Vegan Spinach Artichoke Dip

I've been saving this recipe from the now-defunct Vegetarian Times magazine for literally years.  I finally got around to making it for the "big football game" this year, and it is fantastic!  It's from a lovely vegan food blog called Dreamy Leaf.  Check them out!

 

Ingredients:

1 12-oz. package soft silken tofu (Be sure to get the silken tofu, not the crumbly Chinese tofu.)

1/4 c. nutritional yeast

1 T. lemon juice

1/2 t. crushed red pepper

1/2 t. freshly ground black pepper

salt

1 T. olive oil

1/2 red onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 lb. frozen, chopped spinach, thawed and drained

1 14-oz. can artichoke hearts, drained and roughly chopped

Method:

In a blender, purée the tofu, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, crushed red pepper, ground black pepper, and a pinch of salt until creamy and fully blended.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the onion and garlic, and cook until slightly softened (2 - 5 minutes).  Add the spinach and artichokes, and cook another 5 or so minutes until everything is soft and warmed through.  Add the tofu, and continue cooking 2 - 3 minutes until fully heated through.  Transfer to a serving dish, and enjoy!

Makes about 2 - 2.5 cups.

Lentil Cakes with Salad and Yogurt

This delicious lentil cake recipe is from Cooking Light magazine. I only changed the oil a little and removed the dairy.

They suggested serving the cakes over a salad and topped with the minted yogurt sauce (as in the photo).  I like this combination of foods, but I enjoyed them more as 3 separate foods served together, not as one dish:  lentil cakes with a salad and raita-like yogurt both served on the side.  The lentil cakes would be fantastic stuffed into a pita, too! 

Ingredients:

2 t. plus 1.5 T. canola oil

3/4 c. chopped onion

1.5 T. minced garlic

1 c. plus 2 T. old-fashioned oats (not the quick-cooking kind - If it is important for this dish to be gluten-free, be sure your oats fit the bill.)

3 T. red wine vinegar, divided

1.5 t. salt, divided

3/4 t. freshly ground black pepper (or more, to taste)

3 large eggs

2 15-oz cans lentils, rinsed and drained

1 c. plain, unsweetened coconut milk yogurt

3 T. fresh lemon juice

3 T. finely chopped fresh mint leaves

1 T. extra virgin olive oil

2 c. (packed) baby arugula (or more, as desired)

2 c. (packed) baby spinach (or more, as desired)

Method:

Heat 2t. canola oil in a large non-stick or seasoned cast-iron skillet over medium heat.  Add onion and garlic, and sauté until onion is translucent.

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the onion mixture, oats, 1.5 T. vinegar, 1 1/8 t. salt, black pepper, eggs, and lentils.  Pulse 5 or 6 times.  (The mixture may seem wet, but it will firm up over the next few minutes.)  Shape the mixture into 3-inch patties.

Heat 1.5 t. canola oil in the same non-stick or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat.  Add 6 or 7 patties to the pan, and cook until browned on one side.  Flip the patties, and cook until browned on the second side.  Remove patties, and repeat with another 1.5 t. oil and 6 - 7 patties.  Remove patties, and repeat with the last 1.5 t. oil and patties.

In a small bowl or measuring cup, mix the yogurt with the remaining salt, the lemon juice, and mint.  Divide between 4 small ramekins.

Combine the remaining 1.5 T. vinegar with the olive oil in a large bowl.  Add the arugula and spinach, and toss to coat.

Serve the lentil cakes with the salad and ramekins of minted yogurt on the side.

Serves 4.

Turkish Lentil Stew

This delicious recipe is from the book Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant.  The book highlights cuisine from various countries and cultures around the world and is so worth your attention! 

