Vegan Tuna Salad or Chicken Salad

Around my house we just call this Chickpea salad, but who in the world would search for those keywords?  This is a nice little replacement for tuna or chicken salad, and to be honest it's just way better for you (it lacks mercury, antibiotics, hormones, etc.), and it's pretty spot-on when it comes to the flavor.  It doesn't have the signature fishy smell, but I don't know anyone that loves to rock cat food breath.  One of my best friends, Mrs. Margie, passed this on to me.  I add some things to pump up the nutritional value and make it more robust, but it's perfectly good without the additional options.

(GF) Naturally Gluten Free

Served over salad

Ingredients:
1 can of Garbanzo beans/Chickpeas (or about a cup and a half of soaked and cooked)
1/4 cup vegan mayo (I use "Just Mayo", found at Dollar Tree!)
1 stalk celery finely diced
1/8 Cup onion diced fine
2 tsp Lemon Juice
1 Tbs Dill Relish (add or subtract to liking)(Carrot relish also works)
1/2 Tbs Mustard (add or subtract to liking)

**if you crave the fishy taste, feel free to add 1 tsp. of kelp powder

Optional additions that I love:
1 Tbs pumpkin seeds
1 tsp chicken-style seasoning
1/2 tsp dill weed
5 green grapes quartered

In the middle of mixing

Directions:
-Mash chickpeas with a fork manually OR put in vitamix and press down continuously with the tamper stick OR put in a food processor and process just until chickpeas have lost their shape (you don't want chickpea soup, so only process for a few seconds!)
-Mix in the rest of your ingredients, until everything is covered in chickpea

Paleo boats with red cabbage

**Eat alone, put on top of a salad as pictured, put on bread for a sandwich, or wrap in a cabbage leaf for a paleo boat!

Paleo (kinda) Vegan Pizza

So, I feel a bit ridiculous admitting that I'm not exactly sure what all the Paleo diet allows for.  I'm pretty sure that no processed foods is part of it, but I lost interest in what Paleo had to offer when I saw the first asparagus bundle wrapped in slimy (totally unhealthy) bacon (photo) on my Facebook feed.  So anyway, I still think it's a pretty cool notion to limit the amount of Gluten in your meals, and definitely a plus to lay off of processed foods.  Daiya (vegan Cheese) and marinara aside, this is pretty much straight from the garden!  It's versatile too, if you want to change the toppings.

(GF) Naturally Gluten Free

My pizzas before they were baked

Ingredients:

2 Large Eggplants

1 Jar of marinara (I like Barilla, it's vegan and kosher)

Bag of Daiya Shredded Chedder or Mozzarella (purchase at publix or other)

Salt or Garlic Salt to sprinkle

Suggested Toppings:

Chopped Mushrooms

Baby Spinach

Diced Onion

Sun dried Tomatoes

Diced Zucchini 

Artificial Bacon Bits (can be purchased from any grocery store)

Ignore the fact that this eggplant has not been peeled

Instructions:

- Preheat oven to 350 degrees

- oil two cookie sheets

- Peel eggplants with a potato peeler or the like

- Lay eggplant on its side and cut in about inch thick slices 

- Place each piece on the cookie sheet

- Sprinkle each "pizza" with salt or Garlic salt (not too much, it's just to add a little flavor)

- First spread about a Tablespoon of Marinara on each "pizza"

- Then top with Spinach

- Then your daiya cheese

- Then all of the other topping you choose

-Bake on 350 for 25 minutes, on top rack

Feeds 4 Adults +
**Served with Crisp salad and roasted asparagus
ENJOY!

Photo Credit to my baby sister!

Easy Vegan "Beef Stew" recipe

It makes me feel good to make food with nothing but items from the local farmer's market or the produce section of my grocery store.  This, aside from the seasonings and cornstarch, can be made with all "living" foods. That makes me very happy. ----> :D <------- See?  This is the easier version of my other recipe that has a few more steps in it, but a tad less fat (because it's missing the cashews).  This can be made in one pot.  You just need a blender!  Easy = Good.  If you want to make this even easier, you can pick up a bag of pre-cut veggies (for stew) in the freezer section of your grocery store.

