New Year's Lasagna

For some odd reason, Robin decided that we needed food to go along with our Drunk Prussian Champagne Punch this New Year's Eve. Despite my protestations that the sherbert in the punch constituted food, Robin continued to demand fanciness from our soiree. She sent along a lasagna recipe she had been eyeing, and I got to prepping while waiting for her to come home and give me excuse to start drinking champagne without feeling shame.

Would this lengthy recipe be the first true test of our living together, or would we ring in the New Year with happy, full bellies?

Four Cheese Sausage and Spinach Lasagna
Adapted From Host the Toast
Servings: 8-12
Time: 3 hours

Sauce
1 tbsp olive oil
1 lb sweet Italian sausage, casing removed
8 oz diced prosciutto
1 medium onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 28 oz cans whole Roma tomatoes with juices
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp red chili flakes

Ricotta
32 oz Ricotta cheese
2 egg yolks
1 cup basi leaves, chopped
1 pinch nutmeg
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

The Rest
1 box lasagna noodles 
Water
10 oz fresh spinach
1 lb mozzarella cheese, sliced
8 oz provolone cheese, sliced
Parmesan cheese
Fresh Basil

1. Make the sauce. Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large pot. Sauté the sausage, prosciutto, and onion together until the sausage is browned and the onion is translucent (~ 10 minutes).
2. Forget to take any pictures while trying to get everything made before your guests arrive.
3. Stir in the garlic and tomato paste and cook for an additional minute.
4. Add in the canned tomatoes, sugar, oregano, basil, salt, pepper, and chili flakes. Let simmer on low for at least 30 minutes or until the rest is ready. Use the back of a wooden spoon to break apart and squish the tomatoes as they soften.
5. Prepare the ricotta mix by whisking the Ricotta, egg yolks, basil, nutmeg, parmesan, salt, and pepper together in a bowl. Set aside.
6. Preheat the oven to 375 F.
7. Layer the noodles in a 9"x13" baking dish with one noodle placed diagonally between each layer. Cover with warm, near boiling water and let sit for 20 minutes, so the noodles are tender but not fully cooked. Drain the noodles and pat dry.
8. Spray the baking dish with non-stick spray, and cover the bottom layer with sauce.
9. Make a layer of noodles with each slightly overlapping to cover the bottom fully. Top with 1/2 of the ricotta, provolone, mozzarella, and half the spinach. Repeat for a second layer. Then make the top layer with noodles, sauce (if there's room to not overflow, which we did not have), mozzarella, provolone, and parmesan. 
10. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil, add fresh basil, and cook for another 30 minutes. It is useful to have a rimmed baking sheet under the pan to catch overflow.
11. Let cool and serve.
12. Enjoy days upon days of the greatest lasagna known to man.

Having this many ingredients inside a lasagna means it is pretty much impossible to get a good looking picture of it. 

Aside from actually making the noodles yourself, this may have been the most time consuming lasagna I can think of (much worse than my first post of Tofu Kale Lasagna or a Zoodle version), but it was so worth it. It made the entire Stouffer family quake in their shoes. Each bite somehow found a way to present even more melty glorious cheese than the last, while the Italian sausage and spinach brought explosive flavor. The odd noodle soaking step is a must in lasagnas, as the resulting noodles were the most perfect I had ever consumed and absorbed the sauce beautifully while cooking. Despite having oodles of leftovers to ring in our new year, we never got tired of this amazing feast, and we may have shed a tear when the baking dish was finally empty.

We enforced a very strict dress code for our party. I wore only my finest pajama pants.

Stay tuned for the rest of our New Year's celebration featuring the pure unfiltered insanity of a Drunk Prussian fueled shortcake decorating contest.

Would my shortcake take the gold, or would I spend my night sobbing to Ryan Seacrest?

Recipe Revisited: Sausage & Mushroom Cannelloni

As we ventured into the heart of Houston in search of food on Easter Sunday, we were constantly shutout at closed venue after closed venue (seriously, Chipotle, you can't be that holy). We knew we would have to take matters into our own hands and make a spectacular Easter Family Dinner. We also knew that we were feeling quite lazy (as my sweat pants could attest), so the bachelor staple spaghetti quickly came to the forefront of our discussion. Seeing how it was a special day, I decided we should make a more spectacular pasta with help from one of my first posts, a transformed spinach and mushroom cannelloni.


