Meatless Monday: Quick Oil-free Mole Sauce

Right now I’m on a big boat cruising threw the Caribbean with Dr. Neal Barnard, Christina Pirello and a bunch of other awesome people. I will try to do some posts while we are docked to let you in on what’s going on here. I hope you will consider coming next year (and hopefully I will be teaching then!).

Today’s Meatless Monday post is a delightful mole sauce that I whipped up last week in my Magic Bullet. It is more like a blender than a food processor, but we’ll go ahead and enjoy it this month. I heard around the grapevine that this little gadget is great for dressings, sauces, and any small amount of something that you make where you don’t want to break out the big guns (i.e. the Vitamix or food processor). I wasn’t sure if I would use it much, but turns out I use it everyday! It’s very convenient for my daily protein shake. It has multiple different cups, which you blend the shake in then drink it right out of it. Less dishes to clean and you can just toss it in the dishwasher. Sauces and dressings are a snap as well.

To tell you the truth, I don’t think I ever had mole sauce before a few years ago. When I would go to Mexican restaurants I always got the red or green sauce; nothing more adventurous than that! I have a mole sauce in my book and tried the one from Appetite for Seduction, but this one is so much easier and took literally a few minutes to make. Dad poured it all over everything and gobbled it up. I served it one night with pressure-cooked pinto beans, sauteed greens, and steamed spaghetti squash. I ended up going for more sauce because it really is tasty. Enjoy!

Feel free to adjust the spices to your preference and add cayenne to take it up a notch!

Quick Oil-free Mole Sauce
Makes about 2 cups sauce

1/2 cup walnuts, washed
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1 1/2 cup water or broth
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup raisins
1 tablespoon shallot, minced
1 tablespoon tamari (feel free to leave out and add sea salt if soy-free)
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon coriander
1/4 teaspoon paprika
Dash cumin
Dash nutmeg
Dash cinnamon

Directions:
Blend walnuts tomato sauce and water for a few minutes then add the rest of the ingredients and blend until smooth and no chunks remain. Season to taste. Serve at room temperature or warm over a low flame until hot.

What are your favorite kind of sauces? Have you ever tried mole? Share with us your favorite sauces!