Ingredients:

1 c. dried French lentils

5 c. vegetable broth/stock

1 t. salt (or to taste)

1/4 c. olive oil

2 c. chopped onions

3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1/4 t. cayenne

2 bay leaves

1/2 c. bulghur

1/4 c. fresh parsley, chopped

1 15-oz. can petite diced tomatoes (or 2 c. chopped fresh tomatoes)

1/4 c. tomato paste

pinch dried rosemary

freshly-ground black pepper, to taste

2 c. stemmed, cleaned, and coarsely chopped fresh spinach

Method:

Rinse the lentils.  In a large saucepan, bring the lentils to a boil in the salted broth/stock.  Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer until tender (about 40 mins).

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a stock pot over medium heat.  Sauté the onions until transluscent. Add the garlic, cayenne, bay leaves, and bulghur.  Stir the mixture over the heat until the onions and bulghur are lightly browned.

Add the parsley and tomatoes to the stockpot with the onions and bulghur.  When the tomatoes begin to release their juices, stir in the tomato paste.

Pour the lentils and their stock into the pot with the tomatoes, and simmer for 15 minutes.  Add the rosemary and black pepper, to taste.  Remove the bay leaves.

Stir in the spinach to wilt, and serve warm.

Serves about 4 as a main dish.

Mulligatawny Risotto

Outstanding recipe from Vegetarian Today (formerly Vegetarian Times) magazine!  We had it with their coconut-crusted tofu on the side, but it would be perfectly fine with beans.

 

Ingredients:

2 c. vegetable broth
1 14-oz. can light coconut milk
1/2 c. diced bell pepper
1/4 c. diced onion
2 t. minced fresh garlic
2 t. minced fresh ginger
2 t. minced fresh jalapeno
3 T. olive oil
1.5 c. dry Arborio rice (Be sure to get this specific type of rice, which gives risotto its creamy texture.)
1 T. curry powder
1/8 t. red pepper flakes
1/2 c. dry white wine
1 c. fresh spinach, chopped
1 c. grape tomatoes, halved
1 Granny Smith apple, diced
1 T. vegan margarine
1/2 t. salt

Method:
Simmer broth and coconut milk in a saucepan over low heat.

Sauté bell pepper, onion, garlic, ginger, and jalapeno in oil over medium heat until soft, 3 - 4 minutes.  Stir in the rice, curry powder, and red pepper flakes.  Cook 1 - 2 minutes.

Add wine, and simmer, stirring constantly, until liquid is absorbed (about 2 minutes).  Stir in 1/2 cup of broth mixture, and simmer until completely absorbed.  Continue adding broth mixture in 1/2-cup increments, stirring frequently and adding more broth only after previous addition is absorbed.  This takes about 15 minutes.  The rice should be firm, but not chalky or chewy in the center of the grain.

Remove from heat.  Stir in spinach, tomatoes, apple, butter, and salt.

Serves 3 - 4.

8 Vegan Breakfast Smoothies

I have been having these incredible vegan smoothies for breakfast 5 or 6 days per week for the last 2 years.  The recipes are really flexible, so feel free to play around with them.  Don't have lime?  Use lemon.  Don't have chia seeds?  Use flax seeds or omit altogether.

I like my smoothies to be the texture of milkshakes, so I have a high frozen-to-fresh ratio, and I only use the amount of liquid necessary to get things moving in the blender.  This can require several blender stops to stir things so they will move again, depending on the power of your blender.

Each smoothie includes a frozen banana, which I feel is essential to the texture of the drink.  Every Sunday I peel bananas for the week, cut them into 4 pieces, and freeze them in a single layer.  Then they all go into a freezer storage bag for the week.  A lot of the smoothies have fresh pineapple in them, so I cut up one fresh pineapple at the beginning of the week, too.

I also make sure I have a variety of smoothie colors to cover the nutrient spectrum.  Every week I have red, green, orange, and purple, then I pick another smoothie or two to round out the week.  Have fun!

