Vegan MoFo 2013: Just for Fun Friday!

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Tonight we won't be cooking or going out to eat.  Because Fridays are for fun.  So I won't worry about nothin' and if I'm hungry, I will snack the night away on whatever is leftover from the week.

Lucky for me, I have a ton of stuff hangin' out in the fridge.  I am thinking I may just make a mean plate of nachos with all the leftovers from last night's tacos!  All the talk of taco cleanses had me craving tacos!  So I finally broke down and made some.  Semi homemade style, since my sister and her man were joining us and I didn't want to be stuck in the kitchen all night!

Two for Tuesday: TVP

A Word About TVP

"TVP, textured vegetable protein. What the heck is it? Your new best friend, that’s what it is.  TVP is actually a brand name for “hydrolized vegetable protein,” which you see on ingredients lists for many foods. It is produced from soy flour after the soybean oil has been extracted, then cooked under pressure, extruded and dried.  Why is it your new best friend? Because it is the easiest meat substitute to use, it is super low in fat, super high in protein and fiber and can be used anywhere that a recipe calls for ground beef with very little effort. Oh, and it tastes great too.  Okay, on it’s own, it tastes kinda gross, but when spiced properly, damn.  To use TVP, it must be reconstituted.  The standard for reconstituting TVP is 1 cup granules to 7/8 cup boiling water.  BORING!  I always suggest adding a little something to the mix.  Even if its just adding a veggie bouillon cube to the water.  I usually use veggie stock to reconstitute my TVP, and sometimes I will add a little Bragg or Tamari too, depending on the recipe.  TVP makes great veggie burgers, meetballs, tacos and meetloaf, and tastes great added to sauces and chilis.  It really is the easiest way to make fake meat.  It is sold in many forms from small granules, to cutlet sized chunks.   And I will admit, that the larger chunks kind of freak me out, so for the purposes of this book, buy the small granules. And once again, if you can find it in the bulk bins, get it there, way cheaper." --originally published on page 59 in Cozy Inside, 2007

That was five years ago.  And for the most part, I pretty much stand by that statement.  The only things I would change are:

• The larger chunks no longer freak me out (Hello, Soy Curls?)
• There are lots of brands that make or distribute TVP now.
• I no longer use words like "meetballs" or "meetloaf"  (or "cheeze" or "creem")

And since we already traveling back in time to the good old days of Cozy Inside, here are two recipes from the book using TVP as an ingredient.  (I reprinted these here in almost their exact form as they appear in the book.  It's so funny to see the difference in my writing style over the years.)

Spicy 3 Bean TVP Chili and Sweet Skillet Cornbread

Spicy 3 Bean TVP Chili

Originally appeared in Cozy Inside, page 30

Nothing warms my belly like a big bowl of spicy chili.  Add a big ol’ piece of sweet skillet cornbread, smothered in Earth Balance and I am a happy, happy girl.  This chili is so full of flavor that there is absolutely no reason why the omnivores in your life won’t also love this meal.  

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 medium yellow onions, diced
1 whole head, or 8 to 10 cloves of garlic, minced
2 (15 oz) cans of diced tomatoes with the juice (No salt added)
1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained
1 (15 oz) can pinto beans, drained
1 (15 oz) can kidney beans, drained
1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
3 tablespoons hot chili powder
3 teaspoons cumin powder
1 teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoons ground black pepper
1 cup TVP granules
1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce

Put oil in a large pot. On medium-high heat, add onions and garlic. Heat until onions are translucent and garlic is fragrant. Add all cans, stir well. Add spices, stir well. Add TVP granules, stir well. Reduce heat to medium-low and cover. Simmer for 1 hour, stirring every once in a while.  Top with a dollop of easy nondairy sour creem.

Yield: 8 servings

Old Fashioned Meetloaf

Old Fashioned Meetloaf

Originally appeared in Cozy Inside page 49

The first time i made this, the smells wafting through the kitchen made my mouth water and my heart go pitter-pat.  When it was done, and I took my first bite, i actually said, out loud, “Oh my f#@!, This is one of the best things iIve ever put in my mouth!”

