Gluten and Dairy Free Vegetarian Lasagne
Serves 6
Usually I start by explaining a recipe as being quick and easy. Well this one isn’t so quick, but it is easy if you follow the directions. Be rest assured however, the result is sublime; the best vegan lasagne I’ve ever made. It’s ideal for wheat and dairy free people. Even feed it to a keen carnivore and they will probably love it too! Belive me, it’s worth the effort!
Layers of roasted vegetables are layered with rice paper sheets and tomato spinach sauce. Then the whole dish is topped with a savoury tofu cream. The tofu, tahini and miso sauce is wonderfully cheesy; you will feel completely satisfied by this meal. Serve it with a nice green salad – crisp and simple.
Of course if you have no problems with dairy you can make a simple cheese and organic milk sauce. It's up to you!
Baked Vegetables
1 kilo pumpkin, yams or sweet potato (kumara)
4 T olive oil
Salt
Pepper
1) If using pumpkin, peel it. Otherwise scrub your
vegetables.
2) Chop veggies into 1 ½ - 2 cm slices (lengthways).
3) Place in large roasting dish and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with sea salt and pepper. Shake the veggies around until coated with oil and seasonings.
4) Bake in a moderate oven until roast vegetables are tender.
Tomato Spinach Sauce
2 x 400 g/ml canned chopped tomatoes (organic are best)
500 g silverbeet (Chard) or spinach (stems removed, chopped and washed)
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed or finely chopped
3 T olive oil
½ tsp dried rosemary (or 1 tsp fresh - finely chopped)
1 tsp dried oregano (or 1 T fresh - finely chopped)
1 tsp dried basil (or 1 T fresh - finely chopped)
½ c water
¼ cup red or white wine (optional)
½ cup olives (de-stoned and roughly chopped) (optional)
2 T capers (roughly chopped)
1 T soy sauce
salt to taste
1) If you are using silverbeet/chard rather than spinach, remove the white stems. The spinach stems are fine. Wash the greens, drain and the roughly chop.
2) Sauté the onions and garlic until translucent. Add herbs and fry a further minute or two.
3) Add all remaining ingredients. Simmer with lid on until greens are tender. Place aside.
Creamy Tofu Sauce
295 g (about 10 ounces) block of Tofu
2 T pale or red miso
2 T tahini
1 c water
1) Blend all ingredients in a blender or food processor.
To assemble the lasagne:
For the lasagne sheets use either gluten free lasagne sheets, (or standard - whatever your preferences), or rice paper sheets (from an Asian food store). You will probably need a standard packet size of lasagne, and about 10 sheets of rice paper. Amounts vary depending on the size of your dish and how many layers you do.
Use a large dish. Have a look at all your layer ingredients and ‘guestimate’ a dish size based on that. You could also make a couple of smaller ones.
1) Start with a layer of your chosen ‘lasagne’. Add several ladles of tomato sauce and smear it over lasagne. If using rice paper, use two sheets at a time. It tends to curl up when you add moisture, so hold it down until the sauce is spread on.
2) Add a layer of roast vegetables.
3) Repeat layering until veggies and tomato sauce are used up. It is important that each layer of lasagne has enough moisture on it to cook. I pressed down the layers with my fingers, when I’d almost finished, to make sure the juice was soaking all around.
4) Finish with a layer of ‘lasagne’ sheets.
5) Pour Tofu sauce on top.
6) Bake in a moderate oven (180 º C or 350 º F) until it bubbles around the edges and the top turns golden. It takes about 20-30 minutes). You can also grill the lasagne for 5 minutes to get a nice golden colour on top.
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