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!

**************
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

A New Recipe For The New Year

First off, Happy New Year!

Let's talk food, shall we?  So I have always loved lasagna...well, anything that had a noodle/sauce/cheese combination, honestly. So obviously, being someone that is a celiac sufferer and allergic to dairy, it's not the best choice for me. So I decided to play around in the kitchen, and try to come up with a gluten free/vegan lasagna type dish. What I came up with is everything I wished it would be...and has become a family favorite that we indulge in about once a month. I made this tonight for dinner.  And since you all have been so good, I am going to share the recipe with you ;) One thing to remember-It isn't the most low-fat vegan dish...so add a nice side salad and a steamed veggie for the sides to round it out a little. Enjoy!

Lasagna Bake with Cashew Creme Béchamel

You will need:

1 16oz bag of Brown Rice Noodles (I used Trader Joes Brown Rice Penne)

2 Cups Marinara Sauce (you can make your own, or use your favorite jarred sauce. I used Trader Joes)

1 1/2 Cups Cashew Creme Béchamel (Recipe follows)

1 bag of Daiya Mozzarella style shreds

casserole dish

Pre Heat oven to 375

1. Boil pasta as directed on package. Drain. Set aside.

2. Heat up Marinara Sauce in pan. 

3. Add pasta to sauce and stir to combine.

4. Take half of pasta and place in casserole dish.

5. Pour Béchamel over pasta. Spread to create even layer.

6. Take half of  'Mozzarella' and layer over Béchamel.

7. Layer the rest of pasta over 'Mozzarella'.

8. Put the remainder of 'Mozzarella' on top.

9. Cover casserole dish and bake for 15 minutes. 

Then uncover and turn broiler on for about 3 minutes to brown the top.

This what you will find when you pull it out of the oven:

Now you can have your 'lasagna' and eat it too ;)

Cashew Creme Béchamel

you will need:

2 cups Cashew Creme 

1 cup Earth Balance Buttery Spread

1 cup non dairy milk (I light to use cashew or hemp milk for this)

salt and pepper to taste

1. Place butter in heated sauce pan. Start to simmer.

2. Add Cashew Creme to butter and start to melt together.

3. Add milk and seasonings. Stir to combine. Bring to boil while stirring.  Cook down until most liquid is gone, and you have a thick consistency.

*(Please excuse the flax seed oil pill bottle and paper towel roll in the back ground...and the fact that I haven't mastered the art of food photography yet)