3 cups TVP granules

2 ½ cups vegetable broth, or water

2 tablespoons Bragg, Tamari or Soy sauce

1 large yellow onion, finely diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon ground black pepper, plus extra pepper to taste

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon onion powder

½ teaspoon cumin

1 cup ketchup, plus extra ketchup for basting

1 ½ cups vital wheat gluten

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Reconstitute TVP granules in veggie broth & Bragg by mixing it together in a large microwave safe bowl, covered tightly with plastic wrap and microwave on high for 6 minutes.  Set aside.  In a skillet, heat the olive oil and sauté the onion and garlic until translucent and just beginning to brown, about 7 to 10 minutes.  

Mix all ingredients into the reconstituted TVP, except the extra ketchup and pepper.  Mix well.  Use your hands and knead the mixture together.  Make sure everything is well incorporated.  At this point you can proceed, as is, or take half of the mixture and place it in the food processor and process until it is the consistency of paste.  Then mix the two portions back together, very well, with your hands.  The point of this step is to get your meatloaf to stick together better when you slice it.  TVP is crumbly and when you slice your loaf, if you want perfect slices, use this method.  If you don’t mind crumbly meetloaf, you can skip this step.  It tastes the same either way and I have done it both ways with great results.

Press the “dough” into a well oiled loaf pan very tightly.  As tightly as you can pack it in.  Seriously.  Push hard.  Harder.  Okay, now bake in the oven for 20 minutes.  Remove and brush a thin layer of ketchup onto the top.  Return to the oven and bake an additional 25 minutes.  Remove from oven, let stand about 10 minutes and turn onto a serving dish.  Serve with garlic smashed potatoes (page 35) and of course garnish with, you guessed it, more ketchup!

Makes: 2 small loaves, depending on the size of your loaf pan

TVP and Sloppy Jo-nis

Sloppy Jo-nis From Hearty Vegan Meals for Monster Appetites (page 97)

This post is in response to the soy haters and TVP bashers out there who leave reviews on Amazon telling people not to buy my books because I use TVP in my recipes.  (By the way of the 101 veggie burger  recipes in The Best Veggie Burgers on the Planet, only 34 call for TVP. There are also 43 additional recipes for breads, condiments, and other goodies that are TVP free.)

What is TVP?  TVP stands for Textured Vegetable Protein.  It also goes by other names, like TSP (Textured Soya Protein), Soy Chunks, Soy Curls, Soy Meat, and probably lots of other names as well.

What is it made from?  Most commonly, it is made from defatted soy flour.  It is a by product of the soybean oil extraction process.  It can also be made from other grains and seeds like oats, cotton seeds, and even wheat.  Once the oil is extracted, the remaining protein is heated to a temperature that allows it to be molded and pressed through a nozzle into various shapes and sizes.  Without getting to scientific on y'all, the heating process makes it malleable, and the cooling process makes it porous and puffy so that it can absorb up to 3 times it's own weight in liquids when rehydrating.

What is it used for?  I can tell you what I use it for.  I use it as a quick, easy, low fat, source of protein.  I buy a ton of the stuff in bulk, and use it to make all sorts of meat alternatives.  I use it to make my own bacon bits.  I use it to make Sloppy Jo-nis (recipe below).  I use it to make Meaty Marinara.  I use it to make Pepperoni Pizza Topping.  I use it to make my own Taco Meat.  It is also commonly used in the commercial food industry as a meat extender.  Because it has very little flavor on it's own, it absorbs and takes on the flavor of pretty much anything you cook it in.

Is it good for you?  Well, all things in moderation.  It is a soy based product, so I believe it is a great alternative to artery clogging, cholesterol laden, ground up dead cow.  I don't eat it every day (but I don't really suggest eating ANYTHING every day!)  Here is a nutritional breakdown of dry TVP granules (I use the Bob's Red Mill Organic TSP most often).  1/4 cup (14 g) of dry TVP granules contains: 80 calories, 1.5 grams fat (0 saturated and 0 trans), 0 Cholesterol, 0 sodium, 5 grams Carbs (3 grams Fiber, 1.5 grams Sugar), and 7 grams of protein.  It also provides 5% of your daily Calcium and 8% of your daily Iron.  The ONLY ingredient on the label is ORGANIC SOY.  Only you can decide what is good for you.

Bob's Red Mill Organic TSP Nutrition Facts Label.  Click on Image to enlarge.

Now to the good stuff.  The food.  Try this recipe for Sloppy Jo-nis the next time you want to expose vegan foods to a skeptic.  It tastes so similar to the real thing, they probably won't even taste the difference.

