Another Lasagna!

I have officially started my 21-day Kickstart. Pretty simple - eat completely Vegan, no cheating. The other part is not eating anything that has more than 3 grams of fat per serving. So as much as I wanted to eat the lasagna Donna made without even using a fork, I needed something on the low-fat side.

I found this recipe for Spinach Lasagna after reading about people eating it in the book. Just to be clear, this recipe is not in the book; I had to go looking for it.

This contains the magic food - Tofu. Tofu is a great replicant for many things, but not a perfect one. I have never thought "mmmm this doesn't seem different at all!". No, most of the time it is either "meh, that is pretty tasty" or "different, but still good".

That is, until last night. This lasagna literally didn't taste any different than lasagna I had growing up, minus the mozzarella on top (which I will probably add a Daiya version of when these 21 days are over). I don't know if it was the delicious Trader Joe's sauce (Tomato and Basil) or the tofu ricotta, but Kris and I were actually moaning over it.

This picture is not very pretty  (Where is Aly Medina when I need her?!) but, it still is making my mouth water. That is how good it was.

I only used about 12 noodles and I would have liked a little more "ricotta". Quick note about lasagna noodles - if you buy the "no-boil" kind they contain eggs. Read the labels carefully folks.

Okay so off you go!! Go make some and yes, your family will be saying "lasagna again?!" and then they will shut their mouths only to open them again for more bites.

Enjoy!

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Recipe from website if you don't feel like following the link  -

SERVINGS
8 to 10

INGREDIENTS
1/2 to 1 pound (225 to 455 g) lasagna noodles
2 packages (10 ounces, or 280 g, each) frozen, chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 package (16 ounces, or 455 g) firm tofu (not silken)
1 tablespoon (13 g) granulated sugar (optional)
1/4 cup (60 ml) nondairy milk (such as rice, oat, soy, almond, or hazelnut), or as needed
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder or 2 peeled garlic cloves
Juice from 1/2 lemon (about 2 tablespoons [30 ml])
2 tablespoons (5 g) minced fresh basil (about 20 leaves)
1 teaspoon (6 g) salt (or to taste)
4 to 6 cups (980 to 1470 g) tomato or pasta sauce of your choice

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F; (180 degrees C, or gas mark 4).

Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions or use "no-boil" lasagna noodles. Drain and set aside.

Squeeze as much water from spinach as possible and set aside. (If using fresh spinach, blanch first.)

Place tofu, sugar (if using), milk, garlic powder, lemon juice, basil and salt in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. The tofu "ricotta" should be creamy but still have body.

Transfer to large-size bowl, and stir in spinach. Continue tasting until you get amount of salt just right.

Cover bottom of 9 x 13-inch (23 x 33 cm) baking dish with a thin layer of tomato sauce, then a layer of noodles (use about one-third of noodles). Follow with half the tofu filling. Continue in the same order, using half the remaining tomato sauce and noodles, and all remaining tofu filling. End with remaining noodles, covered by remaining tomato sauce. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until hot and bubbling.

SERVING SUGGESTIONS AND VARIATIONS
Add meatless meat crumbles to your tomato sauce for more texture and body. For more cheesiness, add shredded nondairy mozzarella cheese to each layer.

This recipe is also great for making stuffed shells. To do so, stuff pasta shells with the tofu ricotta from this recipe, place them in a baking dish, pour on tomato sauce and bake in a 350 degrees F (180 degrees C, or gas mark 4) oven for 20 to 30 minutes.

Excerpted from The Vegan Table by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau. © Fair Winds Press 2009