RED SMOOTHIE

handful of fresh pineapple chunks

1 carrot, chopped into a few large chunks

1 date, pitted

slight handful of frozen raspberries

slight handful of frozen cherries

2 or 3 large frozen strawberries

1 frozen banana (see intro)

juice of 1/2 lemon or lime

2 T. hemp hearts

Put everything in the blender with just enough water to get things moving.  Puree to a drinkable milkshake consistency.

GREEN SMOOTHIE

1/4 - 1/2 fresh avocado (peel and pit removed)

1/4 of a fresh cucumber, cut into a few large chunks

2 handfuls fresh spinach

1 date, pitted

1 handful frozen mango

1 frozen banana (see intro)

juice of 1/2 lime

2 T. brown flaxseeds

Put everything in the blender with just enough water to get things moving.  Puree to a drinkable milkshake consistency.

Option:  You can add a peeled kiwi to the list of ingredients, if desired.

ORANGE SMOOTHIE

handful of fresh pineapple chunks

1 carrot, chopped into a few large chunks

1 date, pitted

handful of frozen mango

handful of frozen peaches

1 frozen banana (see intro)

juice of 1/2 lemon or lime

2 T. golden flaxseeds

Put everything in the blender with just enough water to get things moving.  Puree to a drinkable milkshake consistency.

Option:  You can add fresh peaches to the list of ingredients during the summer when they are in season.  SO good!

PURPLE SMOOTHIE

handful of fresh pineapple chunks

handful of fresh spinach OR 1 carrot, chopped into a few large chunks

1 date, pitted

slight handful of frozen blueberries

slight handful of frozen blackberries

slight handful of frozen raspberries

1 frozen banana (see intro)

juice of 1/2 lemon

1 T. of black chia seeds

Put everything in the blender with just enough water to get things moving.  Puree to a drinkable milkshake consistency.

Option:  I buy a frozen mix of blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries, which makes this super convenient.  If you can find such a thing near you, just throw in a couple of handfuls of the mixed berries.

TROPICAL SMOOTHIE

generous handful of fresh pineapple chunks

1 date, pitted

handful of frozen mango

1 frozen banana (see intro)

1/2" - 1" piece of fresh ginger, peeled

1/2 c. whole coconut milk (The fat and coconut water usually separate in the can, so stir them back together before pouring into your smoothie.)

juice of 1/2 lime (lemon will also work)

Put everything in the blender with just enough water to get things moving.  Puree to a drinkable milkshake consistency.

Option:  You can also add frozen (or fresh, when in season) peaches to this smoothie.

PEACH-COCONUT SMOOTHIE

1 fresh peach, pitted

1 date, pitted

handful of frozen peaches

1 frozen banana (see intro)

1/2 c. whole coconut milk (The fat and coconut water usually separate in the can, so stir them back together before pouring into your smoothie.)

juice of 1/2 lemon

1 T. white chia seeds

Put everything in the blender with just enough water to get things moving.  Puree to a drinkable milkshake consistency.

PEACH-BLUEBERRY SMOOTHIE

1 fresh peach, pitted (or use fresh pineapple chunks if peaches aren't in season)

1 date, pitted

handful of frozen peaches

handful of frozen blueberries

1 frozen banana (see intro)

1/2" - 1" piece of fresh ginger, peeled

juice of 1/2 lemon

Put everything in the blender with just enough water to get things moving.  Puree to a drinkable milkshake consistency.

PEANUT BUTTER-BANANA-COCOA SMOOTHIE

1 fresh banana, cut into chunks

3 large spoonfuls of freshly-ground peanut butter, or to taste

1 - 2 spoonfuls of cocoa powder, or to taste

1 - 2 frozen bananas (see intro)

plant-based milk

Put the first 4 ingredients in the blender with just enough PLANT-BASED MILK to get things moving.  Puree to a drinkable milkshake consistency.



