Tomato Juice for Cooking?

[soon2bslim]

i usually make my own tomato sauce since sf tomato sauce is not available here but we're starting to get winter tomatoes and it's more of a pain to make my own. We have tomato juice which list the ingredients as follows: water, tomato concentrate, salt...carbs are 4.5 gm/100ml ... no fiber, calories 21/100ml. Personally, i don't care for drinking the stuff, but what do u think about cooking with it?

[liv]

Re: Tomato Juice for Cooking?

If those are the only ingredients I see no wrong with that. When you cook with it the carb count will increase (as you lose water volume) and as tomatoes are kind of sweet and carby I would somewhat careful. Don't have more than 5 tomato carbs per meal.
So what do you like to make?

[mizski]

Re: Tomato Juice for Cooking?

I think it's ok. I use tomato juice in a beef cabbage soup I make. As Liv mentioned, it is carby so I now use some beef broth to cut down on the tomato juice amount (and reduce the carbs).

[soon2bslim]

Re: Tomato Juice for Cooking?

Thanks Liv and Mizski! since you asked, Liv, i like to 'spike' things w/ tomato sauce to add flavor, vitamins and moisture esp since i'm not using wine these days in cooking and usually i dilute the tomato sauce anyway so this seems like a reasonable alternative to me. i especially like to pour some on fish or chicken cutlets/parts and add sauteed vegetables (maybe onions, mushrooms, and/or peppers) seal tightly and bake. Also i add it 2 the 'broth' for a pot roast which becomes 'soup' when we're done w/ the roast, and 2 almost anything that's cooking in the crockpot. It's one of my 'secret' ingredients

[lbiessen]

Re: Tomato Juice for Cooking?

HUM, ya'll got me thinking - with this cold weather coming - a vegetable soup:

l can of chicken broth
l small can of spicy V8 juice
1 can of string beans
and cubed chicken or cooked ground meat.

YUM

[Elizellen]

Re: Tomato Juice for Cooking?

Check the ingredients of the V8 - I think it contains rung 8 veggies!

[cleochatra]

Re: Tomato Juice for Cooking?

V8 is pretty carby. V8 contains 10 grams of carbohydrates per 8-ounce serving, and Elizellen is totally right on. Beets are a higher rung veg. Check it:

INGREDIENTS: TOMATO JUICE FROM
CONCENTRATE (WATER, TOMATO CONCENTRATE),
RECONSTITUTED VEGETABLE JUICE BLEND
(WATER AND CONCENTRATED JUICES OF
CARROTS, CELERY, BEETS, PARSLEY, LETTUCE,
WATERCRESS, SPINACH), SALT, VITAMIN C
(ASCORBIC ACID), FLAVORING, CITRIC ACID.

[Desertthorn]

Re: Tomato Juice for Cooking?

I think it's ok. I use tomato juice in a beef cabbage soup I make. As Liv mentioned, it is carby so I now use some beef broth to cut down on the tomato juice amount (and reduce the carbs).

Oh yum, can I have that recipe?

[mizski]

Re: Tomato Juice for Cooking?

Oh yum, can I have that recipe?

This is a recipe that I made Atkins friendly. The original recipe is called Lentil Cabbage Beef Soup. Besides the lentils, the original recipe called for the big 48 oz can of tomato juice (way too carby) and carrots. Here's my new version:

Cabbage Beef Soup

Small head of cabbage cut up (I use a bag of pre-cut cabbage from the produce section)
1 pound ground beef or ground bison
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup chopped celery (with leaves is great)
1 12 oz. can Campbell's tomato juice
1 quart (32 oz.) beef broth
ground pepper to taste

OWL rung 6: 1/2 c. brown lentils
OWL rung 8: 1 carrot, shredded

Brown beef or bison in soup pot with onions, garlic and celery. Drain grease and return to pot. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer until veggies are tender.

Nutritional info depends upon how big a bowl you have. This soup is fairly carby but that is because it is loaded with veggies (which is a good thing).

NOTE: This recipe can also be made in a crock pot...just brown the beef or bison first.