(GF) Naturally Gluten Free 

(make sure your seasonings do not contain gluten/wheat)

Recipe:

4 Large Portobello Mushrooms (cut into bite sized cubes)(This protein replaces the meat)

6 Large Red potatoes (cut into bite sized cubes)

6 Carrots (cut into bite sized cubes)

1 Large Red/Purple onion (quartered)

1 Tbs. ( or 1 bullion cube) Vegan Beef-style seasoning (I use Mckay's)

1/4 Cup Vegan Beef-style seasoning

1 Cup cashews (raw or roasted, salted or not)

1/2 tsp. sea salt

1 Tbs. Corn starch

Water

Serves 4 Adults

Directions:

Put all vegetables and the 1 Tbs. (or bullion) of beef-style seasoning in a large pot

Cover with water (completely) and boil until all vegetables are soft (about 40 minutes)

After boiling, drain off 2 cups of the vegetable broth and put into the blender with cashews, corn starch, salt, and 1/4 Cup beef-style seasoning

Drain and discard any remaining liquid/broth (or save for something else)

Blend your vegetable broth, beef-style seasoning, cashews, corn starch, and salt on high until smooth (may take a few minutes (no grittiness should be felt)

Pour your blended mixture over vegetables in pot and warm on low, constantly stirring until desired thickness is reached (about 4 minutes)

Pour in a bowl alone, or over rice, broken pieces of bread, torn up biscuits, or your choice of grain (like quinoa or amaranth).

Enjoy with a nice warm fire in the fireplace... trust me, it adds something irresistible to the meal.

Vegan Beef Stew Recipe

I actually named this "Bella Stew" a long time ago, but lest it be lost in all of the random vegan "weird" recipes that don't ring a bell on the internet, I properly gave it the "Beef Stew" moniker for find-ability.  It's just another vegan spin on one of my childhood favorites.  You know, one of those disgusting school lunchroom meals that you pretended to hate but secretly loved.  Don't worry, it's much better than any lunch-room entree, but it certainly will take you back to those days of comfort.  This recipe is pretty simple and straight forward.  It's easy and it's naturally gluten free without any processed faux meats or junk. The mushrooms are hearty and filling, and easily take the place of that ole' meat. Look for short cuts at the bottom!

(GF)  Naturally gluten free (just make sure your beef-style seasoning is)

Organic or pesticide free produce is always best!

Recipe:

4 Large Portobello Mushrooms (cut into bite sized cubes)

6 Large Red potatoes (cut into bite sized cubes)

6 Carrots (cut into bite sized cubes)

1 Large Red/Purple onion (quartered)

1 Tbs. Beef-style seasoning (I use Mckay's)

1/4 Cup Beef-style seasoning

1 Tbs. oil (I used coconut)

2 Cups (dry) white rice or grain of your choice (other options are quinoa, amaranth, millet, barley, etc., just make sure your portion yields 6 to 8 servings)

Water

Directions:

-Sautee your mushrooms in 1 Tbs. of coconut oil and 1 Tbs. of Beef-style seasonings in a Large pot (on medium/hot)

-After about 10 minutes (or when the mushrooms are soft and juicy), scoop mushrooms out of pot and set aside in a bowl (leave juice in the pot)

-Now add your potatoes, carrots, and onions to your pot with the mushroom juice, add water (just enough to cover contents), and simmer on medium high for about 30 to 45 minutes, or until all vegetables are soft (stir every so often to ensure that vegetables aren't sticking to the bottom of pan, you should never run out of water; if you do, add some to continue cooking until soft)

-While your vegetables are cooking, you'll want to start your rice or grains in another pot.  Cook them according to the package directions, but without salt.  Make sure to cook enough to serve 6 to 8 people.  

-Once veggies are soft, scoop out 2 cups and put in a blender

-Drain off 1.5 Cups of liquid from your veggies and add to blender (Drain off the rest of the liquid and discard or save for something later)

-Add 1/4 Cup of Beef-style seasoning to blender and then blend until smooth

-Now add your sauteed mushrooms back to your pot with the vegetables and mix in

Place a serving of rice on each place, top with vegetables, and then pour blended mix over the top of it.

You could also just add the blended mix back to the vegetable pot and mix, it's up to you how you want to present it.

Enjoy!

**Shortcuts:
-If you're crunched for time, forget about sautéing the mushrooms first, and just throw it all in the pot together.  Your mushrooms won't have as robust of a flavor, but there's not THAT much difference when you don't saute first.
-If you just don't feel like cooking all that rice (or whatever grain you chose), you can always just tear up a good piece of bread, throw it in the bowl and top that instead.  I used sour dough bread today and it was AH-mazing!
OR you can just see my other recipe here.

