Lunch: Grandma's Homemade Ketchup

This recipe includes superfoods such as:

Cinnamon, Apples

Health benefits of Grandma's Homemade Ketchup

Cinnamon is one of the best ingredients that someone with insulin sensitivity can eat. Half a teaspoon of cinnamon per day has been shown to be very effective at normalizing blood sugar levels. Cinnamon contains hydroxychalcone, which is thought to enhance the effects of insulin. It has also been suggested that Cinnamon prevents post-meal blood sugar spikes by slowing the gastric emptying rate - meaning that food digests slowly. (Reference: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11506060). Apples will improve your body's sensitivity to insulin (Reference: http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/27/1/281.full)

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and diced
1 medium onion, diced
1 peach, blanched, peeled, pitted and diced
6 to 8 tomatoes, blanched, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 clove garlic
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 cinnamon stick
3 cloves
1/2 teaspoon chile flakes
1/2 cup cider vinegar
Dash garlic-flavored hot sauce (recommended: garlic-flavored Tabasco)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

In a large saucepan, add the oil, onions, apples, and peaches, sauteing until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, garlic, brown sugar, cinnamon stick, cloves, chile flakes, vinegar, and hot sauce. Season the sauce with salt and pepper and lower the heat. Cook for about 1 hour, until reduced by half. Serve with the Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie, recipe follows. Will last in the refrigerator for 1 week.
Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie:Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. First, cut the spaghetti squash in half and remove the seeds. Place the squash on a baking sheet and bake for 1 1/2 hours. As an alternative, place on a plate and cook in the microwave on high power for about 20 minutes. Roasted Garlic:Put the garlic head on a baking tray. Drizzle with 1 teaspoon olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and put in the oven for 30 minutes or until the garlic is very tender. Bread Crumbs:In a bowl, mix the bread crumbs with the milk. Let stand for 5 minutes until all the liquid has been absorbed. Mix in the pine nuts, the eggs, basil, thyme, and parsley. Put aside. Mashed Potatoes:Mash the potatoes with the butter, goat cheese, cooked garlic puree and cream to make them nice and smooth. Season the potatoes with salt and pepper. Remove the spaghetti squash flesh with a fork and put it in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper and put aside. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Vegetables:Heat the remaining oil in a large pan and saute the onions, carrots and celery over medium heat until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and mushrooms and continue cooking until brown, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Add the cooked lentils and the reserved bread crumb mixture. Stir and put aside. In an 8 by 11-inch/20 by 28-cm baking dish, spoon the vegetable mixture onto the bottom. Layer with the spaghetti squash, then the mashed potatoes and smooth them down. Cook in the oven for 30 minutes or so, until the top is slightly browned. Garnish with fried shallots, to taste.