Beet Risotto with Greens

This exquisite dish is from Deborah Madison's cookbook Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone.  Her description of the "jewel-toned" dish intrigued me, and I'm kind of a sucker for beets anyway, so I had to try it.  Scott, on the other hand, is a hard sell on beets, but even he liked this unusual and lovely dish.  The color is brilliant!

Ingredients:

5.5 - 6.5 c. vegetable stock or bouillon

3 T. butter or a mixture of butter and olive oil (I always use vegan margarine in place of butter.)

1/2 c. finely diced onion

1.5 c. Arborio rice (It's important to use this type of rice, which gives risotto its creamy texture.)

1/2 c. dry white wine

2 T. chopped parsley

2 T. chopped basil or 1 T. dried basil

2 - 3 medium beets, peeled and grated, about 2 cups

2 - 3 c. greens (beet greens, chard, kale, spinach, or collards - stems removed, finely chopped)

salt and freshly ground pepper

grated zest and juice of 1 lemon

Method:

Have the stock simmering on the stove.  Heat the butter in a wide, deep pot, add the onion, and cook over medium heat for 3 minutes, stirring frequently.  Add the rice, stir to coat it well, and cook for 1 minute.  Add the wine and simmer until it's absorbed, then stir in half of the parsley and all of the basil, the grated beets, and the chard, kale, or collard greens (if using...if using beet greens or spinach, wait).  Add 2 c. stock, cover, and cook at a lively simmer until the stock is absorbed.  Begin adding the remaining stock in 1/2-cup increments, stirring constantly until each addition is absorbed before adding the next.  When there is 1 c. of stock left, add the beet greens or spinach, if using.  Taste for salt (I'm generous with this maligned seasoning.), season with pepper, then stir in the lemon zest and juice to taste.  Serve with the remaining parsley.

Grits with Spinach and Summer Tomatoes

Here's a non-traditional and delicious breakfast that makes use of all those wonderful summer tomatoes...a bowl of grits (prepared according to package directions) topped with chopped spinach (which the hot grits will wilt without any effort from you) and chopped summer tomatoes.  Outstanding!

Heck, this could also be a light lunch or dinner.  Have fun!

Brussels Sprouts Ragout

I modified this recipe from one in the local daily newspaper, The Commercial Appeal. They cited their source as Vegetarian Times. They had it with a lemon/balsamic vinegar/maple syrup pan sauce, but I like it better with a simple shot of lemon. If you're not crazy about Brussels sprouts, this is one way to make them more approachable, mixing them with other vegetables. If you ARE crazy about Brussels sprouts (like me), it's yet another way of enjoying them!

 

 

 

Ingredients:
2 T. vegan margarine (I use Earth Balance.)
2 T. olive oil
1 lb. Brussels sprouts, washed/stemmed/quartered
2 1/2 c. thickly slicked leeks, all of the white and some of the green  (Wash the slices carefully, because leeks often have dirt and grit in the layers.
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 c. baby spinach, washed

salt and freshly-ground pepper, to taste
juice of 1 fresh lemon
1/2 c. toasted pecans (optional - Scott won't touch a savory dish with nuts in it!  You don't have to, either!)

Method:
Heat 1 T. margarine and 1 T. olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat.  Add the Brussels sprouts, cover, and cook 8 - 10 minutes or until some are browned.  Remove from heat and transfer to a bowl.

Return the pot to medium-low heat and heat the remaining 1 T. margarine and 1 T. olive oil.  Add leeks, cover, and cook 7 - 10 minutes or until leeks are soft and some are browned.  Uncover, add garlic, and sauté 1 minute.  If any browned bits that are stuck to the bottom of the pan, add 2 T. water to the pan and use a spatula to scrape them up, but do not remove them.

Mix the Brussels sprouts back in with the leeks, add the spinach, and cook until the spinach is wilted.  Stir in lemon juice, salt, and pepper to taste.  Garnish with pecans, if using.

Serves 2 - 3 as a side dish.

