Living Whole Food, Plant Based!
Isn’t it that time of year when there is nothing better than some good old-fashion comfort food? There is something about curling up in your favorite chair with a blanket and a bowl of something warm, filling, and nourishing when it is cold and wet …
Farro, which is also known as emmer in some parts of the world, is an ancient wheat grain that has been eaten for thousands of years around the world. Farro is commonly found in Middle East, Ethiopian, and Mediterranean dishes. I have no problems finding …
I owe all my followers a sincere apology. I had every intention to post twice a week. Unfortunately, life has got in the way and work had been grueling! Fortunately, though, I have adhered religiously to my whole food, plant-based lifestyle!
Hopefully, to help make it up to you, I am sharing my four layer, totally vegan, totally whole food, plant-based, yummy lasagna recipe! This is seriously so healthy and so delicious that you will make this over and over again. This will become one of your go-to WFPB meals that will satisfy your cravings for the real thing.
This recipe will take longer than most I will share, but if you are patient, I promise you will be rewarded.
If you are like me, one of the things I love most about lasagna is the cheese, especially ricotta. I have developed a mock “ricotta” with four simple ingredients. Bragg’s Nutritional Yeast, Himalayan Pink Salt (though sea salt or kosher salt would work just fine), granulated garlic, and extra firm tofu. The key is to prepare ahead of time and let it sit in the refrigerator for at least two hours so that it fully comes together.
The ingredients for the mock “ricotta” are:
14oz package of extra firm tofu
2 1/2 Tablespoons of Nutritional Yeast
1 1/2 Tablespoons of Granulated Garlic
3/4 Tablespoon of Himalayan Pink Salt
Using a fork, break apart the tofu and mix the ingredients together until it has a crumbly consistency and all the ingredients are mixed together. Put the mixture in the refrigerator for two hours (or more) before using. You will find this mock “ricotta” so versatile. Use this whenever you have a recipe calling for ricotta or even feta cheese.
I like to use a variety of vegetables and ingredients in the lasagna. Feel free to experiment with vegetables of your liking. The key for acceptance by the family is to cut the veggies in a size they hardly notice they are eating vegetables! My wife has used frozen peas in the recipe and I’ve used sliced eggplant as well. There are no rules, so be creative.
The ingredients I used for this recipe are as follows:
48 ounces of pasta sauce (marinara and arrabbiata sauces are your best bets to ensure there are no animal products in the sauce)
24 ounces of ready for the oven lasagna sheets
1 or 2 zucchini (peeled into ribbons or sliced very thin)
2 cups of fresh spinach
1 broccoli crown (florets sliced thin and save the shavings)
1 cup of mushrooms (sliced)
1 medium red onion (chopped)
1 green bell pepper (chopped)
4 to 6 cloves of garlic minced
1/4 cup of kalamata olives (roughly chopped)
1 cup of vegetable stock (or broth)
1 Tablespoon of red pepper flakes
If you have made lasagna before, you understand the assembly. I use a 9″x13″ pan. Before I would spray the pan with non-stick spray, but I have found absolutely no reason to with this recipe. Bonus because it further helps us stay with the whole food, plant-based lifestyle! Start with about 1/3 cup of pasta sauce and 1/3 cup of vegetable stock. Mix it around to make sure the bottom of the pan is fully covered. Now the fun begins.
The first layer of lasagna sheets go down. I will overlap the sheets and break sheets to fit as needed. It doesn’t have to be pretty as no one will see it once baked.
Layer the zucchini ribbons to make sure there is sufficient coverage over the lasagna sheets.
Add some more sauce, red pepper flakes, and about two garlic cloves (minced).
I use vegan mozzarella style shreds in this dish. A couple words of caution. First, these shreds do not melt and caramelize like regular mozzarella. You have to use the vegan mozzarella shreds in the body of the lasagna. They will melt and have a nice creamy consistency. Second, use sparingly. One 8 ounce package is enough for a tray of lasagna. I used 4 ounces in this layer, saving the rest for on top of the lasagna (I’ll describe later).
Another layer of lasagna sheets. Notice that the single vertical sheet is now on the left side. I will rotate the side of the single vertical sheet with each layer.
Evenly distribute the spinach.
Remove the mock “ricotta” from the refrigerator. Evenly distribute the crumbles over the spinach.
Add the roughly chopped kalamata olives. Pour a liberal amount of pasta sauce over the spinach, mock “ricotta”, and olives.
Add another layer of lasagna sheets. Note how ugly my cracked sheets look…but who cares?!?!
Add 2/3 cup of vegetable stock. Please note, the instructions on the oven ready lasagna sheets say to use 1/2 cup liquid for every five sheets of lasagna. Totally unnecessary for this recipe! The vegetables, tofu, and sauce provide enough liquid that you can cut the amount of added liquid per the box’s instructions in half.