Sloppy Jo-nis
1 cup (96 g) TVP granules
1 cup (235 ml) veggie broth (No-Beef flavored vegetable broth works best here, but any will do)
1/4 cup (60 ml) vegetable oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup (40 g) finely diced onion
1/4 cup (40 g) finely diced green bell pepper
1 tablespoon (15 g) prepared yellow mustard
3/4 cup (204 g) ketchup
1 tablespoon (15 g) steak sauce
1 tablespoon (14 g) packed brown sugar
salt and pepper to taste

Reconstitute TVP by mixing together with veggie broth in a microwave safe dish, covering tightly with plastic wrap and micro waving on high for 5 to 6 minutes. (Alternatively, you can bring the broth to a boil, pour over the TVP, mix, cover and let sit for 10 minutes.)
In a frying pan, preheat oil over medium high heat.
Add onions and bell pepper. Saute about 3 minutes. Add in garlic and continue to saute for about 2 more minutes.
Reduce heat to low, add in reconstituted TVP, mustard, ketchup, steak sauce, and brown sugar.
Stir to coat, and heat through.
Add salt and pepper to taste.

Yield: 4 servings

The nutritional info below is for the filling only.

Tuesdays for Two: Tacos!

TVP Tacos in Red Chile Flour Tortillas with Daiya Cheese, Lettuce, Chopped Jalapenos and Hot Sauce

I know I am a day late (and a dollar short!) but, did you know Tuesday was national Taco day?  So today's Tuesdays for Two will serve just that...TVP Tacos.  I love the simplicity of TVP taco meat, and so many who have tried it (omin, vegan, anyone actually) seem to agree that it really does mimic seasoned ground beef in both taste and texture.

My favorite recipe for TVP Taco Meat is this one, from The Complete Guide to Vegan Food Substitutions (page 117) but if you want to make it even more super duper easy, just use a packet of taco seasoning added to your TVP! 

TVP Taco Meat

1 cup TVP granules
1 teaspoon evaporated cane juice
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or ground chipotle powder)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup water
2 tablespoons olive oil (or any mild flavored vegetable oil)

In a heat safe bowl, mix together spices and TVP granules.  Stir in oil and water.  Cover tightly with plastic wrap and miccrowave on high for 5 to 6 minutes. 

Alternatively, in a heat safe bowl, mix together spices and TVP granules. Stir in oil.  Add boiling water, stir, cover and let stand for 10 minutes.

Use anywhere you would use a yummy, spicy, ground "beef".

Taco Tuesday...on Thursday!

Taco Tuesdays...we think about it every Tuesday and sometimes we remember to make 'em. Well, this Tuesday got away from us so Taco Thursday it was. Tonight's tacos featured red chile flour tortillas, TVP taco meat, refried beans, lettuce, green chiles, taco sauce, and, yes, more Daiya. (I promise to stop posting about Daiya, as soon as my batch runs out, which I fear will be soon, and even if I buy more, I promise to refrain from posting anymore about it, at least during 'mofo...deal?)

A New Year Deserves a New Look...and a New RECIPE!

So I am working on a new page design, and I may be launching a new site, so stay tuned...until then, here's a new burger recipe for you!

Tofu'n'Roots Burger



Serving Suggestion
This burger has a mellow, slightly sweet flavor. I like to compliment this with a schmear of spicy chipotle dipping sauce on a toasted bun with a thick slice of red onion. I like a green side to go with. Streamed kale, broccoli or asparagus would work beautifully here.

Ingredients (makes 8-10 patties)
2 tbsp margarine
1 bulb (5-6oz) fennel, roughly chopped
1 medium (6-7oz) onion, roughly chopped
12 oz peeled and cubed sweet potatoes
2 cloves garlic, chopped
a pinch of salt
2 cups water
1 cup TVP granules
1 tsp cumin
18 oz extra firm tofu, pressed and drained)
1/2 cup vital wheat gluten flour
1 cup all purpose flour
oil for frying (optional)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prep a cookie sheet by lining with parchment or silicone baking mat, or spraying with nonstick spray. In a frying pan or skillet, melt margarine over medium high heat. Add in fennel, onion, sweet potatoes and garlic. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Sauté until just beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Add in 2 cups water, deglaze and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover, simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in TVP granules and cumin. Remove from heat, cover, and let stand 10 minutes. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and crumble in tofu, and flours. Knead with your hands until very well incorporated. Let sit at least 20 minutes. Form into patties and bake uncovered at 350 for 30 minutes, or bake 20 minutes, and finish off with a pan fry for about 3 minutes per side.

