I made (controversial?) Lasagna

Hi! I have not posted in a while! But I do have some catch up posts to share with everyone soon....

To start off, I thought I would just do a real quick post about something I made this past Sunday.

Lasagna is something that I am positive everyone on this blog has made a billion times, so maybe it is silly to even post a recipe? I am sure everyone has their own favorite recipes and techniques. BUT I added one possibly controversial ingredient to the mix. TOFU. Instead of Ricotta cheese. Lots of folks (vegans) have done this before, but if you read on you will see that my version is NOT vegan! (There is mozzarella cheese.) So don't panic.

My logic was simply:

I love lasagna, but I wanted to make something I could bring to work for lunch that wouldn't be too rich. The tofu makes the dish lighter, and the added protein ensures that I will not fall asleep at my desk after I eat it.

OK here is the recipe.

Veggie Lasagna with Tofu

What you need:

TOMATO SAUCE - Obv. I endorse the recipe Joey posted here. I made a shorthand sauce this time though, with the following:

1 can whole peeled tomatoes
1 small can tomato paste (add to your liking)
garlic, onion, basil, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes (add to your liking)
Let that simmer as long as you can. (If you want to use pre-made sauce, totally do it. I am not hating on pre-made sauce, it is awesome.)

Lasagna noodles: Of course fresh pasta is the most delicious. I didn't go that route though, and I used the "De Boles" brand, which you boil first before using. I am not a fan of the 'no bake' noodles.

For the filling:
Fresh Mozzarella cheese
Basil
1 package firm tofu
Veggies - I used cremini mushrooms and spinach, two of my faves. Any type of vegetable you want to throw into the mix is fine....peppers, zucchini, carrots, kale.....??

WHAT TO DO:
Get the sauce going first, so it has time to simmer.

Then take your tofu out of the package, and put in on a large plate. Place a layer of plastic wrap on top, and then balance something heavy on top (a heavy book or large bag of flour, etc.) so that you can drain out all the moisture (a la this Tofu Scramble I made). Do this for a few minutes, draining the excess water from the plate periodically, until most of the water seems to be drained from the tofu.

Chop/saute all your veggies with salt+pepper (and more garlic/onion if you like) and set aside.

Crumble the tofu until it is in small "cheese-like" crumbles. In a large bowl, combine with the sauteed vegetables.

Chop up your mozzarella cheese in thin slices.

Then, in a casserole dish, layer some sauce, some noodles, some veggie/tofu mixture, some cheese + basil leaves, more sauce, more noodles, etc. Be liberal with the salt + paper in between layers too- tofu doesn't have salt like ricotta cheese does, so it needs a bit.

Bake, covered in foil, at 375 for about 30 minutes, and then another 10 minutes at 350 degrees, uncovered. (Or a bit more/less - depending on your oven!)


So...there you have it. I hope I have not offended any lasagna purists out there!

The next photo shows how Jed enjoyed a slice for an early dinner the next day:

I made tofu parmesan!

When I first moved to Brooklyn, way back in 2005, my cousin Rachel sent a cookbook from a restaurant called The Grit, her favorite restaurant in Athens, Georgia. The Grit serves tons of vegetarian versions of traditional comfort food and is frequented by local legendary rockers the likes of Micheal Stipe. I think I made this recipe for the first dinner party I ever hosted at the apartment, and it was a total success. Except that I misread the recipe as calling for TWO POUNDS of mozzarella cheese instead of two cups! I don't think I actually ended up using that much because the pan would have been overflowing, but I still used a whole lot. 2 cups of mozz is plenty, as you can see in the mouth watering photo above.

I know what you may be thinking, especially you Italian food snobs-- tofu Parmesan sounds sacrilegious--like one of those vegetarian versions of dishes that just should not be messed with. It sounds like it would be soggy and weird. But it's not! It's delicious, cheesy goodness that will win over the biggest tofu skeptic. The trick is that the tofu is sauteed, THEN coated in breading and THEN baked before you put on the sauce and cheese and everything else.

I used Alena's method of squeezing out some of the water from the tofu by stacking some books on top of it and leaving it like that for a good 15 minutes. Works pretty well. One of the keys to making good tofu is getting rid of as much water as possible.

Ok here is the recipe, with a couple very minor adjustments in bold:

Tofu Parmesan from The Grit Restaurant Cookbook by Jessica Greene and Ted Hafer

Ingredients
3 (15 ounce) blocks tofu, extra firm
2 T olive oil
Soy sauce
2 large eggs, beaten
1 1/2 c freshly grated Parmesan, plus more for garnish
1 T chopped fresh parsely, plus more for garnish
2 1/2 c fine bread crumbs
1/2 t salt
1/8 t fresh ground black pepper
4 c marinara (I used Mama Vallese's homemade sauce, but I have made this before with store-bought. Ain't no shame in it.)
2 c shredded mozzerella
Chopped fresh or dried oregano, for garnish
A sprinkle of nutritional yeast
A couple garlic cloves

Preheat oven to 375. Grease a 9 x 13 baking pan or glass casserole dish.
Tear tofu chunks of various sizes. Add a thin layer of olive oil to a non-stick skillet and place over high heat. Chop up those garlic cloves and toss 'em in. Cover bottom of pan with tofu chunks and saute, tossiping often and sprinkling with soy sauce and nutritional yeast, which helps make it crispy.

Repeat with another small batch of tofu (I did about one and a half at a time--depends how big your skillet is) until all tofu is cooked in this manner. Drain if necessary and cool slightly. Place in a bowl with beaten eggs and toss together.
Blend 1 1/2 c Parmesan cheese, parsley, bread crumbs, salt and pepper. Add to tofu and toss together.
Pour 2 c marinara into prepared pan and spread evenly. Distribute tofu over sauce. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until tofu breading is very well browned.