Cannelloni Noodles
Adapted from All Recipes
Previously Seen in Spinach & Mushroom Cannelloni
Servings: 15 noodles
Time: 20 minutes

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups water
6 eggs
1 tsp salt

1. Whisk the ingredients together in a large bowl until there are no lumps.
2. Pour 1/4 cup of batter into a lightly greased frying pan over medium heat and move in a circular motion to evenly spread.
3. Cook until the top begins to change color and thicken then remove to a plate. They will keep cooking once removed, so wait to stack them on top of one another until the tops are completely done.

These noodles are ridiculously delicious and practically melt in your mouth. Even after making these twice, I can't believe that cooking what is essentially a noodle pancake has such fantastic results. I upped the salt for this go around to bump the flavor a little, and it worked wonderfully. Just make sure that when you cook these, you take them off before they're fully cooked so the backside doesn't get too hard. If cannelloni isn't your thing, these extremely worthwhile noodles could also be utilized for a lasagna.

Mushroom, Zucchini, Sausage & Cheese Filling

Time: 30 minutes

Olive Oil

Butter

Onion, diced

Garlic, minced

Sweet Italian sausage, ground

Salt and Pepper to taste

Red pepper flakes

Mushrooms, sliced

Zucchini, chopped

Jalapeno, chopped and seeded

Garlic Powder

Dried Basil

Oregano

Ricotta cheese

Mozzarella cheese, grated

Pasta sauce (I suggest tomato and basil or vodka sauce) 

Luckily, the ugly filling gets covered up by the shell.

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
2. Brown the sweet ground Italian sausage in olive oil with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Set aside.
3. Sauté the onion, garlic, mushroom and zucchini in olive oil with salt, pepper, garlic powder, dried basil and oregano until tender.
4. Mix in the sausage and pasta sauce and cook until the sauce is warmed.
5. Spread a little sauce (try to use mostly sauce and save the meat and veggies for the filling) over the bottom of baking dishes.
6. Mix the sauce (go for mostly the meat and veggies this time) with the cheeses for a two to one ratio of cheese to sauce in a separate bowl.
7. Fill each cannelloni shell with 1-2 tbsp of filling then roll and place roll side down in the baking dish. Pack tightly. Place the filling on the side of the cannelloni that was cooked since it's the uglier side, and vanity is everything.
8. Top with the remaining sauce and mozzarella. Bake for 10 minutes or until the mozzarella is melted and the noodles are warm.

The perfect sauce for pasta.

Kevin's sauce creation was the epitome of Italian goodness. The sweet Italian sausage's powerful flavor (including some fantastic bites of fennel) was brought out even more by the onion, garlic, mushroom and zucchini. Yes, zucchini is in the pasta sauce. I've noticed that green veggies actually go pretty well with your typical tomato sauces, so this is definitely something I want to experiment with in the future. Additionally there was a nice, subtle kick from the red pepper flakes and jalapeno that managed to enhance the flavor without distracting from it.

Naked noodles

Ricotta and mozzarella aren't the most commanding cheeses but they round out the filling brilliantly. The ricotta helps create a nice creamy and somewhat fluffy component, while the mozzarella (especially the cheese on top) helps push this almost toward a lasagna style.  Feel free to vary the ratio of cheese to meat and veggies, but I would definitely err toward the side of cheese for a more traditional approach.

Two giant casserole dishes filled for 3 hungry men.

As amazing as I thought the original spinach and mushroom cannelloni was (and I highly recommend it for a great vegetarian Italian night), this latest iteration absolutely blew Easter dinner away (thanks largely to the fact that I knew exactly how to handle the noodles this time). This was definitely a quick and easy way to turn a standard Italian night into something fresh and exciting that was just absolutely bursting with flavor.

The Weekly Vegan: Potato Gnocchi with Vodka Sauce

Family meal night at the townhouse continued with yet another attempt to go around the world in 80 dishes. Following our delightful forays into Indian and Vietnamese food, we set off on a journey to Italy (and the mythical land of veganism). Would we be able to recreate one of my favorite dishes ever in a vegan friendly manner, or would Dennis' strange fascination with beets blow up our dinner plans?


