When it comes to taco sauce, well... I'm picky. Yes, if it doesn't taste remotely like Taco Bell's Mild Taco Sauce, I don't want it. Yep, leave me be! I truly understand why folks love that stuff. I would have Taco Bell's bean burritos doused in lots of mild sauce at least three times a week as an undergraduate in college.
I'll admit something here...I'm too chicken to do anything hotter than mild because my sensitive flavor palette is discriminating. Now, your taste buds and my taste buds may be very different, but mine HAS to have what it likes in order to be happy. True story, I once paid good money for store-bought taco sauce (with very healthy ingredients) that I threw away based upon the taste. It did not taste like Taco Bell's. That began my quest to make my own Taco Bell Mild Taco Sauce without any of the garbage that I didn't want to eat. I was beginning to think that the taste could not be achieved without the "Spices, Salt, Xanthan Gum, Potassium Sorbate and Sodium Benzoate as preservatives, Potassium Chloride, Yeast Extract, Soy Lecithin, Natural Flavors" (See: http://www.tacobell.com/nutrition/ingredientstatement). Well, determination is root of all success. I didn't give up!!! Nope, it wasn't long before I stumbled on to the below recipe, which I modified from a Food.com recipe. Imagine how happy I was to find this recipe! I was happier than a _____ (You fill in the blank).
According to my taste buds, this sauce is the real deal! I did change the Food.com recipe slightly by substituting organic cane sugar in place of the refine (agave or honey should work as well, but I haven't tried it yet, though I've made this sauce MANY times), and replacing the white vinegar with raw apple cider vinegar. At present, I am SO UPSET that I've been eating the stuff with all that garbage in it so long!
Now, the original recipe calls for canned tomato sauce, which is fairly cheap to buy. However, I would like to give a word of caution. For those of you who truly know me, you know that I prefer to eat things out of glass bottles and not cans. Canned foods usually contain extremely high levels of Bisphenol A, or BPA, a chemical used as protective coating inside of the cans. BPA has been linked to a host of major health problems, such as breast cancer, prostate cancer, diabetes, obesity, learning disabilities and other neurological problems (Google this! It's worth knowing). I use canned tomato sauce that is BPA free. The Muir Glen Company began transitioning their tomato products to BPA free cans in September 2010, decreasing the shelf life of these products to 2 1/2 years. Consequently, an expiration date after March 2013 should have a BPA-free liner that is the color of copper (the old BPA liner is white). Hopefully, a BPA-free label will appear on their products to make it easier for consumers. To make your own tomato sauce, see the tomato sauce recipe posted for May 9th.
TACO SAUCE (Tastes like Taco Bell's Mild Sauce)
Modified from Food.com: http://www.food.com/recipe/taco-bell-taco-sauce-60254?scaleto=16&mode=null&st=true
Ingredients:
- 1 (32 ounce) quart tomato sauce (no chunks)
- 1 1/3 cups water
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 2 tablespoons cumin
- 2 tablespoons instant minced onion
- 4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons garlic salt (I make my own 3 Tbs sea salt and 1 Tbs garlic powder)
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon cane sugar (or 3/4 teaspoon honey or agave)
- 3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Place all ingredients into a sauce pan, stir well, and bring to a boil. Turn down heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Remove and cool. Pour into the jar.
- May be kept in refrigerator for several days.
Tonight I poured some of my taco sauce on my taco salad; so, I'll share that recipe below. This is one of my very easy go-to recipes. By the way, I use all organic raw produce.
TACO SALAD
Ingredients:
- 2 cups shredded lettuce (I shredded myself)
- Handful corn chips (I use Simple Truth)
- bean-eef
- diced fresh tomatoes
- diced raw onions
- vegan cheese
- a dollop of avocado dressing
- taco sauce
Instructions:
Build a salad bowl using the above ingredients. Pour taco sauce to the desired taste as a dressing. Enjoy!
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| Today's taco salad, all made up! |
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If you like this recipe, let me know. If you recommend any brands of bottled tomato sauce, let me know what it is. If you make your own tomato sauce from scratch, let me know that too. I'll probably post a homemade tomato sauce recipe once my tomatoes are harvested later on this summer.
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