Tortellini Soup Verdura

This soup is from Food Network magazine and can be made lacto-vegetarian or vegan. I highly recommend the vegan version, because the soup has a very clean look and feel that I think dairy kind of corrupts. BUT, you're the one eating it, so you decide!

 

 

Ingredients:

1 T. extra-virgin olive oil

1 small onion, diced

3 medium carrots, peeled, halved lengthwise, and sliced

3 stalks celery, sliced

1 t. chopped fresh thyme (or 1/2 t. dried thyme)

2 c. vegetable broth

1 9-oz pkg of vegetarian or vegan (like tofu or mushroom) tortellini or ravioli (You could also just use some sort of small, chunky pasta, but it won't be as "special.")

5 c. fresh baby spinach, washed and roughly chopped

salt and freshly-ground pepper, to taste

Method:

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery, and thyme. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the broth and 3 cups water, and increase heat to high. Cover, and bring to a boil, then add tortellini or ravioli. Reduce heat to medium, and simmer until pasta is tender. (See pkg label for approximate cooking time.)

Add the spinach to the soup and cook, stirring, until wilted. Season with salt and pepper to taste.  I use plenty of both!

Serves 4.

NOTE: To made the soup a little heartier, you can add 1 15-oz. can of white beans, Great Northern beans, or navy beans, rinsed and drained.

Dilly Spinach Dip

A big thank-you to my neighbor Kim who gave me this recipe from Real Simple magazine.  I've made some minor tweaks, but it's pretty much as originally given to me.  This vegan dip is delicious, healthy, and filling.  Spread it on crackers or crostini, dip it with tortilla chips or pita chips, or do like I did today and spread it onto crusty European bread with sliced tomatoes and roasted red peppers for a delicious vegan lunch.

Ingredients:

1/4 c. extra-virgin olive oil

1 clove garlic, coarsley chopped

1 15.5-oz. can white beans (cannellini, Great Northern, etc.), rinsed and drained

1 12-oz. bag frozen chopped spinach, thawed

1/4 c. fresh dill sprigs (or to taste)

juice from 1/2 juicy lemon

3/4 t. salt

1/4 t. freshly ground black pepper

Method:

1.  In a small saucepan, heat the oil with the chopped garlic over medium heat until fragrant, 2 - 3 minutes.  Let cool.

2.  Squeeze the excess water from the thawed spinach.

3.  In a food processor, combine the garlic, oil, beans, spinach, dill, and lemon juice.  Season with salt and pepper, and purée until smooth.

Spinach and Potato Soup

Remember when I said I was trying to incorporate more sweet potatoes into my diet?  Well, ditto for leafy greens.  This recipe has both, and I am able to take credit for this one myself.  It's been a fairly warm spring in Memphis, but we had a cold snap last night.  Soup was a warm and comforting supper, and this recipe is super easy!

Ingredients:
2 T. extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 onion, peeled and chopped
3 large cloves garlic, minced
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 large baking potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
water or vegetable broth (I used water plus some leek broth I had in the freezer.)
salt and freshly-ground pepper, to taste
1 12-oz. package frozen crowder peas
1 can diced tomatoes (with juice)
1 12-oz. package chopped frozen spinach


Method:
In a stockpot, heat the olive oil over medium heat.  Sauté the onion until transluscent.  Add the garlic, and sauté a minute more.  Add the diced potatoes plus water/broth to cover.  Add 1 t. salt and freshly-ground black pepper to taste.


Raise heat to high and bring the water/broth to a boil. Add the frozen crowder peas plus additional salt, if desired (I used anotehr 1/2 t. and honestly could have used a little more.), and return to a boil. When the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork and the crowder peas have a proper cooked texture when bitten, add the can of diced tomatoes with juice and the frozen chopped spinach.  Add more water/broth, if necessary.  (The soup will be very spinach-y.)  Bring the soup briefly back to a boil to ensure all soup (including frozen spinach) is thawed and warm.  Adjust salt/pepper to taste, and serve warm with crackers, cornbread, or some other tasty bread.

