Manicotti of Doom!

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Manicotti of Doom!

 

Ingredients:

 

one dozen manicotti shells

two packages of firm tofu (minus one half cup)

one packet of Italian seasoning (or use your own blend)

one cup of vegan cheeze sauce (see notes below)

two large cans of crushed tomato

one can of tomato paste

Italian seasonings (garlic, oregano, basil, etc)

one can black olives, chopped coarsely

one can green olives, chopped coarsely

or any other veggies you like to add into tomato sauces

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees (F). Boil lots of water for the manicotti

shells, so that the filling can be made while they're cooking.

 

Filling:

 

Plop the two bricks of tofu into a bowl and mash with a potato masher or a

fork until it looks like Ricotta cheese. Add in as much of the Italian

seasoning packet as you want, or season it with your own special blend of

herbs and spices like oregano, garlic, basil, and I like to throw in a bit of

cumin for interest. Use your imagination. Pour in the vegan cheeze sauce and

mix well.

 

For the cheeze sauce, I usually use a recipe from Joanne Stepaniak's

" UnCheese Cookbook " like Meunster (minus the agar). But for this purpose

(because of copyright laws and because experimentation is fun) here is my

modification. Mix in a blender the following things: tofu, raw cashews,

tahini, nutritional yeast, seasonings (like garlic, onion powder and salt)

and a little water and the juice of one lemon (these should all add up to

about two cups or so, maybe a little more). Once everything is blended up

nice, and you like the flavor, it's ready to go. Note: if it tastes bland,

add in more lemon juice. I found that this is crucial, and vinegar doesn't

really cut it in fake cheeze recipes.

 

Tomato Sauce:

 

Plop the canned tomato goods into a pot, add a tomato-paste-can full of water

and heat and stir. Season with garlic powder or fresh garlic (I love a lot of

garlic) and herbs. Add in chopped olives and other veggies if desired. Simmer

until the flavors meld to your satisfaction.

 

Drain the manicotti and place in a pot of cold water. Line your baking dishes

with a bit of the tomato sauce. Fill each shell with the seasoned tofu

filling and place very close together in the baking pan. Cover with sauce so

that no noodle bits are showing. Cover pan(s) with foil. Bake in 350 degree

(F) oven for approx. 30 minutes, or until the sauce is nice and bubbly.

 

Enjoy!

 

Serves: 5-6

 

Preparation time: 30 min