Hot on the tail of Mark’s “Cooking For One” post, I wanted to chime in with the perspective of cooking for one in my very particular situation: at an artist residency, in a shared kitchen, in a foreign country, as a vegan.  I been fortunate to have the time and space to reflect and observe my habits a lot in the last couple of weeks. I noticed that when we arrived, and I was somewhat stressed with jet lag and a new situation, my eating habits tended toward satisfying cravings, comfort food, and quick fixes–such as fast pastas and a lot of bread and carbs in general.  As I grew more comfortable in my situation, my attention turned toward my health and I realized I needed to put more care (and fresh fruits and veggies) back into my diet.

Here are a lovely breakfast fruit salad and luncheon sammich chock-full of veggies, herbs and slathered in Dijon mustard with soda water and juice.

We’ve also continued eating meals together in a group.  Often, people happily eat vegan food we prepare together, such as this tom yum soup made from scratch by Julie. She kindly made it with veggie stock and had fish sauce available for the non-vegs and tamari for the veg-heads.  It was delicious and I was fortunate to get to eat it again as leftovers.

It helps that there is another vegetarian in the group.  If the main meal involves meat, then we whip up some sort of veggie something and a veggie salad, which everyone can eat.  Last night Julie made lamb (very prevalent in Iceland) and polenta and sauteed mushrooms.  She saved out some polenta for me (and added cheese to it for everyone else) and made the mushrooms vegan so I could partake.  I made these yummy sauteed veggies (a lot of zucchini, garlic, onion and tomato) with fresh thyme and A LOT of paprika, which I have been putting on everything since returning from Hungary in March.  A splash of red wine in with the olive oil made it really flavorful.

Communal eating with new friends in a foreign country is a wonderful opportunity to get to know some new recipes and share food with fascinating people.  I have found that if I am as considerate as possible concerning my dietary preferences and values, people are generally very respectful and accommodating.  Skál!  (Cheers!)

I’m sure you’ll hear more from Mark in the next few days on how he’s fairing without me (poor guy… *wink*).  Next up from me: more eating out adventures around Iceland- in and outside of Reykjavík.

My sincere apologies to readers who visit IV for recipes. It’s been a bit scant lately, because of all the “arts & culture” posts. But think of it this way, if they ever release Trivial Pursuit: Vegan Edition, you’ll be golden. The pink/brown pie will be yours!

Whoa…that sounded kinda gross.

With Amy gone in Reykjavik, it’s time to nestle in for a few weeks of solo-cookin’! Unlike the usual “Mark finds weird-and-occasionally-delicious things to do with leftovers” posts you’ve come to know and love, for the next few weeks I’m going to try to focus more on menu/lifestyle. This is because (a) we ate all of the leftovers before we left, so nothing would go bad and (b) as a culinary dynamic duo, we frequently neglect the often-disparate experience of cooking for yourself. I generally find I’m more inventive and am willing to put more time into a meal I’m making for other people. While I certainly love to eat, I also like to help other people love to eat. The more people, the more time and energy I’ll typically spend. But by myself, it’s easy to get into a pattern of making a giant meal every several nights and just living mindlessly on leftovers.

So, since getting back, I’ve been trying to cook more frequently, but to make quicker, easier dishes. So here’s the rundown:

Night 1

I got home from work and started pressure cooking 2 cups of chick peas. I let them cook for 45 minutes while I took care of other biz, and then proceeded to cheat by going over to Amy’s brother Joe’s place and eating his culinary masterpiece, Spicy Ramen (I will post this soon! You shall wait with baited breath.). I did bring over some fresh local broccoli and tempeh to round out the ramen (it’s especially awesome with seitan chik’n). And, with very little effort, I cooked up a mess of chick peas (more on this shortly).

Night 2

I made hummus with 2/3 of the chick peas, and saved the rest on the chick pea water. I also whipped up a batch of smoky tempeh and made smoky tempeh hummus wraps, including lettuce from our garden.

Night 3

Using the remaining chick peas and some tomatoes that were on the verge of going bad, I made a chick pea, tomato, and quinoa dish. I just cooked 1.5 cups of quinoa in veggie stock, then added the chick peas and tomatoes, salt and pepper to taste, then garnished with sunflower seeds and almond slivers for a little crunch and pizazz. I told you I learned something from that last Reykjavik supper. I served it (to myself, of course) with steamed sesame kale–from our garden! Huzzah!