Cauliflower Steaks with Mushroom Gravy

Yeah, so I just watched my five year old massacre a giant cut of cauliflower.  That pretty much says it all.  I'm positive that this is the first time in my life that I've thought, "I think I'll have more of that cruciferous vegetable".  Sounds strange, I know.  It's all in the gravy, I'm sure; but any way you spin it, this is a great vegan entree that is filling, super healthy, and not some "wanna be meat" cop out.  I'm trying to stop using processed foods all-together, which means casting aside the famous "veggie meats".  I've opted for some of the more interesting vegan trends lately, and I actually like this one!

(GF)  This recipe is naturally gluten free

Ingredients:

1 large head of cauliflower (the more round the better)

1 Cup cashews (I used roasted and salted)

1 Cup of sliced baby portobello mushrooms, coarsely chopped

1 small red onion, diced

1/4 tsp. of white pepper (could use black pepper, but may want to reduce amount)

1/4 tsp. of carob or cacao powder (optional, but brings in a base, sultry note)

1/4 Cup (or 4 Tbs.) of Beef-like seasoning

water

I borrowed this picture from ehow, because I forgot to take one of how to cut it! 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Prepare a non-stick cookie sheet (or oil one if you don't have a non-stick)

Wash cauliflower, and remove leaves and stems from around the base

Cut the stem off even with the bottom of the cauliflower, so that it sits evenly on a cutting board (as seen above)

Starting in the middle, slice cauliflower in 3/4 inch slices (that's almost a full inch)

(You will only get 2 to 3 even and solid "steaks" out of one head, but you can cook the loose florets that fall in the same way, they just won't be as pretty;  or you can save them for later use.)

Once you have your "steaks" cut, gently transfer them to a non-stick or oiled frying pan

(you may only be able to fit a few at a time)(be careful so that they don't fall apart)

On medium high, sear the "steaks"just so that they are a little browned around the edges, carefully turning once to sear both sides

That only takes a minute or two, so then gently transfer each steak to a non-stick or oiled cookie sheet and place in the oven

Bake for 20 minutes (or until cauliflower is soft but still firm)

After they've been pan seared and transfered to cookie sheet

I use the loose pieces for the kids... they don't mind

While that's baking:

Add onion and mushroom to that frying pan you used and sauté until soft (about 5 to 8 minutes)

When finished, take half of the sauteed onion and mushroom mixture and put in the blender with all of the other ingredients (EXCEPT your cauliflower that's baking in the oven).  Set remaining mushrooms and onion aside for later.

So now you have your cauliflower in the oven, half of your mushrooms and onions in the fryer (set aside), the other half of your mushrooms and onions in the blender with all of your other ingredients.

Add just enough water to your blender to cover the ingredients, and blend until smooth.  In a vitamix this takes about a minute, in a standard blender it may take about 3 minutes to get the cashews smooth.

If you need to add a little water to keep the mixture moving, add very little at a time (you want it thick).

Once the gravy is smooth, you can heat it in a small pot, or you can use it at room temperature.  I don't heat mine, because I pour it directly on the cauliflower out of the oven, and it heats it up (it's your choice). 

When Cauliflower is finished baking, transfer to plates, top with the mushroom and onion mixture that was set aside, and then pour gravy over the top of each Cauliflower "Steak".  Magnifico!  

Vegan Quesadillas

Right before it's grocery shopping day, I always peer into the refrigerator to find remnants of produce that are sparse and on their last leg.  You just can't bring yourself to waste them, and they're taking up valuable space for the new groceries...so what to do?  Well, you can blend them into a disgusting smoothie, or you can find a way to incorporate them into your next meal.  I ALWAYS find a way to incorporate them into the meal.  I've even figured out a way to make cake with beets in it!  HELLO RAW RED VELVET CAKE!  So today while blankly staring into the abyss that is my fridge, I took note of a few broccoli florets that wouldn't last another 24 hours, a few pieces of pre-cut bell peppers, a packet of vegan hot dogs that my husband picked up somewhere, a half eaten bowl of hummus, and a handful of organic baby spinach.  And.... close fridge.  What in the world would I do with that mess?  Open cupboard to find an un-used pack of extra large tortilla wraps.  Eureka!  Quesadillas!  So anyway, I threw together a conglomeration of unwanted and unappealing ingredients, tossed in some vegan cheese and Boo Yow!  Lunch is served!  This didn't take long at all.

