last month we frequented our local carrabba's about every sunday. they have a couple great vegan options for me, and billy loves it there. particularly the sicilian chicken soup. i knew it was something i could try to create at home, and given my change in lifestyle, i find myself neglecting cooking anything for him. since we eat two different diets now. billy is perfectly content with that. however, i enjoy cooking my husband a meal. it translates into "i love you"....but i also wanted something for dinner...
a while ago, i made myself a veggie lasagna. i used zucchini for the "noodles". this was before the vegan days, so i used cheese of course. since a lot of the same ingredients were going into billy's meaty soup, i decided to build myself another veggie lasagna, this time sans the cheese. for the ricotta i made one out of tofu. don't freak out please! when it is combined with all of the awesome flavors i used it meshes well. and you don't even know the difference. i have yet to try the "cheese" substitutes out there, so this recipe only has the tofu ricotta in it. you can certainly add the shredded soy cheese that you prefer.
veggie lasagna
3 zucchini - sliced thinly lengthwise (a mandolin slicer is handy for this)
1 jar of tomato sauce of your choice (i used wegman's brand - it's $.99 and the ingredients are pronounceable)
1/2 cup white onion, chopped
1/2 cup green pepper, chopped
about 2 cups sliced mushrooms
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tomatoes - sliced thin
fresh basil leaves (about 12 or so - i like basil. a lot.)
Nutritional Yeast
fresh ground pepper and salt to taste
tofu ricotta - see recipe below
in a skillet, heat 1 tbsp olive oil over med heat. add onions, peppers and garlic. saute for a few minutes until slightly tender. add mushrooms. continue cooking until mushrooms become tender. remove from heat and set aside.
in an 8x8 pan, coat bottom with a thin layer of sauce. place zucchini slices - enough to cover pan, layer with tomatoes, a few basil leaves, the mushroom mixture, tofu ricotta, and a thin layer of sauce. repeat this one more time. then cover with remaining zucchini slices. cover with remaining sauce. sprinkle with nutritional yeast, pepper and salt. cover with foil, place on a large cookie sheet and put into a 350 degree oven. bake for 30-45 minutes, until veggies are tender.
WARNING : this recipe has a lot of veggies in it. so that means a lot of water. this will be very watery when it is done. but have no fear. use a turkey baster to collect the excess liquid. it will be delicious after that - promise!
tofu ricotta :
about half a block of extra firm tofu
3 cloves garlic, minced
chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
chopped fresh basil
dash of extra virgin olive oil
nutritional yeast (to taste)
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
in a bowl, crumble tofu. add the remaining ingredients and mix well.
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