vegetable medley lasagna

The other day I tried a lasagna recipe from my new book called The Plant-Powered Diet by Sharon Palmer and it's absolutely perfect. Exactly what I was looking for in a vegan lasagna. I only made a vegan lasagna recipe one time when I first started being vegan and it was so complicated and it didn't turn out exactly as i'd hope so I completely shied away from all lasagna recipes since then. But this one seemed so simple and included easy step by step instructions. So whether you are an omnivore, vegetarian or vegan you may enjoy this thick, vegetable- rich lasagna. We enjoyed our lasagna with home grown green onions and lettuce, nothing better than that!

*best made in a small, deep baking dish about 7x10 inches

ingredients

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1  medium onion, chopped
• 1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 medium summer squash (about 8 inches long) such as a zucchini, sliced
• 1 1/2 cups chopped broccoli
• 2 garlic gloves, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano (or 2 tsps dried)
• 1 teaspoon low sodium herbal seasoning
• 4 ounces (6 sheets) whole wheat lasagna noodles, uncooked
• one 24- ounce jar reduced- sodium marinara sauce
• 2 cups packed chopped kale
• 1 1/2 cups shredded plant-based cheese (such as Daiya)

how to

• heat the olive oil in a large skillet. add the onions, bell pepper, summer squash, broccoli, garlic, black pepper oregano, and herbal seasoning. saute for about 7 minutes.
• preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• pour 1/2 cup of the marinara sauce into a deep rectangular baking dish (about 7/10 inches) and spread it evenly over the bottom of the dish
• place 3 lasagna noodles side by side on top of the sauce. in even layers, add about half of the vegetable mixture, then 1 cup kale, half of the remaining marinara sauce, and 3/4 cup plant-based cheese.
• place the remaining 3 noodles on top and repeat the layers with remaining ingredients.
• cover the baking dish with lid or foil and bake for 1 hour. remove the cover and cook for an additional 15 minutes, or until the dish is golden and bubbly.
• cut the lasagna into six servings and serve immediately.

thin crust veggie pizza

the other day i spent a lovely evening getting  galactic pizza in minneapolis and catching a screening of the bling ring at the lagoon movie theater. if you know me at all, this is my kind of night. this was my first time having a vegan pizza at a restaurant and it sure did not disappoint. i was inspired to make my own homemade pizza and use some of that delicious daiya mozzarella cheese. for those of you that do not know, their cheese is dairy free and comes in couple different types.

this week we have had pizza an embarrassingly four nights in a row...three of which we made homemade pizzas. i honestly wouldn't mind four more days. homemade pizza is a definite comfort food for me.

i found this very very simple and my current favorite go-to thin crust pizza recipe. it is a definite winner! and their is zero waiting for the dough to rise so definitely a time saver. i highly suggest you plan to make this sometime soon.

one thin crust

ingredients:

• 2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoons salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil [plus more for drizzling]
• 2/3 cup water [more or less]

how to:

1. preheat oven to 450 degrees; combine all the dry ingredients in a large bowl and mix until combined, add the olive oil and small increments of the water at a time. mix with a wooden spoon until mostly combined
2. after most of the dough has combined use your hands to knead it together; add more water if too dry or add more flour if too moist. the dough should just enough combined and soft; do not over knead so it becomes hard.
   
3. sprinkle some flour on your working surface to roll out the dough. roll it out to the size of your pizza pan or about 1/4 inch thick
4. take your pan and put aluminum foil over it, lightly sprinkle some olive oil on the foil and spread it around with your hands. transfer your rolled out dough to the pan and fold in the outer edges for a crust. poke some holes with a fork in the center of the dough.
5. once the oven is preheated bake your crust for 5 minutes

topping
 *all toppings are optional so feel free to use whatever you like and how much you like.
ingredients:

• 2-3 cloves of garlic
• pizza sauce  [i used about half a 15 oz] 
• spinach chopped
• bell pepper chopped
• 2 tomatoes chopped
• red onion chopped
• mushrooms sliced
• avocado chopped
• 1 cup daiya mozzarella cheese

how to:

1. after your crust is out of the oven drizzle some of olive oil on the crust and spread it everywhere you can with the back of a spoon.
2. pour on your pizza sauce and spread it around with spoon getting more sauce on the outside near the crust than the middle. next sprinkle the garlic, add the chopped spinach, and then top with the remaining ingredients that you choose; red onion, peppers, mushrooms, avocaods. lastly add the cheese on top. 
   
   
   
   
3. once done topping the pizza put in the oven for 12-15 minutes; enjoy!