Maria's Creamy Christmas Lasagna

Ingredients:

• Makes approximately 10 servings
• 1 package eggless, whole-wheat or rice lasagna noodles
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 4 small zucchini, chopped
• 4 cups mushrooms (your favorite or a combination of different mushrooms), chopped
• 5 cups baby spinach, chopped, stems removed
• 2 cups fresh parsley, chopped
• 3 tablespoons olive or grapeseed oil
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1 tablespoon unsalted steak spice
• 2 tablespoons dried oregano
• Easy Tomato Sauce (recipe follows)
• Kidney Bean Cream (recipe follows)
• For garnish: additional chopped parsley, chopped chili peppers if desired, and vegan parmesan (recipe follows).
• Sea salt and black pepper to taste
• Vegan Parmesan
• Ingredients:
• 1 cup raw cashews
• 1 cup nutritional yeast
• ½ cup shelled hemp seeds
• Kidney Bean Cream
• 2 cups kidney beans, cooked (see page – for cooking instructions for kidney beans)
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 ½ cups water
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
• 3 teaspoons nutritional yeast
• 3 teaspoons hemp seeds
• 1 ½ teaspoons sea salt
• Easy Tomato Sauce
• Makes about 2 ½ – 3 cups
• 4 cups strained tomatoes (comes in a glass jar)
• ⅓ cup tomato paste (optional if you like really thick sauce)
• 3 tablespoons olive or grapeseed oil
• 2 onions, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, diced
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
• 4-6 leaves fresh basil
• 1 teaspoon chili flakes (optional)
• Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Directions:

Filling

1. Preheat oven to 350˚F.

2. Prepare easy tomato sauce (recipe follows).

3. Prepare vegan parmesan (recipe follows).

4. Prepare kidney bean cream (recipe follows).

5. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in large frying pan over medium heat. Add garlic and sauté for 2 minutes.

6. Add mushrooms, one teaspoon sea salt, steak spice, fennel and 1 tablespoon of oregano and sauté until mushrooms are tender, about 10 minutes. Add spinach and half a teaspoon of sea salt. Continue to sauté until spinach has completely wilted, about 1-2 minutes.

7. In a separate frying pan, heat 2 tablespoons of oil and add onions. Sauté for 2-3 minutes. Add zucchini, 1 tablespoon oregano and sea salt. Sauté until zucchini is soft, about 6 minutes. Add some of the chopped parsley and stir.

8. Remove from heat and set veggies aside in a large bowl.

9. In a large pot, add water and sea salt and bring water to a boil. You can also use two pots of water and cook half the package in each. The lasagna noodles benefit from a lot of water so that they do not break. Follow instructions on the box. Drain and set aside.

10. Spread one cup tomato sauce (recipe follows) in large glass or ceramic baking dish.

11. Line lasagna noodles side by side to form bottom layer. Spread some veggies,kidney bean cream and vegan parmesan over the noodles. Add some tomato sauce to each layer. Repeat until last layer of lasagna is reached.

12. Over the last layer, spread remaining tomato sauce, vegan parmesan, chili flakes or chopped hot peppers (if desired) and garnish with fresh chopped parsley.

13. Cover dish with aluminum foil (pierce foil with a fork or knife in several spots) and bake for 20 – 25 minutes.

14. Remove from oven and serve warm.

Vegan Parmesan

1. Blend all ingredients in a food processor until powdery.

Kidney Bean Cream

1. Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth and creamy.

Easy Tomato Sauce

1. Heat oil over low heat in large pot. Add chopped onions and sauté over low heat for 5 minutes. Add garlic and sauté for 2-3 minutes.

2. Stir in all remaining ingredients and cook over low heat for 1 ½ to 2 hours. Remove bay leaf and basil and discard before serving.

Added By: Cooking With Amore