Vegetable Lasagna (Vegetarian)

This one is a family favorite that we had not made in a long time, but recently we resurrected it for a dinner party and fell in love with it again.  This version is meatless and much lighter on the cheese than regular versions.  You can use soy based cheese or other subs if you like.

The selling point on this lasagna is that it's extremely quick to make and requires very little prep.  We use one sauté pan on the stove and one lasagna pan.   No boiling noodles and burning your hands during the hot noodle transfer, and you can use any favorite noodle instead of the no-boil ones.

There are two versions of this lasagna, one we make for friends and one for our family.  The family one doubles the amount of the vegetables that are inside the lasagna.  Either version is delicious, and you won't miss the pounds of cheese usually in a lasagna this good.  




Ingredients:

Onion, 1 large, chopped
Garlic, 4 cloves, chopped
Mushrooms, 8 ounces, chopped
Zucchini, 1 large or 2 small, chopped
Basil, 4-5 leaves chopped
1 tsp olive oil

1 cup almond milk
2 heaping tablespoons of flour
1 tsp olive oil or cashew cream
Tomato based pasta sauce (your favorite)

Tofu, 1 pound organic
Spinach, 1 handful
Cheese, 1/4 - 1/2 cup shredded parmesan

Lasagna noodles, white or whole wheat or gluten free (regular, not no-bake, is fine)
Eggplant sliced long and thin

Some of the vegetables above reserved for the top of the lasagna (a few mushrooms, basil, 1/4 zucchini, and a whole tomato)
1/2 cup shredded cheese



Directions:

Saute the chopped vegetables in a teaspoon of olive oil or water until the onions are translucent.  Season with garlic powder, pepper, etc. and remove from the pan.

Using the same pan, heat the olive oil and stir in flour,  then add the almond milk slowly, whisking to prevent lumps.   When mixture is combined, add the pasta sauce (use jarred or your own favorite recipe).   (If using cashew cream, blend the cream with a little of the pasta sauce and add to heated milk/flour mixture).

In a bowl or food processor, mix the tofu, spinach, and shredded parmesan.   Season well with garlic and a pinch of basil, oregano, etc.    (The parmesan is optional, but using even a little of it will make the tofu taste like ricotta cheese after it's cooked).

In a 9x13 dish, spread a tablespoon or two of the tomato sauce in the bottom.
Line with a layer of uncooked lasagna noodles and uncooked eggplant noodles (slices)*.
Spread a layer of half of the tofu mixture, some sauce, and half of the cooked vegetables.
**Repeat layers of noodles, tofu, sauce, vegetables, and a last layer of noodles.
Top with the remaining sauce.

Add a thin layer of raw, very finely sliced zucchini, mushrooms, black olives, and tomatoes.
Sprinkle top with a thin layer of parmesan, feta, and/or mozzarella cheese.
Pour 1/2 cup water around the edges of the lasagna and let it drain to the bottom (the extra water helps the noodles soften without pre-boiling).
Cover with foil or parchment paper and bake at 350 for 30 minutes, remove cover and bake another 15 minutes.

Let sit 10 minutes and serve.

* note:  you can eliminate the pasta if desired and just use the eggplant as the noodle layer

** note:  we usually only have two layers of noodles in our lasagna because our pan is a bit larger.  We end up with noodles leftover in the package and make lasagna rollups out of them or just save the leftovers to put together one day.

Our favorite appetizers for this dish are stuffed mushrooms, bruschette, and a caprese salad.

Our favorite side dishes for this lasagna are a simple green salad and steamed green vegetables (asparagus, sno peas, broccoli).

Pasta e Fagioli, The SOUP

An old family favorite, made over.   I'm not sure why it has taken me so long to get to ETL-izing this recipe, but the wait has only made it taste better. 

I'm not sure Olive Garden would recognize it now. 


