Saturday, May 15, 2010

a versatile spread indeed

i have to start posting more than once a month--i can't believe how the time flies between posts. as i previously mentioned, mommahood and work keep me so dang bizzay i hardly have time to think about doing anything on the computer other than a quickie FB status update. i have been in the kitchen whoopin' it up, taking some photos, and trying new things. one of my recent discoveries has been this spread i scored called roland red pepper spread. it has the obvious roasted red peppers, but is also blended with sunflower oil, eggplant, and some hot red peppers. it is surprisingly spicy, but not overwhelmingly so. what have i been doing with this product? well i've avoided using it as a spread, but i've been jazzing just about everything else with it:
color lesson--here are some vegan nachos. to give my vegan nacho sauce an awesome cheezwhizzy color, i threw some of the spread in the blender. quick nacho cheez sauce off the top of my head--handful of smoked almonds, a T of miso, 1/4 cup nooch, 2 big Ts of the pepper spread, water, some tofutti sour cream, and some ms. dash chipotle flavor. puree in blender, cook on low head. rich nacho cheez sauce perfect for (duh) nachos, breadsticks, and anything else you like to smother in queso. the 'meat' in these nachos? a delicious burger blend i made from lentils. i'm trying to avoid processed vegan patties because of this article. i encourage y'all to make your own burger blend. it's cheap and the possibilities are endless.
the red pepper spread also jazzes up my i wanna be your joey ramone pizza sauce. add a couple Ts to your current recipe and try to tell me you don't notice the yummy.
i had a ton of leftover pizza sauce the next day, so i poured the whole shebang over this dish of vegan manicotti and dolloped some vegan pesto here and there. note: it was a yummy failure--i stuffed the manicotti with FYH mozzarella and spinach--not keeping in mind that it would melt and the manicotti would go flat. again, a yummy mistake.

please, tell me about your favorite all purpose product.