VeganMoFo and Mini Mexican "Pantry" Pies

Even though I have burgers in the fridge, I wanted to make something a little spicier. I used the same recipe for masa that I used to make tamales a couple of weeks ago, spread it into ramekins, topped with a mixture of TVP & taco seasoning and baked in a water bath at 350 for 45 minutes. For the larger ones, I put an extra layer of masa on top as well. Now I can bring these tasty little "pies" with me to work, pop 'em in the microwave and have a yummy, satisfying lunch.

Ready to go into the oven:


Topped with sour creem, ground chipotles and chopped jalapenos:


Edited to add my food for the day: Breakfast was coffee with silk soy vanilla creamer. Lunch was a very dry, cold, veggie burger (no vegenaise and I can't buy any more until after Thanksgiving!) on two pieces of wheat bread (no buns either!) and a bag of Have'a Chips. Dinner was 2 glasses of Soy Nog and two of these little pies.

VeganMoFo and "Pantry" Burgers

Having neglected the burger testers for quite some time now, I came up with this burger only using stuff I already had in my pantry. As I was making it, Dan (my husband) said, "What are you making?" "Why? Do YOU want one?" "Yeah, that looks and smells really good."

I therefore call this a success. He NEVER eats what I make.

CousCous Pantry Burgers (uncooked):

Cooked:

Add caption

Sorry guys, no recipe. I'm giving it up to the testers.

Alone on a Saturday night. The Scarborough Fair Tofu Burger

If you are a regular visitor to my blog you know that it's a rare occasion that Dan and I leave the house on the weekends. Instead we have stay at home date night, and we cook up some fun dinners in the kitchen, that we wouldn't have the time or energy to make up on a weeknight.

Well it's Saturday night, and Dan has left me for the night to hang with the boys and do boy stuff. I'm sure none of it revolves around cooking. Drinking? Maybe. But cooking? No way.

VeganMoFo and Zucchini Mushroom Burgers (From the "Just the Burgers" Test Kitchen)

VeganMofo is Isa's (from the PPK) vegan version of the NaNoWriMo. The goal is to write a "novel" in a month. Since us food bloggers aren't really into writing novels, we are blogging instead. The goal, an entire month of vegan food posts in the month of November. My format will be to blog about everything I put into my mouth this month. I will include pictures when possible, and recipes if I can.

Katie of "Don't Eat off the Sidewalk" designed the logo. Thanks Katie. Everyone should thank her by going to her site and buying the 2nd issue of her 'zine! It's holiday themed and everyone should have one.

Now for my eats for today. I had coffee with Kahlua for breakfast. (I know, weird, but for some reason some of the suits at work thought it would be a good idea to bring a bunch of liquor to the office. They brought vodka and bloody mary mix, champagne and OJ and Kahlua and Baileys. They were trying to get us sloshed at work!) and a plain bagel. For lunch I had leftover pizza from halloween night and I put some tofutti sour supreme on it, 'cause it was dry. (I had ordered cheeseless pizza covered in jalapenos and onions form Zito's. They have vegetarian sausage, but I wasn't in the mood.) And for dinner I made a new burger for the "Just the Burgers" test kitchen. It's pictured below. It's a Zucchini and mushroom burger made with zucchini's from my mom's garden. I only cooked one, and plan on having another tomorrow night with a side of fried zucchini. I'll post that recipe tomorrow. The burgers are yum. Simple and juicy and full of flavor. I ate it on a whole wheat bun, covered with marinara and vegenaise. For dessert I had the last two of those pumpkin treats I posted about on halloween. I washed it all down with two glasses of vanilla Soymilk.

Really "Meaty" Veggie Burgers with Lot's of Protein!

If there was an Atkin's diet for vegans, this burger would definitely be on the menu! It is the "meatiest" veggie burger I've ever had. Dan, my husband, likes it too!

