Product Feature: Tomato Powder and Tomato Basil Bread Recipe

Today, I'm highlighting another THRIVE Food from the June Specials.... THRIVE Tomato Powder.

THRIVE Tomato Powder has an Opened Shelf Life of 18 months and has ONE ingredient - tomatoes!  The Unopened Shelf Life is 8 years.

Using the instructions from the can, to make 6 oz Tomato Paste, mix 1/4 c of THRIVE Tomato Powder wtih 1/2 c water.  Heather Lorimor of Cooking With My Food Storage recommends a 1 to 1 ratio of tomato powder to water to make tomato paste, and 1 to 2 for tomato sauce. Heather also recommends adding 2 T of sugar to sweeten it up a bit.  You can check out her recommendations on her Cupboard Door Food Storage Reference Chart.

In addition to using it as a powder (like when adding it to water or bouillon to create a soup base), you can turn the tomato powder into a basic tomato sauce or tomato paste.  From there, you can make your favorite pizza sauce recipe, enchilada sauce or homemade spaghetti sauce.  Here's a recipe for Taco Soup from Shelf Reliance, using THRIVE Tomato Powder.  And I found this recipe for homemade ketchup that I'd like to try using the Tomato Powder.

Tomato Powder was one of my very first Shelf Reliance orders for two reasons.  First, my upline sponsor had made a Beef Vegetable Soup with the THRIVE Tomato Powder at the first Shelf Reliance Tasting Party I attended and it was amazing.  Princess Naked Toes went to the party with me and she still talks about that soup almost a year later.  But that Consultant, my upline, did NOT use a recipe!  I'm still trying to duplicate her soup and have it taste as good as she made.  When I do, or she finally writes down what she does (hint hint), I will share with you!

The second reason is this Tomato Basil Bread recipe from Stolen Moments Cooking.  The recipe calls for 2 T of tomato paste.  Even the small can of tomato paste has quite a few more Tablespoons than 2.  So I either make several loaves or I end up throwing away the rest of the can.  Using the Tomato Powder, I use 2 1/2 t tomato powder and 5 t water to make 2 T tomato paste for this delicious bread recipe!

Let's compare the numbers.  A small 6 oz can of tomato paste has 10 Tablespoons in it.  The pantry can contains 56 T.  For the Tomato Basil Bread recipe, I use 2 1/2 teaspoons.  I can make 67 loaves from one pantry can.  Therefore at the consultant website price of  $12.79, it costs me 19¢ in tomato powder per loaf.  That's significantly less than buying a can of tomato paste.  If I buy my tomato powder in the #10 can, the price of the tomato powder is even less per serving or per loaf.  And as a Q customer, the price is even better.

Currently Hy-Vee shows the price of Hunt's Tomato Paste 6 oz can as 68¢, which is 6.8¢ per Tablespoon, so cheaper per Tablespoon.  BUT when you add in that I end up throwing away the rest of the can because I don't use it and it goes bad, it costs me 68¢ in tomato paste per loaf, I'm saving 49¢ per loaf of bread.  Even if I buy the store brand at 29¢, I'm saving 10¢ per loaf.

I LOVE being able to use just what I need, instead of buying extra of something and wasting it.  I also love knowing that I always have the items I need in my home store.

For the month of June 2012, THRIVE Tomato Powder is on special.  A #10 can is $28.19 to Q Customers and $29.39 on I'm THRIVing!'s website.  Contact me to find out how you can become a Q Customer or to get the monthly special prices on the other sizes available (Pouch, Pantry Can, Case of #10s, or Pantry-10 Pack).   So continuing our comparison, buying the #10 can on the June special, it will cost 14¢ in tomato powder to make the tomato basil bread.

Here's my bread machine adaptation of the recipe from Stolen Moments Cooking:

Tomato Basil Bread for Bread Machine

• 3/4 c. warm water
•  1 T. olive oil
• 2 T. tomato paste (2 1/2 t THRIVE Tomato Powder, plus 5 t water)
• 2 1/4 – 2 1/2 c. flour (I use 1/2 cup whole wheat flour, 1/2 cup old fashioned oats, and the rest white flour)
• 2 t. dried basil, oregano, or Italian seasoning
• 1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 T. sugar
• 1 t. salt
• 1/8 – 1/4 t. crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 pkg. active dry yeast (or 2 1/4 t. yeast)

Add liquid ingredients to bread machine pan.  Add flour, herbs, parmesan, sugar, salt and red pepper flakes on top.  Create a well in dry ingredients and add yeast.  Use 1 lb loaf setting for bread machine.