Easy Homemade Ketchup

By Coach Maria - Salus Nutritionist & Food Expert

If you are on the clean-eating bandwagon, you know that some times, finding decent condiments is difficult.

You might find yourself making good choices with your meals, only to derail those efforts by over doing the condiments - sometimes, we know no limits when dipping foods into commercially prepared sauces, dressings and relishes.

One of those condiments, is ketchup.  What should be a benign combination of ingredients, can actually be just the opposite.

Most store-bought ketchup brands contain practically denatured tomatoes that have been severely over cooked, water and a huge amount of sugar in the form of genetically modified corn syrup also known as high fructose corn syrup.



Another unnecessary and, often times, sneaky ingredient is natural flavors or flavoring.  As innocent as that description sounds, natural flavors are simply flavor-enhancing chemicals; the most common being MSG.

Once you realize how easy it is to make ketchup in your own kitchen, you'll no longer need to rely or derail your clean-eating efforts with the store-bought brands.

Because I like a more tangy ketchup over a sweeter variety, I add a minimal amount of honey.  If your taste buds lean more towards a sweeter ketchup, feel free to add a bit more honey.

Ingredients

6oz can organic tomato paste (read label - only organic tomatoes!)
2 Tblsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 Tblsp raw honey or maple syrup
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp sage
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp ground cloves (optional, but I like the flavor!)
1/2 c water

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and whisk.
Gradually whisk in enough water until you reach the desired consistency.
Keep in fridge.

Enjoy!


Nutritional Information Per Serving:
serving size:  3 Tblsp

Protein:      1g
Carbs:        8g
Fat:            0g
Sugars:      6g

Nutritional information are estimates and may vary