Tofu Spinach Lasagna

As much as my friends enjoyed the 21-Day Vegan Kickstart, by the second go-round they were a little burned out on some of the food. So I decided to look for something new and found a Two-Week Vegan Meal Plan with recipes on the PETA Website. It uses more fake animal products than I care for, but it's great for my friends to be exposed to some meat alternatives, especially in the early stages of vegetarianism/veganism, helping them make the transition.

This recipe is an adaptation of one on their site. I added some white beans and nutritional yeast to the tofu mixture to give it a little more body, texture and taste. And I apologize for the photo. It looked a lot prettier before a ravenously dug in.

Tofu Spinach Lasagna - Serves 3-4

1/2 pkg oven ready lasagne noodles
1 lb. soft tofu
1/2 cup cooked white beans
1/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes
1/4 cup soy milk
4 cloves garlic
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp Italian seasoning
1 10-oz. pkg frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 tbsp basil
2 cups tomato sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Process tofu, beans, nutritional yeast, soy milk, garlic, lemon juice and Italian seasonings until smooth.

Place small amount of tomato sauce in bottom of baking dish. Top with layer of noodles, followed by tofu mixture, then spinach. Sprinkle with basil. Repeat layers, ending with a layer of noodles. Top with sauce and bake about half an hour.

à votre santé - Savory French Lentils

Inspired by Annie and Dan Shannon's Betty Goes Vegan, along with the movie Julie & Julia, I had briefly considered veganizing Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking. But the uninhibited exaggerated use of animal-based products, made it nearly impossible. Still, I had some authentic herbes de provence (a souvenir from a friend's European vacation) that needed to be used. So I substituted the seasonings in this dish for the ones I had on hand.

SAVORY FRENCH LENTILS - Serves 3-4

3/4 cup dry French (puy) green lentils, rinsed
2 1/4 cups water
1 mushroom bouillon cube
3 large garlic cloves, minced or grated
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried savory
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1 dry or fresh bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon blackstrap molasses
freshly ground black pepper to taste
lemon wedges (for serving)

In a saucepan on high heat, combine all ingredients, except lemon wedges, and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, stir, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook for 35–40 minutes, or until lentils are tender and have absorbed most of the water. (If more water is needed to soften lentils, add 3–4 tablespoons of boiled water). Remove from heat and season with additional pepper if desired. Serve with lemon wedges for squeezing over portions.

Recipe from Eat, Drink & Be Vegan by Dreena Burton of www.plantpoweredkitchen.com.

Oriental Restaurant in my Own Kitchen - Tofu and Eggplant in Black Bean Garlic Sauce

Every once in a while, I cook a meal that is so aromatic, it turns my entire house into an ethnic restaurant. This is one such dish!

Tofu and Eggplant in Black Bean Garlic Sauce

1 tbsp peanut oil
12 oz firm tofu, cubed
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2lb eggplant, cubed
1 bell pepper, sliced
5 green onions, sliced diagonally
3 tablespoons black bean garlic sauce
extra green onions, sliced, to garnish
steamed rice, to serve

Steam eggplant until tender crisp. Heat a wok over high heat until hot. Add oil. Stir-fry tofu for 3 to 4 minutes or until golden. Remove from pan and set aside. Stir-fry eggplant, garlic, pepper and onions for 6 to 7 minutes until tender. Thin bean sauce with 1-2 tbsp warm water. Stir into vegetable mixture. Return tofu to pan and stir to coat. Spoon into rice bowls. Top with extra onions.

Vegan MoFo - Mushroom Marsala

I loved being part of 2013 Vegan MoFo but I'm not accustomed to tracking and photographing my meals then blogging about them every day. So, now that life is back to what I consider normal (at least for me), I did take a picture of my dinner last night ...

MUSHROOM MARSALA - Serves 2

1/2 lb Mushrooms, sliced
1 small Onion, diced
3 cloves Garlic, minced
1-2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1/2 cup Vegetable Stock
1/4 cup Cribari Marsala

Saute onion in oil until transparent, Add garlic and mushrooms, stirring and cooking until lightly browned. Add stock and wine. Simmer about five minutes until desired consistency. Serve over noodles.