Brunch 4 (and 5)

I made the world’s most standard tofu scramble for brunch (well, I did add in poblano pepper that was starting to resemble a gigantic raisin), knowing that this would provide me a good 3 meals. 1 and 2, down.

Night 4

As many of you know, it’s asparagus season, so I’ve been cooking the hell out of some asparagus recently. I feel like I missed a week, and now I have to make it up (I don’t know what this is going to mean for strawberries…). In keeping with my recent Keep It Simple approach, I just sauteed a head of garlic in olive oil, then tossed in some chopped asparagus and cooked briefly, then covered. I boiled up some noodles, then tossed the noodles, asparagus, and garlic in more olive oil and tossed in fresh chives, oregano, and thyme from the garden, along with a few dashes of crushed red pepper (and salt & pepper, to taste, of course).

Night 5

We made chick patties about a month back, and did a double batch and froze the rest. Sunday was the ideal kind of day to pop one on the grill along with more asparagus (brush both the grill and asparagus in a little oil–I used a blend of olive of sesame oil). This took almost zero effort to make–and was all made from fresh local ingredients. Thank you past self!

Night 6

Remember the hummus from earlier? Remember the smoky tempeh? The lettuce from our garden? Well, it’s been 4 days, so it was time to enjoy another wrap. I’ve also got a stash of local broccoli and tortilla chips, should the wrap prove insufficient and the hummus too tempting.

The moral of the story, my friends, is that all of this has been really easy to prepare, healthy, and satisfying. I don’t feel like I’ve been “bogged down” by cooking (though it’s pretty unlikely that I’d ever feel that way), but also feel that I’ve eaten relatively well without having to rely on any pre-made (except by me) or processed foods.

Stay tuned!

On my last night in Reykjavik, we were treated to a real feast, courtesy of Julie (Juliana España Keller) and Nina (Rizzo).

I was talking to someone recently about a fancy restaurant in Chicago, and how he was so blown away by the meal that he felt like he actually learned something from it, that the meal was a true work of art–it didn’t merely look and/or taste good/interesting, but it actually changed the way we looked things in some way; he came away from the meal a lightly different eater. So it’s not surprising that a couple of artists would produce just such a meal.

From the pictures above, you can certainly get a sense of how attractive this meal was, but there were a lot of details that were difficult to capture: there was a unified theme (i.e. Iceland/volcanoes/magma)–I never think to do this type of thing; both the quinoa and tofu were delicious unto themselves–they weren’t merely ingredients (the apricots, sunflower seeds, and parsley were a really nice touch both visually and gustatorily); while you could eat it however you wanted (as pictured), there was an interplay between the roasted, slightly spicy flavor of the eggplant and how it was to be served–over the quinoa volcano–a clever blend of concept, presentation, and flavor.

Over the course of these last several meals, our new friends have spoiled us indeed.

So here you have it directly from Julie (who teaches cooking at the Institute NHC, by the way, and runs CooK GlobaL, EaT LocaL out of her kitchen [so this kind of cooking is old hat to her]).

Ingredients for eight Icelandic tourists

For the quinoa:

• 1 package of quinoa
• 200g of dried apricots [chopped into hot lava pieces]
• 1 cup of fresh sunflower seeds [dry toasted in a frying pan]
• chopped fresh parsley
• olive oil
• salt
• cracked pepper
• 2 teaspoons of powdered vegetable bouillon [no MSG variety]

Put a package of Quinoa seeds into a big pot and cover with water until the water reaches one inch above the grains. Add a teaspoon of salt, two teaspoons of dry vegetable bouillon [sans MSG] and a tablespoon of olive oil. Cut up the onion into quarter pieces and put them into the pot also [the onion chunks can be removed later]. Turn the heat up high and bring the water to a boil. When it has almost reached a boiling point, turn the heat down and simmer for about 10 mins. until the Quinoa looks translucent. When all the water has been absorbed by the Quinoa, add a little more water, if necessary if the Quinoa grains are half-cooked or a little hard and cover the top of the pot for about 10 mins.

Serve onto a big platter and form into a volcano shape on the plate.
Create a big crater with a big spoon and fill with the chopped apricot, toasted sunflower seeds and chopped parsley. Drizzle with olive oil and serve!