(GF) To make this gluten free, omit the faux meat and/or use mushrooms, and use gluten free tortillas

Pictured with pan seared broccoli florets and potato cubes covered in my cashew cheese

Ingredients:

1 pack of Extra large tortilla wraps (I used 8 wraps)

1 bag of Daiya vegan "mozzarella cheese" or my homemade cashew cheese

1/2 Cup of hummus (any flavor) (can be found in most grocery stores near the produce or health foods)

1 handful of greens ( I used organic baby spinach)

2 cups of chopped mushrooms (portobellos are great!)or faux meat ( I used vegan hotdogs, seared in the pan to get rid of them)

1/2 Cup of diced bell peppers (Optional)

**Add or take away whatever vegetables you like.  I recommend keeping the mushrooms/faux meat, spinach (or greens), and the cheese.

Other options:

Veggies: Potatoes, tomatoes, avocado, kale, lettuce, onions, banana peppers, jalapenos, etc.

Other faux meats:  tempeh, tofu, veggie burger, "Chikn strips", etc.

Other condiments: Vegenaise, vegan sour cream, guacamole, other vegan cheese, pesto, etc.

Directions:

See picture step by step below

If you're using a faux meat, make sure it is cooked according to the directions before you start.

Chop your veggies and have them handy

Have your cheese laid out and ready

Turn on your panini grill or have a non-stick (or oiled pan) ready on the stove top

Spread your condiments or liquid cheese on half of the quesadilla wrap

Sprinkle on your veggies, faux meat or mushrooms, and cheese (if you use shredded instead of liquid)

Fold other side of wrap over to enclose the ingredients

Carefully transfer the folded wrap to the grill or pan and sear on medium for a few minutes so that the tortilla is slightly tanned and crispy on both sides

Once all of your wraps are made and grilled, use a pizza cutter or knife to cut them into triangles!  And Voila you have yummy vegan quesadillas!

Spread your condiments (hummus or liquid cashew cheese) on half of the wrap

Sprinkle on your favorite chopped veggies

Add faux meat/mushrooms and shredded cheese, then fold in half

Grill on a panini, forman, or sear both sides in a non-stick or oiled pan til tan 

Once grilled, use a pizza cutter or knife to cut into triangles!  

Bon Appetit! 

Breaded & Baked Eggplant

Eggplant is one of those tricky vegetables that some LOVE but some say the texture is too strange.  If you cook eggplant just right though, you don't have that strange spongy or mushy texture that have turned away so many!  This is a tweaked version of a baked eggplant recipe I found in a book called "Vegan Homestyle".  My husband is a huge fan of this dish, and rightfully so... it's packed with flavor, takes up a large section of his plate, and presents beautifully :).  You may have tried the less healthy version at a little hole in the wall called "Olive Garden" ;], but it's been battered with white flour, filled with sodium, deep fried, and topped with that no-no mozzarella.  We'll this my friends is baked, and safe!  Enjoy this with a side of vegan Fettucini Alfredo, a nice salad, and or something green.  I usually serve mine with sweet peas or italian cut green beans.  This recipe makes enough for a family of four, with leftovers (lots, if you have small eaters).  Hope you likey!

This breading recipe and process is very similar to my tofu fillet recipe and equally as satisfying.  You may want to check out that recipe if I leave you confused on anything.

Breading Meal Ingredients:

This makes enough for two whole eggplants, half your ingredients if you're flying solo or cooking for 2

1 Cup whole wheat flour

8 Tbs. Nutritional Yeast Flakes

2 Tbs. Onion Powder

2 Tbs. Parsley (dried, not fresh)

1 tsp. Sea Salt

1 tsp. Paprika

Directions:

Mix well in a medium sized mixing bowl

Other Ingredients:

2 Large Eggplants (look for ones with no bruises or flaws)

1/4 to 1/2 Cup of vegan Mayo (like vegenaise or any homemade vegan mayo)

Spray olive oil (or a misto sprayer and your favorite olive oil)

1 Jar of Marinara (I prefer organic and Kosher, Barilla is a good brand)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350

