Vegan Lasagna

This recipe was given to me by my friend Missa, who is possibly the world's greatest vegan chef. She makes health food taste like traditional 'soul food' recipes, but won't stick to the waistline. I keep telling her that she needs to write a recipe book and share her wealth of vegan recipes, but until she gets around to it...

Picture was shamelessly hijacked from another site to tempt your creativity. It is not a picture of this actual recipe. Sorry!

Tofu Ricotta:

2 packs of extra firm tofu, well drained.
2 Tablespoons of Bragg's nutritional yeast
2 teaspoons of agave nectar
1/2 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
pinch of salt & pepper

1. blend all ingredients together in a bowl and mash with a for until it is very well mixed and about the crumbly consistency of ricotta cheese. Cover and store in the fridge until needed. This can be made a day in advance.

Vegetable Sauce:

You can use whatever veggies you want, but if you cannot think of a good combination, try this. You will need a lot of veggies, so make a very generous amount.

2 large yellow onions

1/2 head of garlic, crushed

4 cans of diced tomatoes, 32oz per can

1 carrot, grated or blended

10 fresh mushrooms, cleaned

1 (or more) bunch of fresh spinach, cleaned

Oregano, Thyme, Marjoram & Basil to taste

For a New Mexico twist try adding some Green Chile

1. Put about half an inch deep of olive oil in a deep pan or stew pot. 
2. Dice all the veggies and saute them in the oil. 
3. Drain off excess oil and either squash the veggies with a potato masher, or run them through a food processor to get a thick & chunky sauce, somewhat like thick spaghetti sauce.
4. Store veggie sauce in a sealed container in the fridge. This part can also be made a day in advance.

Vegan 'Meat'

2 cups of dry TVP (we like Bob's Red Mill brand)

2 tablespoons of Bragg's Liquid Aminos

1. Put TVP and Liquid Aminos in a large bowl and cover with boiling water. You can add bullion cubes to the water if you want to flavor it, we like Not Chicken and Not Beef vegan bullion cubes.
2. The TVP will soak up the water in a few minutes. fluff it with a fork occasionally, and allow it to sit until all the water is absorbed. This part will not keep very well, so it is best to do it within a few hours of actually making the lasagna.

Bechamel Sauce

4 Tablespoons of Earth Balance butter substitute

1 Tablespoon of wheat or spelt flour

1 cup of soy milk (use plain, the vanilla kind would taste strange here)

Pinch of nutmeg

1. In  a sauce pan heat the Earth Balance until melted.
2. slowly add the flour while stirring constantly. Mixture should get thicker and bubbly.
3. SLOWLY add the soy milk a little at a time. Stirr constantly until the mixture gets about as thick as cream.
4. Add nutmeg
5. This should be the last thing that you do, immediately before building your lasagna. This cream will not keep very well in the fridge.

Build the Lasagna

1 or 2 glass or ceramic lasagna pans

Olive oil or coconut oil to grease the pans

3 or 4 bags of Daiya Mozzarella vegan cheese (shredded)

2 or 3 packages of dry lasagna noodles

Sour Supreme (Vegan Sour Cream substitute)

(EcoPunk recommends using a soup ladle to apply and spread each layer, it is easier than using a spatula or a spoon!)

1. Place the Sour Supreme in a bowl with a couple spoonfuls of cool water and whisk until smooth. It should be pretty thick. Coat the lasagna noodles in this before adding them to the lasagna for an extra-decadent twist, this will make the dish extra creamy and rich.
2. In a well-greased glass or ceramic lasagna pan, spread a little Bechamel sauce on the bottom and then add a layer of dry lasagna noodles. If there is a little space left over at the edges, don't worry, the noodles will expand as they cook, they don't have to be very snug. Do not pre-cook the noodles, you need them to soak up the extra juices with this recipe, otherwise you will get Lasagna Soup.
3. Add a layer of the veggie sauce, then the TVP 'Meat', then the Tofu Rocotta mix, then the Daiya cheese. Go easy on the Daiya cheese, you only need a light sprinkle on each layer. 
4. Continue layering in this order until there is about half an inch of space left at the top of the lasagna pan:
• Bechamel Sauce
• Lasagna Noodles coated in Sour Supreme
• Vegetable Sauce
• TVP 'meat' substitute
• Tofu Ricotta mix
• Daiya Mozzarella 
5. When there is only half an inch left, spread a generous layer of Daiya cheese over the top.
6. Cover each pan in a tinfoil 'tent' to retain moisture.
7. Cook at 375 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour, or until the noodles are tender. Then remove the tinfoil and brown the top (this recipe is for elevation of 7000 feet or higher, adjust temp & time for lower elevations!)
8. Allow to rest & cool for a few minutes before serving (this also helps release any excess juices as steam). 

This dish freezes well, so you can make lunch-sized portions and freeze them for later use as microwave-ready meals. 

Enjoy!