For the magma:

• 3 fresh eggplants, chopped into small bite-size lava rocks
• 1 chopped onion
• 2 chopped fresh garlic cloves
• 2 large zucchini [sliced and diced]
• 1 ‘Freyja’ beer
• 1 tablespoon of tomato paste
• salt and pepper
• 1 tablespoon of sweet paprika
• ¼ tsp. of cayenne pepper
• 2 teaspoons of cumin powder
• 2 sprigs of fresh thyme
• 4 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 bay leaf

Peel and dice the eggplants, and zucchini. Put the chopped onion and garlic plus bay leaf and fresh thyme sprigs on the stove and sauté until soft, translucent and fragrant. Add the vegetables and mix together. Add the beer and tomato paste and 2 cups of water. Stir together and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook for at least 45 mins. Take the top off and turn the heat down when the vegetables are soft. Taste for salt and pepper and add the dry spices. Turn off the heat and let sit for about 10 mins.

And from Nina (by way of observation), who is also a vegetarian (interesting that all of 3 of the Americans at the residency were Midwestern veg*ns, eh?):

Spicy Garlic Tofu

• I package of tofu, drained, pressed, and cut into thin squares/rectangles
• several 2 – 4 cloves or garlic, minced
• olive oil
• cayenne pepper
• salt

Heat olive oil in a pan, over medium heat, then add garlic, cooking for a couple minutes. Toss in to tofu and cook one side is lightly browned, then flip and lightly brown the other side. Sprinkle on salt and pepper, to taste.

We served this with a big ol’ salad and the remaining apricots as well.

’twas one hell of a farewell dinner.

I miss those folks already!

Up next: our brief excursions into eating out vegan-style in Reykjavik (with all these awesome home-cooked meals, there was barely time, but fear not! In the interest of gathering informations for you, dear readers, we took one for the team and gorged ourselves, the result being a rundown of vegan restaurants/cafes).

There are a lot of chanas (chick pea curries) out there. Generally, though (at least in my experience at Indian restaurants in America, mostly in the Midwest), they can be divided into masalas and pindis. While there are some differences in the spices, the fundamental difference is that masalas have a tomato/onion gravy and pindis don’t. Recently, we’ve been more into the pindi-style chana, but this is an old standby that I find myself returning to over and over, largely on account of its simplicity.

It isn’t particularly authentic–there are way more spices in a genuine chana masala–but it is delicious. It’s also a really good starter chana, something to develop. In my early Indian cooking days, I over-spiced everything. I took this in the reverse direction, letting the chickpeas and tomatoes do more of the work. The optional veggie stock gives it a little extra body, but moves it further away from authentic chana masala.

Chana Marksala

• ~ 4 cups (2 cans) cooked chick peas
• 1 large tomato (1 8oz can), diced
• 1 medium-sized onion, diced
• 2 -4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp curry powder
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 1/4 – 1/2 tsp ground ginger powder (depending on desired level of sweetness)
• 4 cups water or veggie stock (you can use veggie bouillon and/or chick pea water)
• salt, to taste
• handful of diced cilantro (optional), for garnish

Saute the onion and garlic in high heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. When the onions start to become tender, stir in the spices, coating the onions well. Add in the tomatoes, then the chickpeas, then the water/veggie stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to then reduce heat to low and let simmer–at least 45 minutes, but the longer the better. Before serving, add in the diced cilantro, if using.

That’s it!

Aloo Gobi is our second favorite Indian dish after Chana Pindi/Masala (and maybe third after Dal Makhni, if you can ever find it vegan). There are lots of variations on this dish across restaurants, some saucy and others more or less just seasoned cauliflower and potatoes. We love the former, and thusly bring you:

The secret to this guy is (a) chickpea water or veggie stock and (b) blending a small portion of it to make it saucy.

Aloo Gobi

• 1 head of cauliflower, cut into pieces
• 4 or 5 medium-sized potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 -4 garlic cloves, crushed or minced
• 1 large/2 medium tomato(es) (or 1 8oz can), diced
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 green chili, seeded and diced finely
• small bunch of chives, diced (optional)
• 1 cup veggie stock or chick pea water
• salt, to taste

In a medium-sized pot, cook the potatoes until they’re barely tender. Strain and save.

In a large skillet or wok (as always, wearing leg warmers and a headband), heat up some high heat cooking oil over medium heat. Toss in the cumin seeds, chili, and garlic and cook until the garlic begins to brown. Add in half of the spices (you can just combine them in a small dish ahead of time and pour in about half–this doesn’t have to be exact). Let them cook for a few seconds, then add in the cauliflower, stirring well to coat, cooking until it starts to brown/sear–about 6 – 8 minutes. Add in the potatoes, again, coating well, and cook for another 2 – 3 minutes. Add in the tomatoes, broth/chick pea water (we made this along with a chana, so we had chick pea water on hand), and remaining spices. Blend briefly with an immersion blender or scoop a small portion into a standard blender and puree–this should be just enough to make a thick sauce to coat the potatoes and cauliflower.