Potato Gnocchi
Adapted from Branny Boils Over and Vegan With a Vengeance
Servings: 6
Time: 90 minutes

2 lbs russet potatoes, washed and scrubbed
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

Potato dough

1. Poke holes in the potatoes and bake them. Either bake them in an oven at 400 F for 45 minutes until tender or wrap in a paper towel and microwave for about 5-7 minutes per potato.
2. Remove the skins and weigh out the necessary amount. Laugh while your roommate burns his hands trying to peel them.
3. Add olive oil and salt and mash well.
4. Incorporate about one cup of the flour then knead the dough on a lightly floured surface. Continue kneading in the remaining dough until you have a smooth, non-sticky and dry dough.
5. Roll the dough into 1/2 inch thick ropes then slice into 3/4 inch long pieces.
6. Use your thumb to press the gnocchi against the back of a fork to get both a notched and dimpled side.
7. Bring water to a boil and add additional salt. 
8. Drop in the gnocchi and let them rise to the surface. Continue cooking for about one minute once they rise.
9. Drain well.

Put your dexterity to the test by hand forming the gnocchi. (Yet another time it's handy to have 2 roommates.)

First one to float wins. The same does not work for an underwater breath holding contest.

Cropped out: the super ugly gnocchi (yes, there were uglier ones).

Making gnocchi by hand is quite the undertaking, but the feeling of accomplishment you get when you finally bite into these delicious morsels can't be beat. Despite not having the egg or parmesan cheese typical of gnocchi dough, these potato dumplings had an incredibly smooth texture and awesomely spuddy taste. Just make sure you don't skimp on the salt.

Vegan Vodka Sauce

Sent to me by Courtney

Servings: Enough for 4 times the gnocchi

Time: 45 minutes

Olive oil

2-28 oz cans whole tomatoes

4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1 carrot, grated

1/2 + 2 tsp red pepper flakes

2 tbsp dried oregano

2 tbsp dried basil

1 block silken tofu, not drained

1 cup soy milk

3/4 cup vodka

Salt and pepper to taste

Carrots in marinara sauce? The Gods must be crazy!

Vegan Cream

1. Sauté the garlic in some olive oil over medium-low heat until aromatic but not browned (about 60 seconds).
2. Remove from heat and add tomatoes and their juices. Smash the tomatoes with a wooden spoon.
3. Add the carrot, 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes and herbs. 
4. Simmer for about 20 minutes to reduce.
5. While it's simmering, make the vegan cream by blending the tofu and soy milk together.
6. Pour in the vegan cream, vodka, salt, pepper and remaining red pepper flakes then let simmer for another 10 minutes. 
7. If the consistency is not to your liking, puree it in a blender until smooth. (It's important that you remember that the sauce is scolding hot at this point, so don't overfill the blender. This may have been my second attempt at the dish with the first ending with second degree burns that are still on my arm over a month later.).

After much pureeing, you'll have one mighty fine looking sauce.

Vodka sauce is by far the greatest of all alcoholic sauces (narrowly edging out beer spilled on potato chips). This veganfied version brings all the necessary flavor to the table and some newfound wonderful kick (compliments of the red pepper flakes). What's incredibly is that it manages to be both light and creamy tasting thanks to the vegan cream replacing the super fatty heavy cream.

I've been experimenting with slightly slanted "Batman Villain" angles for pictures.

Despite the great success that was the vegan gnocchi with vodka sauce, the true highlight of family meal night number 3 has yet to be explored. Dennis busted out some mad beets to create an incredibly delicious side that we won't soon forget (and not just because of the beet juice staining our clothes). The brilliance that was the beet side dish was more than deserving of its own guest post, so prepare yourselves for Dennis taking over the blog (may God help us all).

Bears, Beets, Battlestar Galactica. Stay tuned for Dennis' Beet Tutorial (Prepare to get schooled, Dr. Dre.)

The Weekly Vegan: Baked Ziti with Grilled Veggies

Since this week's vegan night fell on a work night, I wanted to go with something quick and easy yet delicious (Fortunately, my sister also gave me a vegan cookbook that starts with the words quick and easy. It felt like a sign to use it.). I had a particular hankering for Italian, so I went with a nice baked ziti, which is kind of like the most delicious lasagna impostor out there. I also had a new participant in vegan night, Sarah, who is no stranger to the ways of vegan cooking (meaning she might realize if I actually sucked at it). The pressure was on, but so were the grill and homemade pasta sauce, so I felt set to take on the challenge.


