Vegan Recipe: Sauce is the Boss

I am totally crazy about tomato products. Seriously, I creep people out with my ability to eat any and all tomato products. I can pretty much drink ketchup. Oddly I don't like eating raw tomatoes, unless they are accompanied by other ingredients---in a salad or sandwich is great, but a bite of a whole tomato, no thank you.

I have tried to make my own ketchup, but I have been underwhelmed by the recipes I have found. I suppose I should just work on developing my own. I do, however, like to make my own spaghetti sauce. I like to tweak the recipe according to the ingredients that I happen to have laying about. So I never really make the same sauce twice, but I thought I'd share a general version of my sauce.

• 1 12oz. can tomato sauce
• 1 28oz. can crushed fire roasted tomatoes
• 1/4 c. finely diced onion
• 2+ cloves crushed garlic
• 1/2-3/4 c. roughly chopped mixed olives
• 1/2 c. roughly chopped mushrooms (button or baby bella---or whatever)
• 1/4 c. chopped fresh oregano
• 1/4 c. chopped fresh basil
• 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes, more if you like
• salt and pepper to taste

***Optional---add 1/2 c. of any chopped fresh veggies that sound good to you.

Directions
Combine all ingredients in a sauce pot and simmer for 30 minutes. Simple and effective.

Enjoy!