Uncooked:


Cooked:

Really “Meaty” Burger

If there was an Atkins'™ diet for vegans, this burger would definitely be on the menu! It is the meatiest veggie burger I've ever had. It's a bit labor intensive, unless you make the Seitan ahead of time, but OH MY! They are really meaty.

Serving Suggestion: This one really is a standard meaty burger that goes great with the standard fixin's (ketchup, mustard, lettuce, tomato, mayo...) and a side of fries (or Tater tots!).

2 cups (170 g) of seitan, chopped up into tiny bits
2 tablespoons (30 ml) peanut oil
1 cup (96 g) TVP granules
1/4 cup (60 ml) soy sauce
3/4 cup (180 ml) veggie broth, or water
1/2 cup (72 g) vital wheat gluten flour
1/4 cup (30 g) nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon (8 g) garlic powder
1 tablespoon (8 g) onion powder
pepper to taste

+/- 1/3 cup (80 ml) additional veggie broth

Reconstitute TVP granules with the soy sauce and veggie stock either by mixing together, covering tightly with plastic wrap and placing in the microwave for 5 to 6 minutes or by pouring the boiling liquid over the granules, covering and let stand for 10 minutes.

            Preheat oil in a frying pan over medium high heat. 

            Sauté seitan, until browned, but not too crispy.

            Add seitan along with the remainder of the ingredients up to the additional veggie broth to a large mixing bowl.

            Mix well, using your hands to make sure the flour and spices get fully incorporated.

            Add in the additional broth until you get a patty-able consistency.

            Form into patties and prepare as desired.

             I really like these fried. About 4 to 5 minutes per side until crispy and golden brown.

            If baking, cover with foil to keep moist. 15 minutes per side at 350°F (180°C, or gas mark 4).

Yield: 6 to 8 burgers

More from the Burger Test Kitchen...

Seafood Burgers (Crab Cakes?)



"Super" Burgers (with Quinoa & Peas)



Bakin Cheezeburgers (rumor has it they taste like Carl's Jr Western Bacon Cheeseburgers)

Meximosas?

I was going over to a friend's house Friday night and wanted to bring some finger foods that everyone would enjoy, vegan or not, while we were excitedly watching Chapters 13-22 of R.Kelly's "Trapped In A Closet." (Don't hate!) So I came up with these...SOOOOO EASY A CAVEMAN COULD DO IT!

Meximosas:


Simply, a flour salt and water dough (+/- 2 cups ap flour, +/-1 cup water and a pinch of salt), rolled out thin and cut into squares. Inside I placed a couldn't be easier mixture of 1 package of Soyrizo and 1 tub of Tofutti better than cream cheese, all mushed together. I put a pretty big dollop of filling in each one and pinched then together at the top. I baked them on a cookie tray lined with foil, and sprayed with cooking spray, for about 20 minutes at 350. Half way through baking I brushed them with olive oil. These things got ate up like they were crack!

So, I wanted to make them again yesterday, but didn't have all of the same ingredients. It was 108 degrees outside, and I was still hungover from the previous night's adventures, so I wasn't about to get dressed and go to the market. I improvised.




Same idea with the dough...rolled out and cut into squares, but this time for the filling I used: 1 cup of TVP granules, reconstituted in the microwave with 1 cup of water and 2 packets of Taco seasoning plus some extra cumin, I also added 1 block of extra firm Tofu crumbled and mashed into the mix and some vegan sour cream and a little nooch. Damn if these weren't better than the originals...I was in hangover mode...so I made a few bitesized ones and A HUGE CALZONE SIZED ONE!!! Good eats, for sure.

All American Burger (add cheeze for an All American Cheezeburger!)

Plain old burger. Stands up to the grill with the best of his meaty cousins. And with 46.4 grams of protein per patty, you might even get your atkins loving, meat eating friends to try it!

AllAmerican Burger from the Best Veggie Burgers on the Planet (page 82)

Ortega Burgers

Ortega Burgers (makes 4 patties)
These only take about 10 minutes to make and they are super high in protein and super low in fat and carbs, but SUPER HIGH IN FLAVOR!

Old Fashioned Meetloaf

The first time I made this, the smells wafting through the kitchen made my mouth water and my heart go pitter-pat. When it was done, and I took my first bite, I actually said, out loud, “Oh my f#@!, this is one of the best things I’ve ever put in my mouth!”

I made it again last night, and I still feel the same exact way.