Baked Ziti
Modified from Quick and Easy Vegan Comfort Food by A. Simpson
Servings: 8
Time: 60 minutes

Faux beef FTW!

1 cup vegetable broth + 1/4 cup 
1 1/2 tsp hickory liquid smoke
1 bag Boca meatless crumble
1 pound ziti, cooked according to the package
1/2 onion, diced
4 cups marinara sauce (see below)
Pepper to taste
2 cups shredded vegan mozzarella

Stop now and you have "beefy" mac

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
2. Bring 1 cup of the veggie broth and the liquid smoke to a boil in a pot. Add the meatless crumble and let cook until all the broth is absorbed (about 7-10 minutes)
3. Mix the meatless crumble, cooked ziti, onion, marinara sauce (see below for a recipe or use store bought; I won't judge), remaining veggie broth and pepper in a large bowl.
4. Lightly oil a casserole dish.
5. Pour half of the pasta mix into the casserole dish then sprinkle on a cup of the faux mozzarella.
6. Repeat step five making sure to take a sample of the deliciousness you're about to be in for.
7. Cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 5 minutes or until the cheese melts (if your veggie cheese is having trouble melting like they sometimes do, you can put it under the broiler for about a minute to help).
8. Scoop out like lasagna and enjoy.

It looks kind of like the ziti is trying to escape from a delicious melted cheese pool (fun fact: one day when I'm rich I will have a delicious melted cheese pool)

Like I mentioned above, this is essentially lasagna with different noodles (which in their tubular shape are much more fun to play with). The ziti was cooked just right, and the beefless crumble (with a great hint of smokiness) really simulated your usual carnivorous varieties (seriously you could pretend this was a meat dish and no one would have a clue you were lying). As always, though, the true star was melted "cheese". I've been quite impressed with the cheese substitutes available, and this was no exception. It had the mozzarella taste down perfectly and melted superbly to make each bite incredible (and even a little stretchy).


Marinara Sauce

Randomly thrown together in my head

Servings: 1 baked ziti

Time: 20 minutes

1/2 onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

Olive oil

1/4 cup Red Wine, preferably a cab (here's a handy list of vegan friendly wines)

4 cups tomato sauce

Basil to taste

Oregano to taste

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

I find the sauce comes out better when I dress and talk like an old Italian woman.

1. Sauté the onion and garlic in oil over medium heat until soft and translucent (about 5 minutes).
2. Add in the red wine and reduce to about half.
3. Pour in the tomato sauce and stir well.
4. Stir in the basil, oregano, salt and pepper and let the flavors marry for about 15 minutes.
5. Let cool somewhat (like 10 minutes) then add to your ziti mix.

This was a pretty good pasta sauce for our baked ziti. There was a sweetness and saltiness to it that worked very well together (and helped make the final product not require additional salt). The big impact, however, came from the onion component. Cooking them in the red wine really helped bring out some of their inert sweetness and flavor that shined throughout (and was further emphasized by adding more onions to the ziti). The only real change I would make would be using crushed tomatoes instead of tomato sauce to provide a little more texture.


Grilled Veggies

Modified from Quick and Easy Vegan Comfort Food by A. Simpson

Time: 50 minutes (30 inactive)

Asparagus, ends trimmed

Squash, sliced

Zucchini, sliced

Olive Oil

Balsamic

Rosemary

Thyme

Salt

Pepper

Not pictured: Grill Master Alexis rocking the veggies.

1. Put the veggies in a plastic bag and drizzle on some olive oil and balsamic.
2. Sprinkle in the spices and mix well.
3. Let marinade in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
4. Get your neighbor to start up your grill your and lose one man point (If you don't have a grill, bake these in the oven around 400 F for 12-15 minutes. And if you don't have a neighbor, well you're screwed.).
5. Grill on low for 20 minutes flipping halfway through or at high heat for 3-5 minutes per side if you want those grill marks.
6. Realize that strange feeling is your body trying to leach all the nutrients out of the veggies it's been so deprived of.