Spray two (or three, depending on the size of your eggplant) cookie sheets with oil (even if they're non-stick, the flour will need the oil to make the badder stick), and set them aside

Slice both eggplants into 1/2 fillets, like shown below

Work quickly after cutting, because eggplant will turn brown if exposed to air for close to an hour

Smooth about a teaspoon of vegan mayo on each side the fillet, and place in flour bowl with flour

Gently turn over in the flour to make sure both sides are covered

Place on cookie sheet

Repeat process until ALL of the eggplant has been covered in vegan mayo and flour and placed on the cookie sheet

Once ALL of your eggplant is on the oiled cookie sheets, spray the tops of the eggplant with oil (you will see that instead of being dry and covered with flour, they are now looking damp.  You won't need a ton of oil, just enough to moisten the flour)  It should look like this:

Now, put your cookie sheets in the oven and bake for 45 minutes

Lift a fillet with a spatula to see that the underside is cooked, mine is always a little more brown than the top

You want your bread to be crusty and cooked, not wet

Assess from here as to whether you should let it cook for 10 more minutes or not

It should look like this:

When finished, remove from oven

Top with warm marinara, vegan mozzarella, or pesto!

Leftovers?  Use your breading meal for Tofu fillets later in the week and use your left over eggplant for sandwiches!  Yep, it's good!

Garden Spaghetti

This is one of my favorite and most used vegan go-tos.  It has all of the components of a healthy meal and it's fast.  Not to mention it's ITALIAN!  Have I mentioned I'm nuts over Italian food?  This takes about 30 minutes total, including prep and cook time.  It's so easy, I make sure to always have these ingredients in my frig.  This is low fat and lovely ;)

(GF) To make this gluten free:  Make sure your marinara is gluten/wheat free (or make your own with tomato sauce and herbs) and also use a gluten free pasta like Tinkyada rice noodles.

Ingredients:

1 yellow squash chopped

1 zucchini chopped

1 handful of baby spinach, about a tightly packed cup (or chopped regular size spinach)

1/2 of a large onion chopped (purple is awesome, but it doesn't matter)

1 crate of sliced mushrooms (baby portobellos is what I like best)

1 jar of your favorite meat-less marinara or tomato sauce ( I like Barilla brand, it's kosher)

Dash of salt

Dash of italian seasoning (optional)

1.5 small boxes (or bags) of spaghetti ( I prefer using vermicelli, because it's super thin)

5 or 6 sun-dried tomatoes (optional)

Directions:

~Wash and chop your vegetables

~Start your water for the pasta (use package directions, including salt) in a large pot

~Place your vegetables in a NON-STICK frying pan (this eliminates the need for water or oil), if you're using an old fryer, you'll want to spray it with oil, or use about a tablespoon of olive oil to saute your vegetables

~Saute veggies with a dash of salt and italian seasoning on medium heat until soft (about 10 minutes). Sometimes I forget to use the salt and the seasonings, and it still turns out great.  You'll want to stir the veggies around every few minutes to make sure they're not sticking or burning

~Once soft, pour your marinara over your veggies, and heat on medium low.  If your marinara starts bubbling and popping, it's too high.  You just want to warm the sauce, not boil it.

~While the sauce is warming, throw your pasta into the boiling water you started

~Now just watch both until sauce is nice and warm or hot, and noodles are tender

~Drain noodles

Place noodles on a plate, and top with warm veggies sauce

This easily serves a family of 4, with a little left over.

Great served with a fresh salad and garlic bread

**sometimes I mix a couple of tablespoons of my famous Cashew Cheese into the noodles after draining them.  Cheesy veggie sgetti!

Breaded Tofu Fillets

My husband absolutely loves these things.  I withhold them for special occasions, so now they can be found on the food pedestal.  The truth is, although tofu is way healthier than it's adversary (the forbidden meat), it's still considered a processed food.  I try not to use processed foods when I can avoid it, but this was a recipe I found in one of my first vegan cook books (Vegan Homestyle), and I just can't seem to shuck it.  Some compare these bad boys to "fish fillets", but I just let them be what they are.  Breaded and baked tofu fillets.  The texture is reminiscent of tender chicken breast, or tilapia fish fillets.

(GF) To make this dish gluten free, simply use a gluten free all-purpose flour for your breading.