Serve over rice (we had this over couscous the second time, and have had it over quinoa to delicious effect as well), ideally with pakora and naan (gluten free), and maybe Chana Marksala, if it’s a feast.

We mentioned last week that our friends Stef and Ken had decided to rock the vegan action for a week, so we thought it would be fun to get together and do some serious cooking. They were game for any type of food, so we thought we’d try an Indian feast.

The Menu

• Gluten-free naan
• Pakora w/dhaniya (cilantro sauce)
• Chana Marksala
• Aloo Gobi
• Rice

Two nights later, we also revisited our old Indian Dal recipe as well as a standard vegan naan, just for good measure, thus declaring this Indian Week here at IV. We’ll be posting all of these recipes throughout the week, so stay tuned!

And…Some Thoughts

As with many vegans, Indian food was one of our first exotic culinary love affairs. Over the years, we’ve gotten closer and closer to authentic on many dishes, but have never fully mastered any of them, so every time we try it’s sort of an adventure. And did I mention? Team Stef and Ken got cooks. So what better way to perfect a recipe than to get some feedback from other folks?

Cooking with other people is one of our favorite activities. It’s not just the task-sharing or equal-stakes-in-the-meal thing; it’s a way of connecting with people. Everyone has a different cooking style and, depending on the mix of people, will fall into certain roles. Some folks love the chaos of managing multiple dishes on the stovetop, spicing at will. Others like the regimented baking process. Still others are happy to sous chef or are “runners” (those folks awesome enough to run to the store for that one ingredient you inevitably forgot).

And what else are you doing? You can talk while you cook. You can drink while you cook. There’ll be time for games or a movie after you eat (unless you don’t eat until like 10:30 and drink waaay too much while cooking…then there will just be sleeping).

A Brief Stroll Down Memory Lane

I remember my first experience really cooking down with other people–making Indian food in my friend Uncle Nathan’s kitchen (I think that first menu was Spicy Chick Peas and Kale [like a chana], Kofta, some sort of naan, and rice). I’d only been vegan for a year or two at that point, so I was sous chef-ing for the most part. I’d just begun my own forays into Indian food, which at the time seemed pretty good. In retrospect, I can’t imagine using roughly a cup of spices (I later learned about hot and cool spices from an Indian friend).

[Actually, my first forays were into collaborative baking--in this case "Man Baking" with my friend and vegan sire Nick, which involved splurging on good vodka, drinking a lot of it, then making cookies with kids cereal (think Cocoa Puffs) in them.]

An Invitation

Interested in cooking down? We’re always hip to cook together, taking fledgling vegans under our wing, embarking on culinary adventures with the vegan-curious, or just communing with friends who like great food.

Holy hell, these things are killer! Here’s the recipe I followed on PPK’s Facebook page. I pretty much followed the directions exactly, but I used a yellow onion, which worked out great. We did use some of the smaller rings in addition to the largest rings (love those little guys!) and also made our own breadcrumbs in a food processor instead of using storebought. Those are the only changes.

I would like to try them sometime with the suggested Videlia onions, we just never seem to have any on hand. One suggestion: be sure to time these so that you can eat them AS SOON AS they come out of the oven.  We waited a bit and some of them got a little flaccid as a result.  We served them with BBQ seitan sammiches with the leftover BBQ sauce from the other night, and grilled spicy asparagus (in season- huzzah local eatin’!). This time to maximize the BBQ deliciocity-to-chik’n ratio, Mark cut the seitan cutlets into strips, coated the outside with the requisite rub and sauce and grilled away.  Once finished, he coated with more sauce.  See?

A yummy mid-sping chilly night of grilling and baking goodness, to be sure!

We had a pasta craving, but since tomatoes aren’t in season and we’re a little cream-sauced out, we thought this absorption pasta (made similarly to risotto but with less stirring) was just the thing. I don’t know how I feel about the name of this newfangled method of tasty pasta making (so akin to infusions and turduckens and other food with schmancy lingo)… but I wanted to give it a go after being inspired by THIS yummy-looking (albeit non-vegan) recipe on Design Sponge. So, the only thing we borrowed from the original recipe is the method of cooking the pasta and the use of lemon zest, but this came out really great in the end.  Without further ado, we give you

Zesty Absorption Pasta!