Apparently, I am incapable of turning on our grill. Luckily, Alexis is a pro and was able to take over grill master duties while I worked on the baked ziti. These grilled veggies were a fantastic side for our baked ziti. The balsamic was key to their wonderful flavors, and the rosemary and thyme created a splendid aroma that enhanced the experience. Plus, Alexis grilled them to perfection lending to their speedy disappearance. 

They were right when they said I couldn't fit it all in my mouth at once...

I think this is the early frontrunner for vegan night of the year. I knew this was a winner when I saw people grabbing stray pieces of ziti on the foil and in the casserole dish while we were cleaning up. Also, this was great introduction to the other vegan cookbook that I know look forward to using for the next several entries in The Weekly Vegan. Three weeks in, I can definitely say that I finding myself looking forward to vegan night every week (and not just because of my strange phobias about touching raw meat).

Favorite Dishes: Potato Gnocchi

Consequences of having too much free time can include deliciousness and The Price is Rightitis.

Unfortunately, I forgot my cord to connect my camera to my computer at my friend's house, so you'll have to wait to find out about the incredible shrimp tacos I made. In their place, I present my favorite Italian dish ever: potato gnocchi.

Back when I was at UCLA, I frequented this amazing little Italian restaurant in Westwood called Angelino's Cafe. It's run by Archie, the kindest man who everyone should want to be their grandfather. When I say he runs the place, I mean he runs it. He takes your order, makes it and serves it all by himself. It was there that I fell in love with the unconventional potato pasta.  The only problem was that he always wanted you to try something new, and you didn't want to disappoint your hopeful grandfather, meaning you were forced to comply.

Potato Gnocchi

From Food Network

Servings: 4

Time: 2-3 hours (depending on shaping skills)

Coarse sea salt

1 pound russet potatoes

3-4 large egg yolks

1/2 cup grated parmesan

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 cup all-purpose flour

Basic concept behind the pasta well.

1. Preheat the oven to 425.
2. Place the potatoes on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and a layer of coarse sea salt (to allow even heating) and bake for 45 minutes.
3. Remove the skins and grate the potatoes.
4. Form a mound with a well in the center. Place three of the egg yolks, the parmesan, salt, nutmeg and black pepper in the well.
5. Mix well with your hands.
6. Pour 1/2 cup of the flour onto the potato mixture and press it into the potatoes with your knuckles. 
7. Fold the mixture onto itself and press down. Continue adding small amounts of flour, folding and pressing until you can roll the dough into a 1/2 inch rope. It should be somewhat firm but still give when you push on it. If you add too much flour and the mixture dries up, add the extra egg yolk or some water until the right consistency is achieved.
8. On a lightly floured work surface, cut the dough into 4 pieces. Roll each piece into a 1/2 inch thick rope. Cut into 1/2 inch long pieces.
9. Now time to test your dexterity and patience! Take each piece of gnocchi and press it against the back of a fork with your thumb. This indentation will help the gnocchi cook faster and take in more delicious sauce.
10. Stop halfway through and curse yourself for not having an actual pasta shaper or a sous chef.
11. Lightly flour the gnocchi and place on top of baking sheets covered in parchment or wax paper.
12. Set the gnocchi aside to cool for half an hour (flipping halfway through). You can use a fan or lightly fan them by hand.
13. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt. 
14. Once the gnocchi rise to the surface, allow them to cook for an additional 90 seconds then remove and drain.
15. Top with sauce and grated cheese.

An hour later, I had the "prettiest" gnocchi ever that lost their shape once cooked.

While these didn't quite reach the epic level that Archie can achieve, the gnocchi came in a not too distant second.  Having the parmesan in the dough itself helps make them practically melt in your mouth.  Top them with your favorite sauce and enjoy. As usual, I recommend vodka sauce (just go light on the cream). Now, I know it says it makes 4 servings, but really consider it only enough for 2 people, as you will undoubtedly be going back for seconds.

Spinach & Mushroom Cannelloni

Adding Brussels sprouts lets you pretend you didn't just ingest your weight in cheese.

Making noodles is one of my favorite things to do in the kitchen. Typically, this is a lengthy endeavor (like my 4 hour potato gnocchi that I'll attempt again one of these days) that definitely pays off with big taste in the end. Tonight, however, I found a quick and easy cannelloni recipe that satisfied my craving for delicious melted cheese.

