your kind words. Great ideas for cooking down for a soup base!
Hi Jill, do you kow anything about histamine allergies? I googled it and found out that some of the foods that I am allergic to stimulate the release of histamine such as tomato, strawberry, pineapple, shellfish and egg white. These foods showed up on my allergic prick test among others. I am doing GAPS to try and heal my allergies. When I eat strawberries, tomatoes or shrimp I get an itchy red bump on my face and/or neck that usually goes away in the next day or two.
Add to the list of high histamine foods: beer and brewer’s yeast which I am allergic to as well!
Hi,
Haven’t tried the recipe but will probably make it this weekend. Jill — Have you ever made a large batch a canned it? Also have you (or anyone) tried this as base in soup? You know recipes that might used canned tomatoes?
Thanks for posting — my DH is very sensitive to nightshades.
@Baby Bell,
I usually double the recipe and get about a quart. I divide it into 4 small containers and freeze. I have not tried to can it.
As far as a soup goes — that is a good idea that I have not yet tried. I would use chicken stock as a base and add the sauce. I bet that would be really good!
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