My Secret Sauce Revealed!

I've blogged several times about how my omni boyfriend and I only have one meal we ever eat together (unless we're dining out). Mostly, we don't eat together because we work different schedules, but we also don't really like the same foods. He likes meat. I like fake meat. And truthfully, I don't like to share.

But every now and again, when the stars align, we cook spaghetti together. We have a secret sauce recipe that's been perfected over the years. It's a pinch of this, a pinch of that. We never measure, so the recipe I'm sharing with you is based on my best guess. The sauce is adapted from a cookbook I bought back in college (that was almost 10 years ago!!! Jesus Christ) called Vegetarian Comfort Food.

Last night, we made Paul and Bianca's Special Spaghetti with Sauteed Mushrooms and Cheatballs:

Paul didn't eat the cheatballs (Yves Veggie Meatballs), but I did, and they were DEELICIOUS! But I don't usually add fake meat. I just happened to have some in the fridge that needed usin'. The mushrooms, however, are a must. And they have to prepared separately from the sauce if you ask us.

Here's the recipe for the sauce and mushrooms separately. It's enough to top a pound of pasta.

Bianca's Not-So-Secret Spaghetti Sauce
2 Tbsp. olive oil
7 cloves minced garlic
1 minced habanero pepper (optional)
3 28-oz. cans whole, peeled tomatoes
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. maple syrup
1 splash red wine
Salt & pepper to taste

Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the garlic (and habanero, if using) and cook and stir for 1 minute. Use your hands to break up the tomatoes from the can, and add them to the saucepan.

If the sauce seems too dry, add a little liquid from a can of the tomatoes. You won't need all of the tomato liquid though. Just a splash from one can is plenty. Stir in the dried herbs and maple syrup and simmer for 15 minutes.

Add the splash of red wine (a couple of tablespoons) and the salt and pepper, and cook for 5 minutes more. Remove from heat.
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Paul's Magic Mushrooms
2 Tbsp. Earth Balance
1 8-oz. package whole mushrooms, sliced
Seasoning salt, to taste
Paprika, to taste
Cayenne, to taste
Soy sauce, to taste
Sriracha, to taste

Melt the Earth Balance in a large skillet and add the mushrooms. Saute until the mushrooms begin to release their juices (haha, that sounds dirty!). Season to taste and continue to cook until mushrooms are tender and slightly browned.

Top pasta with tomato sauce and then mushroom. Eat. Enjoy.