Food Storage: Uses for Tomato Juice

Sleepless in St. George, posted a comment recently about her tomato juice surplus. She doesn't like drinking it, and she has a lot on hand. She must have gotten it free after coupons, LOL! So, on a quest to assist her, I went hunting down recipes using tomato juice. I came up with a lot of weird ways to use tomato juice, from cleaning coins to cleaning skunk musk off of dogs as well as some great recipes.

1. Use it as the sauce base for spaghetti sauce, pizza sauce or any casserole using tomato paste, sauce, diced tomatoes, etc. If you want to thicken it up first, just simmer it in a saucepan along with your seasonings.
2. 2-bean Chili: this recipe comes from Campbell's, The thing I think is great about this recipe is that it uses 3 c. of tomato juice!
3. A delicious chocolate cake could be made using tomato juice. Again, this recipe comes from Campbell's.
4. Use it when cooking pot roast. I don't serve pot roast often, but when I do, my favorite recipe is from "The Good Housekeeping Illustrated Cookbook". The recipe is called "Country Pot Roast", and it calls for a cup of tomato juice. My family loves it!
5. Make your own BBQ sauce with it. I would put chicken legs and thighs in a crock pot and add your own BBQ sauce made with tomato juice. This came from About.com. Use 1 1/2 c. to 2 c. tomato juice instead of the sauce and paste.

BBQ Sauce

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

1 8 ounce can tomato sauce
1 6 ounce can tomato paste
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic crushed
4 tablespoons minced onion
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon cayenne
fresh ground pepper to taste

Preparation:  Cook minced onion and garlic in olive oil until onions turns opaque. Add remaining ingredients, mix thoroughly and allow to simmer for about 20 minutes. Makes about 1 1/2 cups of barbecue sauce.