Remove from oven and spread top with 2 c marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese. Garnish with remaining Parmesan cheese, parsley and oregano. Return to oven and bake 10 to 15 minutes until top is well browned.

Yields 8 servings.

Take another look at all that beautiful cheesiness:
YUM. Nothin' more you can say but Y U M.

A catch up post: Tofu Scramble, Maple Nut Granola, and Wilted Red Cabbage and Bell Pepper Slaw

Here's a little roundup of some things I have been making recently!




Tofu Scramble

This recipe was actually made out of necessity, since I had a carton of tofu sitting in my fridge with an expiration date rapidly approaching. I always buy tofu with the best of intentions, and then let it sit on the shelf until it is no longer usable, and then I feel bad for wasting food and money. I decided that this time, I would not let that tofu go to waste, so the other day I put about a third of it in some miso soup and decided that the next morning I would make a tofu scramble with the rest.

I have had a few previous experiences with tofu scramble, most of which have been from the brunch menu at Kate's Joint in the East Village, and (sorry Kate), most of which have been kinda disappointing. I keep ordering it though, because in theory, I really like the idea of scrambling up some tofu with veggies and spices, but the result is often a little mushy, watery, and bland.

I finally decided to take matters into my own hands when I saw the following recipe on the blog Bread and Honey. They recommend draining the tofu of any excess water before preparing the recipe, and I think it makes a huge difference in the texture of the dish. I did this by putting the tofu on a plate, covering it with saran wrap, and then putting a weight on top (in my case, a 5 pound bag of flour.) If you do this for about 15 minutes while assembling the rest of your ingredients, you will be all set. This recipe made me really happy because it had a great, firm consistency and was so flavorful. It is a nice change from traditional scrambled eggs, and I think now that I know how to make it, I won't have to stress about wasting tofu as much.

Wakantanka Tofu Scramble: adapted from Vegan World Fusion Cuisine cookbook

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 cup yellow onion, diced (I didn't have this, so I omitted it. Still tasted fine!)
2 teaspoons garlic, minced
1 pound tofu, extra firm, crumbled (Keep in mind that the proportions of this recipe are for a whole package of tofu. If you are using less, don't forget to adjust the proportions of spices accordingly, or your scramble will taste crazy.)
1/2 cup tomato, diced
1 teaspoon tumeric
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 teaspoon paprika
3/4 teaspoon black pepper, ground to taste
1/2 teaspoon nutritional yeast (I didn't have this either , so I used some Bragg's Liquid Aminos instead.)
1 pinch cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon of soy sauce or tamari
Also recommended: juice of about 1/2 lemon.

Directions:

Heat oil in a large pan on medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and cook until the onions are soft and translucent, approximately 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the tofu. Cook for about 8 minutes, stirring frequently. Add remaining ingredients and cook for 5 minutes. (Before serving, squeeze lemon juice on top.)


Maple Nut Granola (via Epicurious)

This was my second attempt at making granola, and I think this will be my go-to recipe from now on. Making granola is really easy and it makes your kitchen spell really fragrant and toasty. Of course, you can also modify this recipe in a bunch of different ways and add whatever dried fruit and types of nuts you prefer. I like it because it is not TOO sweet, but just sweet enough, and is delicious with some plain yogurt.



Ingredients:
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
3 cups old-fashioned oats
1 cup slivered almonds (I actually used 1/2 cup almonds and 1/2 cup chopped pecans.)
1/3 cup sesame seeds
6 tablespoons pure maple syrup
6 tablespoons (packed) dark brown sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons warm water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup golden raisins (I think dried cranberries are even better.)
I also added about 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon.

Preheat oven to 250°F. Lightly spray rimmed baking sheet with nonstick spray. Toss oats and next 2 ingredients in large bowl. Whisk syrup, brown sugar, oil, 2 tablespoons warm water and salt (and cinnamon, if using) in small bowl to blend. Pour syrup mixture over oat mixture and stir to combine. Transfer to prepared baking sheet. Bake until evenly browned, stirring occasionally, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Cool. Transfer to large bowl. Mix in raisins/cranberries. (Can be made 1 week ahead. Store in airtight container.)

OK: finally, I made this recipe for Wilted Red Cabbage and Bell Pepper Slaw. Now that spring and summer are almost here, I think this would be a really good dish to bring to a picnic or barbeque. This slaw is really crunchy and pungent and would be very refreshing on a hot day - (or a cold day when all you want to do is fantasize about going to picnics and barbeques.)



Wilted Red Cabbage and Bell Pepper Slaw (via Epicurious)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon mustard seeds
1/2 head red cabbage, shredded (about 3 cups)
2 red or yellow bell peppers, cut into 1-inch julienne strips
I also added thin ribbons of peeled carrots. Totally optional, but tasty.

In a saucepan bring vinegar and water to a boil with sugar, salt, and mustard and simmer, stirring occasionally, 3 minutes.

In a large heavy skillet heat oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Add mustard seeds and sauté until they begin to pop. Stir in cabbage and sauté, stirring, 1 minute. Add vinegar mixture and simmer vegetables 1 minute.

Drain vegetables in a large fine sieve set over a saucepan and transfer them to a bowl. Boil liquid over moderately high heat until reduced to about 3 tablespoons and stir into vegetables. Chill slaw, covered, at least 1 hour or overnight.

Whew. That's it for now. Let me know if you try any of these. They are all easy and tasty!