Vegan Lasagna

I'm so busy this week, but I wanted to post this. Vegan Lasagna!

So many vegan lasagnas only use tofu instead of ricotta. It's alright, but it's not great. So, I still used tofu, but the base was grated cauliflower, tamari sauce, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, onion powder and a smidgen of smoky paprika.

I started by preparing the base and then crumbling in the extra-firm tofu. Set it aside while grating the rest of the veg: broccoli, peppers, courgette, carrots and the non-woody stalks of asparagus.

Then add those greeted veggies to a heated pan with olive oil and sauté until tender. This helps reduce the water content and helps build flavour. I was in a rush, so I used canned pasta sauce.

I decided to grill the aubergine instead of grating it. So, just in a hot skillet, I seared it with a bit of olive oil. The spinach also seemed to be too good to chuck through a grater, so I wilted it quickly with olive oil. And salt! Carefully season everything after it's been reduced/seared/sweated.

Sometime when all of this was going on, I boiled the lasagne noodles. You could totally go gluten free, but these are just regular wheat noodles. Either way, be sure not to over cook them. Just soften them - ultra al dente? They'll get more cooking in the oven.

Then, begin building the dish: layer sauce, noodle, spinach and then "ricotta" filling until the dish is almost full. Be sure the top layer is sauce, and that the noodles are fully covered - otherwise they get hard and dry. Then arrange extra veg on the top. I think this makes a nice addition to any lasagna. I topped it with asparagus spears, tomatoes, olives and more grilled eggplant.

Bake for about 30-45 minutes.

I served it with a fresh sprig of basil and a drizzle of aged balsamic and olive oil.

Creme d'asperges [Cream of Asparagus Soup]

This amazingly creamy, yet vegan, soup is the perfect thing for a cold winter's day.

First, remove the woody ends of the asparagus; slice the shallots, the leek and crush the garlic.  Since it's all getting blended, precision isn't essential.  Beth Le Manach, an inspirational chef, shares her secret for ultra creamy soup - a medium-large potato.

Saute the shallots, garlic and leek, giving them a bit of colour.  Then, add in water, the potato and bring to a boil.  After 5 minutes of ferocious boiling, add in the chopped asparagus stems, reserving several of the tips for garnish.  Boil another 5 minutes, or until the potatoes and asparagus is completely tender.  Blend it up and flavour with a squeeze of lemon.

I first tested with an immersion blender.  The results were alright.  But, the soup wasn't super creamy until I sent it through the Vitamix.  Afterwords, it was ultra smooth, with a there-has-to-be-heavy-cream-in-this mouth feel:

Breakfast Wedge

Inspired by the chaps at Sorted Food [http://sortedfood.com/], a vegetarian version of an easy breakfast dish:

Check out their process here: http://youtu.be/D1mPghz6jjw

Naturally, serve it the British way - with (vegetarian) baked beans!  Also served with fresh tomatoes and basil.

Spring garden updates [2013]

The garden is coming to life! Blueberries in bloom:

Lettuce - survived the winter:

Shallots:

First rose bud:

Asparagus:

Potatoes:

Tomatoes - hiding under buckets for frost protection:

Pfingstrose (Peony):

Watercress:

Grapes:

Omelette aux asperges

Three whites, one yolk and blanched asparagus. Topped with gruyère; served with a buckwheat biscuit and chili roasted fingerling potatoes.

Chili roasted fingerling potatoes:  Coat with olive oil, chili oil, smoked paprika and parsley.

asperges et pommes de terre

From the grill: asparagus and mixed new potatoes, served over sesame brown rice.