Rinse chili pods and de-stem. Remove seeds from chilies if you want a tamer spice, otherwise place chilies on a hot pan over medium-high heat and toast for a couple minutes on each side. Remove chilies from pan and place in a bowl with warm water. Soak chilies for 30 minutes. After chilies have been softened in water, pour the soaking water and chilies in a blender with all the ingredients except for the TVP and bay leaf.

 Puree for several minutes until smooth. Taste for salt and adjust to your preferences. Pour this mixture into a heavy bottom saucepan over medium heat, add the bay leaf, and stir in the TVP granules. Bring mixture to a simmer, stirring often. Allow mixture to simmer on low heat for 10 minutes.

 By now, the TVP granules should be plumped. If granules look a little dry, add in a little water a few tablespoons at a time until desired consistency is reached. Mixture should be a little saucy, but not soupy. If you have too much liquid, allow the mixture to evaporate a little or drain off some of the liquid. Soyrizo can be used immediately. Cook as you would any normal pre-packaged soyrizo. Can be stored in refrigerator up to 5 days or frozen for a few months.

Tips: I like to put cut up fresh tomatos into the dip.

I suggest storing this in a glass bowl or a Tupperware-like container you don’t care for. This mixture will stain and stink up plastic like nothing else.[wpurp-searchable-recipe]Vegan Mexican Soyrizo – – – [/wpurp-searchable-recipe]