Cannelloni Noodles
From Allrecipes.com
Servings: 8 noodles
Time: 15 minutes

1 cup flour
1 cup water
3 eggs
1/4 tsp salt

1. Whisk the ingredients together until there are no lumps.
2. Pour about 1/4 cup of batter into a lightly greased frying pan over medium heat.
3. Remove from heat when the top begins to change color and thicken. Don't worry; they'll keep cooking once removed. Just try not to stack them on top of one another until they're done.

I was a little worried about this noodle recipe at first because it seemed an awful lot like crepes. This proved to be unfounded because they were fantastic. They had the perfect texture and were super fast to make. They were a little eggy, so in the future I might drop it to 2 eggs. The extra effort of hand-making them was worth it as they came out better than anything from a box.

Spinach, Mushroom & Cheese Filling

Time: 30 minutes

Olive oil

Baby spinach

Baby bella mushrooms

Ricotta cheese

Mozzarella cheese

3 cups pasta sauce

1. Preheat the oven to 350.
2. Sauté the mushrooms and spinach in olive oil until they become tender (about 3 minutes).
3. Mix with the cheese in a small bowl.
4. Spoon the mixture into the center of the noodles. Roll up the noodles around the filling.
5. Coat the bottom of a glass pan with sauce (I used a toned down version of my previously mentioned vodka sauce.)
6. Place the filled cannelloni on top of the sauce then cover with the remaining sauce.
7. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the filling is melted.

Yet another chance to use my enchilada folding skills!

I decided to go with a filling I've used before for calzones and it worked perfectly. I went for about a 1:1 ratio of cheese to mushrooms and spinach, but feel free to mix it up. The result was a delightfully gooey inside that went great with the almost melt in your mouth noodles.

Tofu Kale Lasagna

Lasagna is the kind of dish that almost always disappoints me. Perhaps, as my brother-in-law suggested, it's from the horrible variations of it we were subjected to throughout grade school. This dish turned out to be a pleasant surprise.  To combat the feeling that lasagna is boring, I recommend calling it "Italian Enchiladas".

Servings: 8-10
Time: 70 minutes

The Sauce:

2 tbsp butter
1/2 onion, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1/3 cup of vodka 
2 cans of crushed tomatoes
1-2 tsp dried basil
1-2 tsp dried oregano
Salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper to taste
Pinch of brown sugar



This is my variation of a vodka sauce minus the heavy cream (and delightful pink color). I find that the cream kills a lot of the flavor and adds a bunch of unnecessary fat.

1. Sauté the onion and garlic in butter until they become soft and translucent.
2. Add the vodka and reduce by about half.
3. Mix in the crushed tomato and spices and cook for at least half an hour to let the flavors absorb.

The rest of the recipe is adapted from Clean Food by Terry Walters. This is my go to book for vegetarian dishes. It's actually vegan, so I just substitute in actual milk and cheese.

With a name like that, you just know she's brilliant and can be trusted.

7 sun-dried tomatoes

12 lasagna noodles

6 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 onion, chopped

4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

8 oz baby bella mushrooms

1 1/2 packages of firm tofu, drained

2 tbsp dry basil

Salt, pepper, oregano, and crushed red pepper to taste

1 bunch kale, chopped

1 package  (1 1/2 cups) shredded mozzarella 

1. Preheat the oven to 375.
2. While preparing your sauce, get the noodles ready by cooking in boiling water until soft.
3. Sauté the garlic and onions in your olive oil until soft.
4. Add in the mushrooms and cook for another 3 minutes.
5. Crumble in the tofu (be sure to press it tightly to remove excess water first) and spices and stir for 5 more minutes.
6. Fold in kale and cook covered for 3 minutes. The kale should now be a darker green and softer.
7. Now it's time to assemble the lasagna. Cover the bottom of a lasagna pan (approximately 9"x12") with sauce.
8. Make a layer of noodles and top with half of the filling. Cover this in sauce and mozzarella.
9. Repeat for the second layer then make one final layer of noodles covered in the remaining sauce and cheese.
10. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 35 minutes making sure to turn halfway through.
11. Remove the foil and cook uncovered for 10 minutes.

Mmm cheese.

As is always the case, food covered in melted cheese is delicious. The kale ends up working better than the traditional spinach because it's firmer, so it doesn't degrade into a soggy mess upon cooking. Add some crushed red pepper on top to give it a nice kick and enjoy.