Vegan Lasagna

I recently watched the documentary (again...) Forks Over Knives, and have been trying out new recipes. Here is one I got from the Engine 2 Diet. I changed it a bit, mostly because I don't eat soy. This recipe is vegan, gluten-free, oil-free, and soy-free. I know that may sound scary, but trust me, it's delicious!

Ingredients:
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 clove minced garlic (or more if you want!)
- 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
- 1 head broccoli, chopped
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 2 red bell peppers, seeded and chopped (I just pick out whichever is the least expensive of the bell peppers)
- 1 1/2 cups of frozen corn
- 2 15 oz. cans cannellini beans, black beans, or any bean of your choice (if using dried, 3 cups cooked) OR one block of firm tofu
- 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp. oregano
- 1 tsp. basil
- 1 tsp. rosemary
- 3 jars vegan pasta sauce (or look below to make your own)
- 16 ounces frozen spinach, thawed and drained
- 2 large sweet potatoes, baked and mashed
- 6 roma tomatoes, sliced thin
- 1 cup raw cashews, ground
- 2 packages gluten-free lasagna noodles, uncooked

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Sauté the onion and garlic on high heat in a pan for about 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes, until they give up their liquid. Then empty them into a large bowl, leaving as much liquid as you can in the pan with a slotted spoon if you have one. 

Then sauté the broccoli and carrots for 5 minutes and add to the mushroom bowl. Sauté the peppers and corn until just beginning to soften. Add them to the vegetable bowl.

Drain and rinse the beans in a colander. In a separate bowl, use a potato masher to mash the beans. Add them to the vegetable bowl.

Add spices to the vegetable bowl and combine all ingredients together with a mixing spoon.

To Assemble:

Cover the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch casserole with a layer of sauce. Add a layer of noodles. Cover the noodles with sauce. This way the noodles cook in the oven, saving time and energy. Spread the vegetable mixture over the sauced noodles. Cover with a layer of noodles and another dressing of sauce. Add the spinach to the second layer of sauced noodles. Cover the spinach with the mashed sweet potatoes. Add another layer of sauce, the final layer of noodles, and a last topping of sauce. Cover the lasagna with thinly sliced roma tomatoes.

Cover with foil and bake in the oven for 45 minutes. Remove the foil, sprinkle with the cashews, and return to the oven for 15 minutes. Let sit for 15 minutes before serving.


Enjoy!

** If you don't want to buy jars of pasta sauce, here is how you can make your own. Recipe from My Beef with Meat.

Fast and Fresh Marinara Sauce

28 oz. can crushed tomatoes, no salt added
28 oz. can petite diced tomatoes, no salt added
3 tbsp. chopped fresh basil, or 1 tbsp. dried basil
3 tbsp. fresh oregano, or 1 tbsp. dried oregano
2 tsp. fresh thyme, or 1 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 to 2 tbsp. pure maple syrup

Combine all of the ingredients in a shallow saucepan over medium-high heat.

Simmer the ingredients together for 3-4 minutes.

Decrease the heat to low and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes more until ingredients are warm throughout. 

*Add sliced and cooked mushrooms, zucchini, yellow squash, chopped bell peppers, or any other veggies you love.