Ingredients:

1 extra large onion, chopped
1/2 pound mushrooms, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
5 large carrots, shredded
1 bulb of garlic, or less, to taste
3 stalks celery, chopped
2 large tomatoes, chopped
2 cups minced greens like kale, collards, spinach

1 pound dried beans, cooked, or equivalent in canned, no salt added if possible
      We use pintos, navy, cannellini beans but any will work
2 oz whole wheat or other pasta, small shaped, cooked
14 oz +/-  canned or cooked tomatoes
2 tablespoons condensed tomato paste

Seasonings - pepper, splash white or rice vinegar, garlic powder, dash cayenne or red pepper, etc. 


Directions:

I start by boiling my beans in the morning, letting them sit an hour, then popping them into the crockpot on high for 3-4 hours without ANY seasonings.  

( Mom's best friend, pictured below, cooks while she sleeps, shops, works, works out, and so on.)  



Later, saute vegetables in 1 tsp olive oil or 1/4 cup water for about 10 minutes.














Then, add 1 cup water and continue to cook until onions are translucent, carrots start to get soft. Add water if needed; this will start to make its own thick broth. 













After beans are cooked, add cooked vegetables with their broth to the beans in the soup pot or crockpot. 



 




Add seasonings, tomatoes, paste, sauce and let simmer for 30 minutes.    Before serving, add precooked pasta. 

 

With the pasta added -

 

Mac 'n' Cheez

While shopping for groceries last week, I saw a box of whole wheat macaroni and was inspired to finally try my hand at a Mac & Cheese recipe, nutritarian style.   I wanted beans in it for thickness and a bit of protein, and lots of vegetables for nutrition and for flavor, and carrots in it for color and sweetness.    Next time, I may try a bit of carrot juice, but I hated to haul out the juicer just for this little bit. 

It turned out great and passed the 8 year old and 18 year old taste tests.   They ate what I gave them and came back for seconds...I'm glad I tasted it before giving it to them or there'd be none left to try. 




Ingredients:

1/2 cup onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, diced
4 large mushrooms
2 large carrots, shredded

1/2 + cup cooked navy beans
About 1 cup uncooked dry macaroni, cooked to package directions

1 heaping tablespoon cashew butter
1/4-1/3 cup almond milk
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
seasonings - pepper, garlic, onion powder, dash of salt (optional)


Cook macaroni according to package directions.  Saute the onions, garlic, mushrooms, and shredded carrots until the onions are translucent and the carrots begin to soften.  Remove from heat, let cool, and then process in a blender or food processor until smooth.   Add cashew butter, almond milk, yeast, and seasonings and blend/process further. 

At this point, I mashed the navy beans with a fork, but you could add them to the food processor or even leave them whole.   When the macaroni is cooked, add the sauce on top with the mashed beans and stir.   Season further if needed, to taste. 

I didn't call it Mac & Cheese to the little guy until he said he liked it and did put a small pinch of skim mozzarella cheese on top to tempt him for the first dish.   By the second dish, he didn't need the cheese, just wanted seconds.  
 

Kid Friendly Pasta with Hidden Goodness

My son knows I put vegetables and mushrooms into his food and is okay with it as long as there are no chunks and no overwhelming flavors.  

This dish turned out a pasta sauce that was a little unsettling to him when he first saw it as the pasta sauce was no longer bright red but a brownish red, but once he dug into it, he cleaned his bowl and pronounced it "good".   High praise for anything brown or green. 


Ingredients:

• Onion
• Garlic
• Bell Pepper
• Mushrooms
• Tomatoes, fresh
• Tomatoes, sauce or paste
• Cooked, whole grain pasta or your favorite other pasta

Chop onions, garlic, pepper, mushrooms and fresh tomato

Saute with 1 tsp olive oil or water saute

Just as onions turn translucent, add chopped kale and spinach or other greens

Let finish softening, add a bit of water and let simmer for 15 minutes to allow flavors to release, meld together. 

 Let cool and add to blender with tomato sauce and seasonings, to taste.  We use pepper, garlic powder, onion powder. 

Combine with pasta and store until eaten.   In the past, we've added a pinch of low fat or skim finely shredded mozzarella cheese to tempt him into eating this, but we are out of it now and he didn't seem to mind the loss.