vegan vodka penne

 This was excellent. The basic recipe is from Veganomicon : the ultimate vegan cookbook. Pictured here is a gluten free pasta.  35 minutes --seves 4

2 teaspoons olive oil
4 cloves minced garlic
1 PINCH crushed red pepper (recipe called for 1/4 tsp--which would be too much for me)
28 ounce can of fire roasted crushed tomatoes (recipe calls for regular crushed                     tomatoes)Muir Glen is good)
1/4 cup vodka
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
salt (recipe called for 1/2 tsp --I used less
a few dashes of fresh black pepper
almond meal-between 1/4 to 1/2 cup ( recipe calls for 1/2 cup sliced or slivered almonds using                             immersion blender--easier to use the meal)

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil, plus a little extra for garnish
1/2 pound penne

Bring a pot of water to boil for the pasta.  Preheat a saucepan (I like using my ceramic one) over medium/low heat.  Add the oil, garlic and crushed red pepper to the saucepan and saute for about asute, until fragrant, being careful not to burn (I did it on a low setting for a bit).  Add the crushed tomatoes, vodka, thyme, oregano, salt and black pepper.  Cover and turn the heat up a bit to bring to a simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally . Meanwhile , add pasta to the water and cook according to package directions.
    Once the sauce has simmered for 20 minutes, add the almonds.  Use an immersion blender (if not using the almond meal) to blend the almonds into the sauce until creamy and only slightly grainy.  The pasta should be done by now, so drain and set aside.  Add the basil to the sauce, and mix the sauce and pasta togethr .  Serve, garnished with a little extra chopped basil.

NOTE--IF YOU ARE NOT VEGAN A LITTLE HALF AND HALF CREAM IS GREAT ADDITION TO THIS DISH