"Sausage & Egg" Breakfast Burritos

Mmmmmm....Breakfast burritos. Handheld yumminess to get my day off to a good start. This one has TVP sausage, Tofu Eggs, Potatoes and Easy Tofu Sour Creem, and of course, ketchup!

Swedish Meetballs

I truly miss the Budget Gourmet Swedish Meatballs frozen dinners I used to get for $1 when I was living in my first apartment. Oh well. These are better anyways.





TVP Meetballs
makes about 20 balls

Ingredients
2 cups TVP granules
1 ¾ cups veggie broth (or 1 bouillon cube dissolved in water)
1 medium yellow onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp olive oil
½ cup vital wheat gluten flour
1 tbsp Tamari or soy sauce
½ tsp fresh cracked black pepper
½ tsp oregano
½ tsp chili powder
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp onion powder
Additional oil for frying

Directions
Reconstitute TVP granules by placing them in a microwave safe bowl, pouring the broth over the granules, covering tightly with plastic wrap and placing them in the microwave for 5-6 minutes. Alternatively, you can pour boiling broth over the dry granules, cover and let sit for 10 minutes. In a skillet, saute the onions and garlic in olive oil until translucent and fragrant. About 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat mix in the flour, Tamari and all of the spices. Let sit until cool enough to handle. With your hands, form balls about 1 ½ inches in diameter. Use a lot of pressure when forming your balls, tee-hee, you don’t want them to fall apart. Lightly fry them in a small amount of oil, rolling them around in the pan to brown on all sides.


Swedish Meetballs
makes 4 big ol’ plates

what makes a meatball swedish? they serve them at IKEA? Anyhow, traditionally, swedish meatballs are served with a beef based brown gravy. i serve ‘em over fettuccine with a brown mushroom sauce.

Ingredients
1 prepared recipe of meetballs, above
1 pound of fettucine noodles, prepared in salted water according to package directions
1 8oz package of mushrooms (I buy mine pre-sliced!)
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp vegan margarine (I use Earth Balance)
1 cup soymilk
½ cup water
1 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp all purpose flour
2 tbsp white miso
2 tbsp tamari
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp garlic powder
Fresh cracked black pepper to taste

Directions:
Prepare meetballs and set aside. While the pasta is boiling, prepare the mushroom sauce. In a heavy bottomed skillet, on medium-high heat, saute the mushrooms in the olive oil until the have reduced in size by half. Add the margarine and continue to saute a few more minutes. In a measuring cup, dissolve the cornstarch and flour into the water and soymilk. Dissolve until there are NO LUMPS! Add the miso and tamari to the skillet. Sprinkle in the onion and garlic powder. Slowly add in the flour mixture, stirring constantly and continue to simmer until you reach your desired thickness. Drain the pasta and mix sauce into the noodles. Top with the meetballs and serve warm.

Spaghetti & Meetballs in Chunky Marinara

The Sopranos is over, but Italian still reigns supreme on Sunday nights in theNewman household.



This week it was Spaghetti and Meetballs in Chunky Marinara.







Chunky Marinara:
Ingredients:
2 14 oz cans of diced tomatoes with the juice, no salt added
1 8 oz can of tomato sauce
1 6 oz can of tomato paste
1 tbsp basil, dried
1 tbsp sugar (prefer evaporated cane/raw sugar)
1 tbsp molasses
2 tbsp olive oil
6 cloves (or one head) of garlic, minced
1 medium yellow onion, finely diced

Directions:
Place tomatoes, sauce, paste, basil, sugar, and molasses in a large stock pot. Bring to a simmer on Medium-Low heat. Meanwhile, in a skillet place the olive oil, garlic and onions and saute until garlic is fragrant and onions are translucent, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and onions to the pot. Cover and continue to simmer for 20 more minutes. Uncover and simmer for ten more minutes. Makes plenty of sauce, enough for at least 2 pounds of pasta!

Guacamole & Super Nachos

I was really craving nachos, but what's nachos without guacamole. So first I had to make the guac...then I got to make the nachos.

These Nachos were piled high. Tortilla Chips covered in Nacho Cheezy Sauce, Black Beans, TVP taco meat, more cheeze, salsa, more cheeze, guacamole, Easy Tofu Sour Creem, green onions, jalapenos, and of course, more cheeze!