Penne alla Vodka -- Vegan MOFO #15

 Skimming around the internet today, I came across a number of recipes for vodka sauce, none of which were vegan, so I jumped at the chance to give the sauce a tasty makeover.  I learned the basics of making the sauce and set out on my own to make a yummy recipe for the rest of us.  I think this recipe turned out spectacularly flavor-wise, but it didn't quite reach the creaminess level I was hoping for.  I ended up not "cooking down" the tomatoes far enough because I was very hungry and impatient as I always seem to be whenever I start cooking.  Well, enough talk. Let's get started.

Here are a few tips for my version of Penne alla Vodka:

• Chill out and don't "pull a Meg."  Give the tomatoes and vodka enough time and heat to cook down by about half, eventually they will. 
• I used Muir Glen Fire Roasted diced tomatoes and I highly recommend them because they have a ton more flavor than plain diced tomatoes.
• I used soy creamer instead of dairy heavy cream, so that its not quite as thick as heavy cream would have been.  If you're really craving a super creamy sauce, you could cook down the creamer in a saucepan and whisk in a tiny bit of flour.  I haven't tried it with this recipe, but I have done it in other creamy recipes. 
• You can leave the sauce chunky if you want, it'll still be great, but I've always had vodka sauce that was almost totally pureed.  I used a hand-held immersion blender to smooth out the sauce, leaving a few small chunks.  You could put the completed sauce in your regular blender or food processor to reach the same result.
• Serve with some garlic bread.  Man-oh-man.  The garlic bread dipped in the vodka sauce is quite literally a mouthgasm.

This recipe makes 2 huge servings or 3-4 smaller ones.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb penne, uncooked
• 1 TB extra virgin olive oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 3-4 medium cloves garlic, minced (I used 4 because I LOVE garlic)
• 1/3 cup soy creamer or you could also use your favorite milk, thickened on the stove
• 1 14-oz can of diced tomatoes and their juices (I used the fire roasted diced tomatoes mentioned above)
• 1/4 cup vodka
• 1/4 to 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 1/2 tsp dried basil (I would have used fresh if I would have had it)
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• sea salt and cracked pepper to taste

Method:

1. In a large saucepan, heat the oil and red pepper flakes over medium heat.  Heat about 3 minutes.
2. Once the oil is nice and hot, add your onions and stir around.  Cook about 5 minutes, until the onions are translucent and softened.
3. Then add in the garlic and cook another 2 minutes.
4. Add in the vodka and tomatoes with their juice.  Be careful here.  If your pan is too hot, your vodka may catch fire.  I added the vodka slowly to avoid that.  Add the basil, onion powder and garlic powder and mix well.  Then bring to a boil until the liquid cooks down by half.  I probably cooked mine about 10 minutes on medium heat, which wasn't long enough.  You could also turn up the heat to speed this up a bit.
5. Bring a separate pot of salted water to a boil.  Add your pasta and cook according to the package directions.
6. After your tomato sauce thickens, stir in your creamer.  Cook about 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  I brought mine back to a boil for a bit while I cooked my pasta.
7. Drain pasta and put into a large bowl.  I dropped a TB of Earth Balance onto the pasta and tossed it gently. 
8. Pour your sauce onto the pasta and gently toss to coat all of the noodles.  Serve up with some garlic bread and enjoy :)