Spinach and TVP Calzones

Here's a new, DELICIOUS vegan calzone recipe!  It takes some time, but it is so worth it.  The recipe for the dough is a slightly modified version of the vegan pizza dough in the cookbook Fields of Greens by Annie Somerville, but the filling is mine.  This recipe makes 8 calzones.

dough ingredients:
1 T. yeast
1 1/4 c. lukewarm water
2 T. cornmeal
1/2 c. olive oil
1 t. salt
3.5 cups AP flour, plus more for kneading and rolling out dough


filling ingredients:
1 c. TVP
1 t. salt
1/2 t. garlic powder
7/8 c. boiling water
1 T. olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
12-oz. bag frozen chopped spinach
8 Kalamata olives, pitted and coarsely chopped


topping:
1 jar of your favorite jarred tomato spaghetti sauce (like Newman's Own or Muir Glen!)


Method:
Mix the yeast and lukewarm water, and allow the yeast to soak until foamy, about 5 minutes.  At the same time, mix the cornmeal, salt, and olive oil in a 2-quart bowl so that the cornmeal can be softening.  When the yeast is ready, mix the water/yeast mixture into the 2-quart bowl with the cornmeal/olive oil/salt mix.  Stir until mixed.


Begin adding AP flour 1/2 cup at a time, mixing thoroughly with a wooden spoon between each addition.  Once the dough is too stiff to stir, turn out onto a floured countertop.  Knead in the remaining flour and add any necessary flour sprinkling to keep the dough from sticking while you are kneading it.  Once the dough has reached a smooth, firm consistency (It should feel the same way your earlobe feels when you pinch it.) and is not sticky, form it into a ball and return it to the bowl.  Pour in a little olive oil, then turn the dough over so it is coated in the oil.  Cover the bowl with a towel and let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size, 35 - 40 minutes.


In the meantime, preheat the oven to 500 degrees Farenheit.  Mix the TVP, 1 t. salt, garlic powder, and boiling water.  Allow this to sit 10 minutes to hydrate.  Warm the spaghetti sauce in a medium saucepan over low heat (enough to top 8 calzones).


Heat the remaining olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Sauté the chopped onion in the warm oil until the onion is transluscent (6 - 8 minutes).  Stir in the chopped spinach and continue to sauté until the spinach is no longer frozen.  Stir in the chopped olives and TVP until thoroughly mixed.

When the dough is doubled in size, punch it down with your fist.  Divide the dough into halves, then divide each half into 4 equal parts.  Roll one of the dough parts into a 6-inch circle.  Put 1/8 of the spinach filling over half of the dough circle.

Fold the other half of the circle over the filling, and seal the edges with the tines of a fork.  Prick the calzone with a fork several times to allow heat to escape while it is cooking.  Move the calzone to a baking sheet.  Repeat with the remaining 7 dough parts.

Bake the calzones for about 12 minutes or until golden brown.  Remove the calzones from the oven.  Plate each calzone topped with tomato spaghetti sauce.  Be careful, because they are hot!

Tofu Manicotti Florentine

Monday night I was in the mood for...something. I just didn't know what. Scott and I bounced some dinner ideas around, and when someone brought up stuffed manicotti, I knew that was it. I didn't feel like making anything complicated, but once my stomach thought about manicotti, I decided simple wasn't absolutely necessary. Honestly, though, this dish is not difficult. The most challenging part is getting the tofu-spinach mixture into the manicotti tubes!

8 oz. manicotti noodles (These are huge pasta tubes, if you're not familiar with them. I'm sure the giant shells would work just fine, too.)