You’ll need:

• about two cups of some kind of smallish, firm pasta (pasta rigate) such as serpentini (what we used), penne, radiatore, etc.  I think this dish merits a squiggly pasta, but that’s just me. (Seliacs…you know what to do).
• four cups of vegetable broth (we used an extra cube of Rapunzel ™ brand, salt-free bouillon to make a 3 cube/4 cup water ratio)
• one large yellow or white onion, diced
• about half a head of garlic, diced (more or less depending on your preferences and whether you’re inviting any vampires to dinner)
• the zest of one lemon (in retrospect, I would use less- maybe the zest of half a lemon)
• a big drizzle of olive oil
• a splash of dry-ish red wine (I think we used Paul Dolan ™ Red Zin)
• two small heads of broccoli, cut into florets and the stalks peeled and cut into chunks
• a big handful of baby spinach
• about ten crimini mushrooms (or whatever mush you have on hand) vertically cut into quarters
• a small handful (about 1/4 cup) of slivered almonds- you could also try pine nuts, pumpkin seeds, hemp or flax seed, but wait until the very end to add the last two
• salt to taste (I’d start with a teaspoon and go from there)
• freshly ground pepper to taste
• a dash of red pepper flakes
• any or all of the following in moderate amounts: fresh or dried thyme, oregano, rosemary or herbs de provence
• we also used a little bit of rosemary salt (allowing some fresh rosemary to heat up with the oil in the bottom of your pan before throwing anything in would  have a similar effect)

Dice and slice your veggies ahead of time and put them into individual pretty bowls, cooking-show style. You’ll be glad you did. Heat the oil on medium-high heat in a large wok-type skillet or soup pot. Throw in onions, garlic, and some salt.  Let those cook down for a minute, then add your DRY pasta and stir to coat with oil and heat the pasta through. Now add the splash of wine and stir in.  Once the onions are translucent, add most of your stock- I’d say about 3 cups-worth. It should completely cover the noodles. Allow the broth to cook into the noodles for a bit- maybe about eight minutes or so.

Add broccoli pieces and mushrooms. You’ll notice that the liquid is being absorbed into the pasta and also evaporating, so you may need to cover your pan for about two minutes to steam the broccoli. Stir baby, stir. Test the broccoli and remove the lid when it’s al dente. Test the pasta too, as it’s best served al dente. You may wish to reserve out the rest of the broth for pouring into the finished dish if you want it soupier, or you may want to add the rest now to infuse it (that’s right) with flavor.

At this point, add the spinach, almonds, ground pepper, red pepper flakes, herbs and lemon zest. Stir thoroughly and allow the spinach to wilt. Keep an eye on the broccoli and pasta lest they get limp. Add more salt to taste if necessary.

Dole out into bowl-plates and spoon a little of the soupy mix over the top of the pasta. Serve with a small salad or bread.

Delicioso!

So, everybody loves breakfast for dinner, right? Like when you were 8 and you got to have Fruity Pebbles ™ for dinner?

Well, this is like that–but the opposite! It’s about taking regular dinner-y foods, and converting them into something palatable for breakfast. So, we’re not talking about firing up the grill at 7am and cooking up a black bean burger; we’re talking about the breakfast burrito–with which you’re probably already acquainted–which consists of a tofu scramble, soysage, and potatoes, all wrapped up in a lightly toasted tortilla, and the breakfast pizza–a delicious new treat–which consists of a toasted pita, topped with the same tofu scramble, soysage, and potatoes, but with the addition of pinto poblano/refried beans & chilis.

Truth be told, I’m not sure what relegates these to breakfast. The tofu in your scramble is the same as the tofu in your stir fry. We’ve used tempeh/tvp soysage/soyrizo in soups and all manner of Mexican delights. So what makes this any different?

Thusly, you have our blessing to indulge in dinner for breakfast for dinner.

For both recipes, you will need the following scramble:

Dinner-for-Breakfast Scramble

• 1 batch of tempeh soysage (or the same recipe, using 1 cup dried TVP, rehydrated in 3/4 – 1 cup water)
• 1 lb of extra firm tofu, drained
• 3 medium-sized red potatoes, cut into small cubes
• 1 medium – large yellow or white onion, diced
• 2 – 4 cloves of garlic, minced (optional)

Prepare the tempeh/tvp soysage as instructed in the above link, and let sit, allowing the flavor to soak in. In a large pan, saute the onions in oil over medium heat, until they start to get tender. Add in the soysage and cook until the soysage starts to brown on one side. Crumble in the tofu and add in the potatoes, stirring well. Cook for about 5 minutes, then lower heat to medium-low and cover, stirring occasionally. Cook until the potatoes are tender.

