Lasagna

So I LOVE lasagna, like we're BFF's....I thought I would never be satisfied with a vegan variation but I played around with it until even my dad didn't know he was eating a veganized lasagna! It's the sauce that makes this dish, it's a vegan play on my moms homemade sauce she used to make...just a little betterand much more compassionate :)

Ingredients:

1 package DeBoles artichoke flour Lasagna noodles cooked and drained

Cheese Filling
1 package firm tofu, drained
1 tbs garlic powder
1 tsp basil
1 tsp oregeno
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp parsley
1 tbsp olive oil
pepper to taste
1 package Daiya Mozzarella style shreds (minus one small handful for topping)
1/2 container vegan galaxy nutritional foods vegan grated topping (keep other half for topping)

directions for cheese filling:
crumble tofu and add spices and oil, mix with daiya and vegan grated topping place in bowl to the side

Sauce
1 large can tomato sauce
2 small fresh Roma tomatoes, diced
1 small can tomato paste
1 small can crushed tomatoes
2 tbsp olive oil
5 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1 tsp each of thyme, sage, sugar, cayenne pepper (if you like a little spice)
1 tbsp oregeno, basil and parsley
1 c diced celery
1 small diced onion
1 c green pepper, diced
1 package gimmie lean ground "sausage"

directions for sauce:
in a large saucepan, saute onion, celery, garlic pepper and sausage for about 5 minutes
meanwhile in large pot, combine tomato sauce, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste olive oil and fresh tomatoes, bring to a simmer. add sauteed veggies and sausage, stir. add spices, i always eyeball the spices so you can adjust the measurements to your taste preference, allow sauce to simmer about 15 minutes

in a lasagna pan, assemble layers. I like to start with a layer of sauce on the bottom so my noodles don't burn or stick, then alternate with a layer (or double layer) of noodles sauce, then cheese filling, i always finish with a noodle layer, topped with sauce and i sprinkle a the handful of daiya and the remainder of the vegan grated topping.

bake at 400 for 30 minutes and enjoy

some variations include using this for a stuffed shells or manicotti also, sometimes when I'm not feeling like a salad appetizer, i will add a package of thawed spinach to the cheese mixture to get all my greens

****update, i made this today and added some carrots to the sauce...yum!



http://www.daiyafoods.com/