1 lb. tofu (not the silken kind)

1 stick vegan butter, melted

1/2 c. plant-based milk

1.5 t. salt

2 T. fresh basil, minced (I used basil from a previous gardening season that I had food-processed and frozen.)

1 T. dried parsley

1 t. dried oregano

1/4 t. freshly ground black pepper

1/4 onion, coarsely chopped

1 clove garlic

12 oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed

1 jar of your favorite pasta sauce

Prepare the manicotti noodles according to package directions. Once cooked, drain and rinse with cool water so that the noodles are not too hot to handle.

In the meantime, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Squeeze as much water as possible from the tofu. Put the tofu, margarine, plant milk, salt, basil, parsley, oregano, black pepper, onion, and garlic in a food processor and process until smooth. The mix should resemble the texture of ricotta cheese. Turn the mixture out into a medium-sized bowl.

Squeeze as much water as possible from the thawed chopped spinach. Use a spoon to thoroughly combine with the ricotta mixture.

Pour 1/2 of the jar of pasta sauce into a shallow baking dish that can hold the manicotti noodles in a single layer. Now stuff the manicotti with the tofu-spinach mixture. I held the noodle open and used a small spoon to stuff it in. Place the stuffed manicotti in a single layer on top of the pasta sauce in the baking dish. If a noodle splits open, fill it like a taco, fold it back over into a tube, and place it in the dish with the seam side down. Once all the manicotti are stuffed and arranged, pour the rest of the sauce over the top of the noodles.

Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake 35 minutes at 350 degrees F. Uncover and bake 5 minutes more. Remove from oven and allow to set for 15 minutes before diving in.

Vegan Lasagna

I tried a LOT of vegan lasagnas to find a good one. Believe me - there are a lot out there, but they really don't take the place of a good lasagna. This is good. This one works. I got the original recipe online, and it was called, "Destiny's Vegan-licious Lasagna." This is my version of Destiny's lasagna.

Lasagna is nice, because you can make it ahead of time, put it in the fridge, then entertain effortlessly when the time is right.

Ingredients:
1 lb. tofu, roughly chopped (not the silken kind - Non-silken tofu has a better texture if it's frozen for 24 hours, then thawed.  Plan ahead.)
1/2 c. vegan margarine
1/2 c. plant-based milk
1 T. dried parsley
1 T. dried basil
1 1/2 t. salt
1 t. dried oregano
1/2 t. freshly ground black pepper
2 c. chopped fresh vegetables, your choice (Be creative here. Think of thinly sliced carrots, chopped onion, chopped garlic, chopped jalapenos, corn kernels, green or black olives, capers, green or colored bell peppers, artichoke hearts, hearts of palm, asparagus, pimentos, and on and on and on.)
2 T. olive oil
1 box lasagna noodles (Some boxes have more than others. You need more than a skimpy box.)
2 jars of your favorite prepared marinara sauce
1 10-oz. package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 or 2 large ripe tomatoes, sliced (optional for the top of the lasagna)

Method:
1. Combine tofu, margarine (I usually melt it in the microwave first.), plant milk, parsley, basil, salt, oregano, and black pepper in a food processor until smooth. (You can do this in a blender, but you may need to do it in 2 batches.) Set aside.
2. Sauté the chopped fresh vegetables in the olive oil until they are soft with only a slight crunch to them. Set aside.
3. Cook the lasagna noodles according to package directions. (Slightly - SLIGHTLY! - undercooked is okay.)
4. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. While it is heating, get a huge baking dish (I use a 9.5 x 13.5, and it is a tight fit with sauce bubbling over during cooking!), and layer like this: tomato sauce, 1/3 of the noodles, 1/2 of the tofu mixture, all the sautéed veggies, tomato sauce, 1/3 of the noodles, 1/2 of the tofu mixture, all of the spinach, tomato sauce, 1/3 of the noodles, tomato sauce. If you are using the sliced tomatoes, cover the top with them now.
5. Bake lasagna 1 hour. Let stand 20 minutes after removing from the oven to set up, then cut and serve hot. Don't worry - it won't get too cool to eat during that 20 minutes! Enjoy!