Breakast Burrito

• dinner-for-breakfast scramble
• 6 – 8 tortillas (or however many you plan on eating–but this should fill 6 – 8 )

In a toaster over or frying pan, lightly toast a tortilla (you want it warm, but not crispy). Generously fill with the above scramble. Top with salsa, if available. Roll up then eat up. Outstanding!

Breakfast Pizza

• dinner-for-breakfast scramble
• 6 pitas (same as above, my friend)
• olive oil OR Earth Balance ™
• ~ 2 tsp dried thyme
• 2 cups pinto poblano soup OR
  • 2 cups (1 can) cooked refried beans
  • 1 4 oz can of diced green chilis
  • 1/2 poblano or green bell pepper, diced
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp smoked chili powder
  • 1/4 tsp oregano
  • 1/4 tsp ground cumin

Prepare the scramble as directed above. If you don’t have pinto poblano soup on hand, add the pepper and chilis in with the onions. When the scramble is ready, mix in either the pinto poblano or the refried beans and spices. Continue heating until it’s heated through and through.

Meanwhile, prepare your pitas. If you don’t have a toaster oven, preheat your over to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly brush the pitas with olive oil or slather them with Earth Balance (we used Earth Balance), then sprinkle them generously with dried thyme. Bake in the (toaster) oven until they just start to brown.

Remove them from the oven, then allow them to cool for a few minutes. Dollop the bean-y scramble on them and spread. You can serve these with a fork and knife, or cut them up in advance, pizza-style. Using the latter method, these would make a great brunch treat. Phenomenal!

Since we’ve used up all of our canned sauce from last year–and for a change of pace–we’ve been making a lot of white sauces lately. This is a variation of our standard lasagna, taking a page from the al-faux-do book.

White Lasagna

The Essentials

• white sauce
• 12 large lasagna noodles
• faux-ricotta
• 2 medium-sized tomatoes, sliced thinly
• 1 zucchini, sliced thinly
• 6 – 8 crimini mushrooms, sliced thinly (optional)
• vegan parmesan (optional)

White Sauce

• 1 medium-sized yellow or white onion, chopped
• 6 cloves of garlic, diced
• 1/4 cup Earth Balance ™
• ~1/4 cup flour
• 1 tsp ground mustard seed
• 1 cup soy milk
• salt & pepper, to taste

Faux Ricotta

• 2 cups spinach OR lightly steamed kale
• 1 lb/package extra firm tofu
• 2 tbsp nu yeast
• 1.5 tsp oregano (2 large sprigs fresh)
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder OR 2 – 4 cloves fresh garlic, pressed
• fresh basil, to taste
• 1/2 tsp rosemary (chopped if fresh, crushed if dry)
• 1/8 tsp cayenne
• salt, to taste

White Sauce

Sautee the onion and garlic in olive oil in a large pan over medium heat until they are soft and just starting to brown, then remove from heat. In a small pot, melt the Earth Balance ™ over medium heat. Once it’s melted, whisk in the flour a little at a time, until you have a thick roux. Add the onions and garlic to the blender, then pour in the soymilk. Add in the roux and ground mustard seed and blend until smooth. Salt and pepper to taste.

Faux Ricotta

Blend the tofu and spinach/kale in a food processor, until well-mixed and somewhat smooth. Add in the remaining filling ingredients and blend until smooth, salting to taste. You can use this filling in any Italian-ish recipe that calls for ricotta.

Mushrooms (optional)

Sautee the mushrooms in olive oil–in the pan you used for the onions and garlic–over medium heat until the mushrooms are tender. That’s it.

Lasagna

Since the white sauce is much creamier than standard tomato sauce, I’m afraid you’re going to have to suck it up and boil some noodles. But just until they’re al dente.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375. In a 9 x 12 pan, spread enough white sauce to thoroughly cover the bottom of the pan. Add in a layer of noodles. Then add a layer of zucchini, then one of tomatoes.

Add another layer of noodles. Spread a layer of half the faux ricotta on top of the noodles. If you’re using them, spread a layer of mushrooms over the filling.

Cover with another layer of noodles. Now spread the rest of the faux ricotta on top of them. Now put one more layer of noodles down.

Add one final layer of tomatoes then cover thoroughly with the remaining sauce.

Cover the pan with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil, top with vegan parmesan cheese (if using) and bake for another 30 minutes. Let it cool for about 15 minutes before cutting and/or serving. Use your will power. I know you can do it. Eat!