This soup is so great—it’s vegan, fat free, high protein, and will keep you full for hours—I read somewhere that Mike Tyson lost tons of weight living on tomato basil soup. This soup is zippier, and will keep you more full because of the tofu, not to mention the magical thermogenic powers of the peppers. Mamita Linda is kind of like “pretty baby” in Spanish and is what my husband calls me when he is in a good mood. This soup is AWESOME with grilled cheese, or in a big person sippy cup to take with you in the car.

1 can fire roasted tomatoes, undrained
1 (7 ounce) jar roasted red peppers, undrained
1 (12 ounce) block soft silken tofu, drained (the shelf stable Mori Nu brand is fine)
1 tbsp. Ooohmami™
1 quart hot water
¼ teaspoon salt
1 chipolte pepper (or half if you want to tone down the spice, you can always add it back in—I always keep my chipotle peppers in the freezer once you open a can, you can freeze them in little ice cube trays for a convenient size, then nuke em for a few seconds in a coffee cup).

Puree all in a blender, heat to simmer in a saucepan, simmer 5 minutes, eat. (Start blending everything but the water, add water til you get almost to the top of the blender, then add the rest of the water to the saucepan you heat it in, so you don’t overflow the blender).

1 quart TVP (texturized vegetable protein, can find in bulk bins at health food stores)
1 quart boiling water
¼ cup Ooohmami™
2 tbsp. canola or olive oil
1 tbsp. sage
1 ½ tbsp. rosemary
2 tbsp. fennel seeds
¼ cup sugar, or agave nectar
2 tbsp. red pepper flakes
2 tbsp. salt
4 cloves garlic, crushed
3/4 cup black olives, crushed
2 cups all purpose flour (or chick pea flour or quinoa flour to make it gluten free)

Boil the Ooohmami™ and water. Stir in the tvp, let sit for at least 10 minutes to reconstitute. In 2T canola or olive oil, sauté fennel seeds, garlic, rosemary, sage, red pepper flakes and olives for 2 minutes. Mix in the sugar or agave. Mix the sautéed spices and the tvp (I prefer a food processor for this, but you can just mix it by hand too.) Add approximately 2 cups flour until the sausage “grabs” together.

You can sauté patties in a little canola oil, (bring on the pancakes) bake crumbles for pizza, or sauté in links for sub sandwiches—anywhere you would normally use sausage—makes great jambalaya, or replace the sausage in a “Sausage Ball” appetizer recipe:

Half recipe Ooohmami™ Sausage (above)
2 cups biscuit baking mix (can use heart healthy version)
1 pound sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded (or can make recipe vegan by using Follow Your Heart Vegan Cheese)
Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl, combine sausage, biscuit baking mix and cheese. Form into walnut size balls and place on baking sheets. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes, until golden brown. These rock.

Makes 4 servings of vegetarian soups (easily multiplied): Soup can be as simple as combing 1T Ooohmami™ and 1/2 t salt in 1Q hot water with vegetables of your choice. Simmer until tender. Serve as is, or add a block of soft silken tofu and puree in a blender for creaminess

One tablespoon Ooohmami to 1 quart of hot water– creates a perfect soup stock on its own, or added to your favorite vegetables for “instant” soup, or as the base for countless recipes.

2 cups Brown rice
3 cups hot water
1 tablespoon Ooohmami
2T olive oil, vegan margarine, or butter
1t salt

Stove top:
Place the rice, salt, and olive oil in a saucepan with a tight fitting lid.  Over medium heat, stir the rice until coated with the olive oil.  Mix the Ooohmami™ and water together and pour over the rice.  Bring to a boil, then turn it to the lowest setting cook approximately 45 minutes without stirring.  Then turn off and let sit fifteen minutes.

Oven:
You can also do this in a 350° oven in a pan tightly covered in aluminum foil.

Incredibly savory, budget friendly, meat free and EASY!
Serves 4
1 can beans (black, kidney, garbanzo, etc) drained, mashed
3 Tablespoons Ooohmami
1/2 cup oats (old fashioned or quick cooking)
Mash ingredients together in a bowl.  Let stand 15 minutes.  Shape into four thin patties, heat 4T canola oil, fry 3 minutes per side, drain on paper towels.  You won’t believe how “meaty” these taste.

1 stick melted margarine
1/2 cup of brown flour*
3 cups of Ooohmami!™ stock
1 cup chopped button mushrooms
pinch of dried thyme
pinch of white pepper
pinch of salt
splash of sherry cooking wine
pan drippings if desired

Sautee mushrooms on medium to high heat in the margarine until soft, then add the brown flour stir well for about a minute. The mushrooms will thicken. Next add the splash of sherry, let the pan deglaze, and stir well. Next, add the Ooohmami!™ stock (1 ½ teaspoons Ooohmami!™ flavor enhancer in warm water), stir well to get rid of any lumps, then add thyme, salt, white pepper and pan drippings (if desired).

*Brown flour is normal white flour that has been baked on a roasting pan in a 350 degree oven for 30 – 45 minutes until brown.