Quick Vegan Mole

     Mole, pronounced moh-lay, is a generic name for a  Mexican sauce. There are many different varieties of mole which usually contain tomatoes, several different kinds of chili peppers and chocolate. Mole poblano is the most known mole of the different varieties. It usually contains at least 20 ingredients and is a long process to make. The chocolate in mole does not dominate the flavors but helps to balance the chili spice. My recipe will give you plenty of the essence of a mole but only takes about 15-20 minutes to prepare. You can use mole as a sauce for taco's, burrito's, combine with beans and serve over rice or thin a little with water or broth and use as an enchilada sauce. Be creative!

Quick Mole

Makes 2 cups

Ingredients:

1 T. cooking oil

¼ c. finely chopped onion

3 T. raisins

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 T. sesame seeds (optional)

1 T. almond butter (optional)

1 (14.5 oz.) can tomato sauce

1 (4 oz.) can diced green chili peppers

1 T. unsweetened cocoa powder

1 ½ t. chili powder

½ t. cinnamon

½ t. ground cumin

1 t. oregano

¼ t. salt

Directions:

In a 1 ½ or 2 quart saucepan, heat cooking oil on medium heat. Add onion and raisins. Cook for about 2 minutes until onion is soft and raisins look plump.

Add garlic, cook another minute then add sesame seeds and almond butter. Stir to combine. Add tomato sauce, green chili’s, cocoa powder, chili powder, cinnamon, ground cumin, oregano and salt. Cover and let simmer for 2-3 minutes. If too thick, add a small amount of water. Sauce should be like thick catsup.

Remove from the heat. You can serve it as it is or make it creamier by blending. Transfer sauce to a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. Be careful since sauce is hot. Cover lid with a kitchen towel before blending.

Transfer to a serving dish.

Here I sautéed sweet onion, bell pepper and mushrooms. Then I added one can of black beans, rinsed and drained, to make a burrito filling. I topped the burrito filling with shredded cabbage, mole sauce, chopped tomatoes and green onions.