Veggie Lasagna (Gluten-free)

I realized this week that I have never made lasagna! Not even a meat variation back in my meat eating days. So, I figured what better time to try. I found a great recipe that I have adapted from the website "Oh She Glows". This is probably my favourite blog, because her recipes are easy, vegan and delicious!

This recipe has a layer of cashew basil sauce, which takes the place of a ricotta in a regular meat or veggie lasagna. I could have just eaten the sauce by itself because it is that good! This sauce needs to be started before the rest of the lasagna, as the cashews need to soak in water for a bit to soften them up. 

Basil Cashew Sauce

• 1 cup raw cashews, soaked in water for 30 mins
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup vegetable broth or water (or more as needed)
• 1.5 cups fresh basil leaves (lightly packed)
• 1/2 cup nutritional yeast 
• 3/4-1 tsp kosher salt (or to taste) + freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp onion powder (optional)

Directions

-Place cashews in a medium size bowl and cover with water. Let sit for at least 30 minutes. 

-Once cashews have softened, place all ingredients in a food processor or blender. Blend until all ingredients are combined and have turned into a smooth sauce. Add more vegetable broth if sauce is too thick. (I added a couple more tablespoons to mine).

Lasagna Ingredients

• 454 g Box of gluten-free lasagna noodles (I used tinkyada brand)
• 1.5 bottles of pasta sauce or use homemade marinara sauce
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 sweet onion, chopped (2.5 cups)
• 1 medium zucchini, chopped
• 1.5 C broccoli, diced very small
• 1 large red pepper, chopped
• Cashew Basil Sauce (from above)
• Vegan or Organic cheese 

Directions

 1. Preheat oven to 400F. In a large skillet, sautee onion and garlic over low-medium heat for 5 minutes. Now add in the rest of the veggies and sautee for another 10-15 minutes. Season well with salt and pepper.

2. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to boil. Boil lasagna noodles for 8 minutes, drain, and rinse immediately with cold water.

3. Add 1 cup of pasta sauce on the bottom of your casserole dish. Add a layer of noodles, half the cashew basil sauce, half the vegetables, more pasta sauce, another layer of noodles, the rest of the cashew basil sauce, the rest of the vegetables, more pasta sauce, another layer of noodles, and finally a sprinkle of cheese.

4. Cover with tinfoil and bake at 400F for 40-45 minutes. Remove tinfoil and broil for 5 minutes on medium. Watch closely so you don’t burn the edges. Remove and serve.

Enjoy!!! xo

Apple Cranberry Quinoa Salad

Every so often at work we have a potluck. Until recently, I was the only vegetarian. This meant that most of the time my menu was very limited. Seeing as I love quinoa, I felt the need to always bring some sort of quinoa dish. I have now become famous for my quinoa salads, and always try to switch it up. There is one that is definitely a favorite,and I figured it was sort of fitting for this time of year.

This recipe is super easy and can be made the night before (minus the mint).

Ingredients
-1 C dry quinoa
-2-3 gala apples
-1/2 C dried cranberries
-1/2 C walnuts, chopped
-2 tbsp olive oil
-2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
-2 tsp agave 
-mint
-salt and pepper 

Directions
-Cook quinoa and let cool.
-Dice apples and place in a salad bowl. Add a small amount of apple cider vinegar to bowl and make sure that apples are completely covered. This will prevent them from turning brown.
-Add dried cranberries and walnuts.
-Add in cooled quinoa.
-In a seperate bowl, mix together olive oil, apple cider vinegar and agave. Add salt and pepper to taste ( I added a good amount of fresh cracked pepper, just to give it a little spice).
-Add dressing to salad mixture, combine until everything is combined. (You may not need to use all of the dressing, depending on your taste)
-Right before serving, dice approximately 10 large mint leaves and stir into salad. 

ENJOY xo