Italian – The VeganAsana

Fresh Vegan Eggplant, Zucchini, and Tomato Gratin

By theveganasana | July 29, 2014 - 8:12 pm | July 29, 2014 Vegan Recipes, Veganism

Need to use up some of those summer zucchini and eggplants? Have a big batch of lovely huge tomatoes that need to be in your belly? This gratin recipe might just do the trick, and it’s lovely and filling, as well.

Ingredients

2 medium eggplants, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
4 medium zucchini, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
2-3 large beefsteak tomatoes, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup faux parmesan cheese
1 box panko bread crumbs
1 T dried Italian seasoning or fresh chopped parsley, oregano, and thyme
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup fat-free, less-sodium vegetable broth
3 T olive oil

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375°.

Place panko, garlic, spices, faux parmesan, and salt in food processor or blender and pulse until combined and fairly fine.

Spray bottom of a 13×9 pan (unless nonstick) with cooking spray. Arrange one layer of eggplant on bottom of pan. Place one layer of zucchini on top of eggplant. Arrange 1 layer of tomato on top of zucchini. Spoon ½ of breadcrumb mixture over vegetables. Repeat layers.

Mix broth and olive oil and drizzle over top.

Bake at 375° for 1 hour or until vegetables are tender and crumb topping is browned.

Serve with a protein of your choice or a big salad.

Vegan Lasagna is Amazing!

By theveganasana | September 3, 2013 - 12:00 pm | September 7, 2013 Vegan MoFo '13, Vegan Recipes, Veganism

2 Comments

Lasagna always seems like way too much work before I start, but then it’s really not that bad, and it’s so tasty and filling. This vegan lasagna won’t seem to be missing a thing without the cheese! I make it a little different every time, in terms of the veggies, so don’t hesitate to branch out.

Ingredients

I love this picture other than the Biggest Loser advertisement. Oy!

12 lasagna noodles, cooked al dente
3 T. olive oil
3 cloves garlic minced
1 medium onion diced
1 stalk celery, diced
2 cups mushrooms, sliced
1 medium red pepper, diced
1 small zucchini, diced
1 cup carrots, diced
2 cups tomatoes, diced
1-2 cups kale, chopped
2 T Italian seasoning
1 large can/jar tomato puree
1 package extra firm tofu
1 T apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/4 cup raw sugar
Sea salt

Process

In a large pan, add onions, olive oil, and garlic. Cook over medium temp, stirring often, until onions begin to soften and fragrance is released. Add remaining vegetables (except the kale) and continue to cook until they begin to soften. Stir in tomato puree and most of the Italian seasoning (I like to save a little for the tofu ricotta). Add sea salt to taste. If you like a sweeter sauce, add the raw sugar gradually, tasting for your degree of sweet. Allow to simmer 20 minutes over medium low temp.

While the sauce simmers, cook noodles to al dente and set aside in cool water or lay out on parchment paper.

Drain tofu and place in a bowl. Using a fork, smash block until the texture resembles ricotta cheese. Add vinegar, 1/2 if the nutritional yeast, the rest of the Italian seasoning, and ½ t. sea salt and mix.

Once your sauce has simmered nicely and noodles are ready, spread a layer of sauce over the bottom of the pan. Place a layer of 3 noodles on top, overlapping slightly. Crumble 1/2 the tofu mix across the noodles, add a layer of chopped kale. Now put in another layer of noodles, then sauce, then sprinkle on nutritional yeast. Repeat this process. You should end with a layer of sauce sprinkled with yeast.

Cover tightly with foil and place pan in oven at 375* and bake for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to sit for 10 minutes before cutting to serve.

If you would like to have some later, let it cool and then place in the fridge or freeze in single servings. For reheating, put in 350* oven or microwave.

Cheesy Vegan Marinara Whole Wheat Pasta

By theveganasana | September 2, 2013 - 12:15 pm | September 7, 2013 Vegan MoFo '13, Vegan Recipes, Veganism

3 Comments

Ingredients
1 red pepper, diced
2 cups kale, chopped
2 stalks celery, diced
1 medium onion, diced
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups diced tomatoes
35 oz crushed tomatoes
2/3 cup nutritional yeast flakes
2 T raw sugar
1 handful of fresh basil, chopped
1 T dried oregano (or handful of fresh, chopped)
3 T olive oil
Sea salt and pepper to taste

Process

Put olive oil in large saucepan and heat at medium high. Add onions, red peppers, celery, and garlic and sauté until they begin to soften. Add kale, diced tomato, basil, oregano, and nutritional yeast and stir, allowing mixture to begin to warm.

Gradually stir in the crushed tomato, stopping when you reach the level of “cheesiness” that you prefer. Mix in sugar, salt, and pepper and heat through. Once heated, turn to low until ready to serve.

Serve over whole grain pasta. We prefer spaghetti or linguini with this sauce, but you could use any type.