Ingredients:

2 blocks of extra firm tofu

approximately 3 heaping Tbs. of Vegenaise or home-made vegan mayo

1 recipe breading meal

Breading meal

Mix the following in a closable container or ziplock:

1/2 Cup whole wheat flour (or gluten free flour)

4 Tbs. Nutritional Yeast Flakes (can be found at health food stores)

1 Tbs. Onion Powder

1 Tbs. Parsley

1/2 tsp. Salt

1 tsp. Paprika

1 tsp. Kelp Powder (optional, gives the taste of fish & is very good for you)

2 tsp. Lemon Zest (finely grate the peel of a lemon)

Breading Meal in a tupperware container, before being mixed

Tofu pieces before vegan mayo or breading meal, as you can see, they are not perfect.

Put vegan mayo coated pieces into batter and toss/cover

Notice that the pieces on the left have not been sprayed with oil yet

Directions:

Slice tofu into 4 fillets (width not length, to make them thin)

Pull tofu into large chunks, like chicken breast (Optional, you can also leave these in the rectangle shape and skip this step)(Pictured above pulled into imperfect, irregular pieces)

With a butter knife, or your clean hands, cover all the tofu with vegan mayo (I put tofu in a bowl, with vegan mayo and gently roll pieces around to coat them, careful not to break tofu up too small)

Once fully coated in vegan mayo, place in breading meal container to coat with mixture (I put in a large Tupperware bowl and shake it up with lid on)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Place tofu on an oiled cookie sheet, and spray the tops of each fillet with your oil spray (I use organic olive oil), so that there is no dry flour visible on the tofu (don't worry about the bottom, the oil on the pan will soak in)

Bake on 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes, no need to turn

Enjoy!

Makes 8 rectangle fillets, or 16 to 20 tofu "breast?"  Lol... I'm not sure what to call them :)

**Serves up nicely with garlic potatoes and something green!

Garden stuffed macaroni

Today's dish was a big healthy success! If I haven't mentioned it before, I LOVE italian food.  As I gazed into the pantry two giant boxes of oversized macaroni stared back at me.  It only took a few seconds to realize that that macaroni needed to be done away with; what better way to de-clutter than to create something fantastic.  There are three different versions of this listed.  My favorite is the simple garden veggie version.  But, if you're feeling indulgent, you add a few ingredients to make it creamy and cheesy.  You can also change it up by topping it with Pesto instead of Marinara.  I love stuffing stuff!! And we just stuffed our faces! This vegan meal can easily be created without fancy ingredients or a blender... just some good ole' fresh produce and seasonings!  Oh, and pasta, don't forget that!

(GF) To make this dish Gluten Free, simply use the gluten free pasta of your choice, and make sure your marinara has no added wheat or gluten.

Ingredients:

0.5 Tbs. oil ( I used olive oil)

1 tsp. Lemon juice

1 tsp. Salt (I use Sea Salt)

2 tsp. Garlic Powder

1 box of giant macaroni shells or manicotti

1 jar of marinara ( I use Barilla tomato basil)

2 Cups chopped portobello mushrooms 

2 Cups of gently packed baby spinach

1 Cup chopped purple onion

1 Cup chopped zucchini (1 medium sized zucchini)

1.5 Cups chopped sun ripened tomatoes

Add these for a creamy option:

1 package of firm Mori Nu tofu crumbled

3/4 Cups Vegenaise (or home made vegan mayo)

1 Cup Daiya Mozzarella 

This is the Creamy option, before marinara is added.

Directions:
~Pre-chop all of your veggies very small.  You're going to be stuffing pasta, so they'll need to fit easily.
~Cook 1/2 the box of macaroni shells according to the directions on the box (if you plan to add the ingredients listed above for the creamier option, you'll need to boil the entire box.
~While that is boiling, put your oil in a medium sized sauce pan and saute all of your vegetables with the spices and lemon juice on medium heat.  It will look like a lot of veggies, but they will all shrink down small after sauteing.
~Don't add water or oil, after they saute for a minute, the juices from the veggies will be enough to cook everything thoroughly.  If it is dry and sticking to your pan, turn the heat down some, and add maybe just a teaspoon of water.
~Give your veggies a stir every couple of minutes to make sure that they're all well coated with the spices and juices.

~After your veggies are cooked down and the onion is clear, either remove from heat, or add your creamy option ingredients.  The creamy ingredients will take about 5 or 6 minutes to melt and mix in.  Stir every couple of minutes.