Add the peppers, onions, minced garlic, and broccoli on top of the sheets.
Add some more pasta sauce and then add the 4th layer of lasagna sheets.
On top of the 4th layer of lasagna sheets, evenly spread pasta sauce that has been combined with 4 ounces of the vegan mozzarella style shreds. As I mentioned before, the shreds do not caramelize very well. But I have found that when mixed with pasta sauce, it finishes the top of the lasagna with a consistent binder. Top with the sliced mushrooms and minced garlic.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Loosely cover the lasagna with aluminum foil. Before when I would make lasagna, I would spray the foil with non-stick spray. You do not need to do that with this recipe! The mushrooms and sauce provide a perfect non-stick barrier.
Once the oven is heated to 375 degrees, place the foiled lasagna pan into the over and cook for 60 minutes. After 60 minutes, remove the foil and continue cooking for 12 minutes. Remove the lasagna from the oven. Let the lasagna rest for 10 minutes before cutting and serving.
And because this lasagna is so healthy and full of vegetables, I like to indulge in a little red wine with the dish! Ok…maybe I crack the bottle open and enjoy while waiting for the lasagna to bake…but who is watching!
The lasagna keeps extremely well in the fridge for 3 or 4 days. Lasagna, for me, is one of those comfort foods I almost enjoy more as a leftover than when originally served!
Give it a try and tell me what you think. I think you’ll find that you don’t even miss the meat and cheese in this Italian favorite.
Wishing you the best of health!
Stephen
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The whole food plant-based (WFPB) lifestyle has really challenged my creativity in the kitchen. This is particularly true at breakfast when my head is still foggy while I wait for the coffee to kick in. As much as I love oatmeal, man (or woman…or child) …
I have a few recipes that I like to go to frequently. One of my favorites in my Fresh Mango Salsa. The beauty of this recipe is how versatile it is. Whether you are vegan or not, this salsa goes as well on tortilla chips and tacos as it does on chicken and fish (for those non-vegan family and friends).
Personally, I usually wait for mangoes to go on sale when I make this. It’s February as I write this post and all our markets have fresh mangoes for under $1.00. Honestly, I rarely see mangoes for more than $3.00, but one of the keys I find to be successful in the whole food plant-based (WFPB) lifestyle is to buy produce when it is in season and on sale. Pay less and the produce is fresher. I should note that I have tried and failed miserably using frozen mango, so I recommend sticking to fresh when making this salsa.
Mangoes and avocados have always challenged me when it comes to ripeness. There is a short window that if you cut too early, you have unripe fruit, but a day too late, the fruit has gone bad. This time, I purchased the mango about seven days ago. It was pretty green and hard. After leaving the mango on the counter for six days, the color started to turn yellow and red. The fruit was also softer when squeezed gently. I threw it in the refrigerator to stop the ripening process and scheduled time the next day to use the mango for this recipe. I got lucky, the mango was perfect! Ripe, sweet, and juicy!
Seriously, timing the ripeness of the mango is the most difficult part of this recipe! Everything else is essentially chopping and mixing.
The ingredients are simple.
1 ripe mango (I use the common Red Mando or two or three small Honey Mangoes)
1 jalapeno
½ red onion
½ cup of black beans, rinsed
Juice from ½ of a lime
Cilantro
½ teaspoon of ground cumin
½ teaspoon of sea salt
That is it! Dice the mango and red onion. Finely chop the jalapeno. In a bowl combine the mango, jalapeno, red onion, rinsed black beans, cilantro, lime juice, ground cumin, and salt and mix.
Word of caution! Wash your hands after chopping the jalapeno and definitely do not touch your eyes (or private parts) until you’ve thoroughly washed your hands (and don’t forget under your fingernails).
As I mentioned, this salsa is great with tortilla chips. For dinner, I’ll make vegan tacos for myself with vegan refried beans, avocado, and arugula…this salsa would rock the top of the vegan tacos. For my wife, I’ll make shrimp tacos for her that will also pair perfectly!
This salsa has a nice Mexican or Tex-Mex vibe…but I have a twist to this recipe that will take you to the other side of the world!
With the addition of one simple ingredient, this salsa is turned into an Indian Chutney!
By adding 1 teaspoon of Chaat Masala (which can be easily found in an Indian or Asian market or on Amazon where everything in the world can be found), this salsa is transformed into the exotic flavors of an Indian Mango chutney! Although the black beans are not traditional to Indian cooking, all the other ingredients can be found in traditional Indian recipes. Substitute the black beans with mung beans or black-eyed peas if you want a more traditional Indian legume, but I promise you, nobody will complain about the black beans in this chutney with the unmistakable Indian flavors.
I hope you give this recipe a try. Inexpensive, flavorful, versatile, and yummy!
As always, if you have any questions or comments, please leave them and I will respond as soon as possible!
To your health!
Stephen
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