~Heat your marinara on low, in a small pot, just enough to warm up.
~Strain your pasta, and run cold water over them.  You have to pick them up when stuffing, and you don't want to get burned.
~Take the giant pasta one by one and fill with your sauteed vegetable mix (usually a heaping table spoon, but fill to your heart's desire).
~After you have several filled on one plate, top with warm marinara (as much or as little as you like, but I used very little, because I only want to compliment the stuffing, and not over power it).          
~Serve immediately with a crisp green salad and garlic bread.

**You could also top with a creamy pesto instead of marinara.  That gives it a totally different taste and look, but is equally as delectable!  Enjoy!

Sicilian Lasagna

There's nothing more inviting than the smell of a lasagna baking in the oven.  This is a wonderful dish to treat your guest to, serve at church potluck, or be greedy and keep all to yourself :) You can change the amounts of each vegetable to your own liking.  I never measure, so I'm sure it's quite different each time, yet, the combination of these vegetables always turns out a magnificent product!
I always serve my lasagna with a nice crispy salad, a baked potato, some sort of bean, and garlic bread... but that's because my husband is like a garbage disposal when he's in "beast mode" from the gym.  It's serves up nicely right by itself.

(GF) Gluten Free Variation:  Use "Tinkyada" Gluten free lasagna noodles instead of the regular.  They are outstanding.  Also, replace the quick oats in the vegan mozzarella with cooked rice, grits, or millet.  "Daiyah" is made from tapioca starch and is gluten free.

Lasagna right before it's baked

First Layer (Spinach, Mushrooms, Veggie Burger, onions, sauce)

Second layer (Vegan mozzarella first)

Second layer (Squash and Zucchini on top of Moz.)

Top Layer with optional Daiyah cheese (before adding Marinara, and Sun dried tomatoes)

                     

• Ingredients:
  
  
  

  Sicilian lasagna noodles (very thin/ and you don't have to pre-boil them) or "oven Ready" lasagna
  2 handfuls of Baby spinach
  1/5 of a zucchini (sliced)
  1/5 of a squash (sliced)
  1 small box of baby portabellas sliced

  
  

  1 Cup of veggie burger crumbles
  1/2 of a large purple onion (diced)
  1 recipe "vegan mozzarella sauce" Or a cup of your favorite vegan moz. Cheese
  2 jars of "Barilla" marinara (I like the herb and basil kind)
  1/2 Cup of "California" Sun dried tomatoes

  
  

  
  First, you're going to make the vegan mozzarella,  so it can be thickening on the stove. The Recipe is listed below the directions.
  
  Directions:
  
  
  

  ~In a large casserole dish, spread about 3 Tbs of marinara, so that your noodles don't stick and burn.
  Then you layer the following:
  ~1st layer of noodles (cover the bottom of the dish)
  one layer of spinach (about 2 handfuls/however much you like)
  one layer of sliced mushrooms
  sprinkle veggie burger over mushrooms
  sprinkle diced onion
  drizzle about a half cup of marinara over all, and spread even with the back of a spoon
  ~2nd layer of noodles
  Spread all moz. cheese evenly across noodles
  layer sliced zucchini and squash (overlapping is okay)
  ~3rd layer of noodles
  Sprinkle a little shredded mozzarella (or daiyah [vegan] cheese on top (optional, because you already have one thick layer of cheese)

  
  

  Pour marinara over, about a 1/4 inch thick, and spread evenly with the back of a spoon
  ~Take half cup of sun dried tomatoes and spread them out evenly on top of marinara
  ~Bake 1 hour covered, then 30 minutes uncovered on 350 degrees. Enjoy!
  
  Vegan Mozzarella:
  2 Tbs. Tahini Butter (peanut butter aisle)
  1/4 Cup Nutritional Yeast flakes (healthfood store)
  3 Tbs. Quick oats
  2 Tbs. Lemon Juice
  1 tsp. garlic powder
  1.5 tsp. onion powder
  1.5 tsp. salt
  1 Tbs. Cornstarch
  1 Cup of water
  
  Blend smooth, and thicken on low heat. stir every few minutes, and use immediately or freeze for later.  After it is frozen, it can easily be shredded with a grater, if you need it for pizza, or other recipes.  You don't have to do that for this.  Use all of it for this lasagna.