Main Dish

Vegan Lasagna with Basil Cashew Cheese

Okay, my first thought was, “Really what could possibly compare to a traditional lasagna?” While I am definitely on Team Veg, I knew it would be hard to please the man of the house with a vegan friendly option, as well as satisfy his Italian taste buds.  I mean I do love the traditional meat lasagna with all the gooey cheese, but I often find myself resisting temptation to indulge due to the “not so hot” feeling afterwards; not to mention the perception lasagna has for being such a task to make. I had the craving for that warm comforting meal, without the comforting calories. Luckily, I had this recipe sent my way from a friend with the affirmation that her husband loved it too, more than regular lasagna! Done and done, this was now Sunday night’s dinner.

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Well, I definitely have proven myself wrong with this recipe, taken from Oh She Glows, this vegan lasagna far surpassed my expectations (as well as his!) and would fool any lasagna lover otherwise. I mean it’s evident that there is no meat sauce, but the flavour combination from the sautéed veg, sugo, and the basil cashew cheese, one would never question the difference.

Hope you enjoy today’s dish.

Lemon Basil Cashew Cheese (Yield ~2 cup)

  • 1.5 cup raw cashews, soaked in water for 30 mins or overnight
  • 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 parsley
  • 1/2 cup nutritional yeast (gives the cheese flavour)
  • 3/4-1 tsp kosher salt (or to taste) + freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder (optional)
  1. Drain and rinse soaked cashews
  2. Add ingredients in order listed and process until smooth

Vegan Lasagna (Yield ~12 servings)

  • box of oven ready lasagna noodles
  • 1.5 bottles of pasta sauce
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 sweet onion, chopped
  • 2-3 small zucchini, chopped
  • 2 cups assorted mushrooms, sliced
  • 1-2 red pepper, chopped
  • 2 cups spinach
  • Lemon Basil Cheese Sauce (from above)
  • Daiya mozzarella cheese or vegan feta (as much as desired)
  1. Preheat oven to 400F. In a large skillet, sauté onion and garlic over low-medium heat for 5-10 minutes. Now add in the rest of the veggies and sauté for another 10-15 minutes. Season well with salt and pepperIMG_4362
  2. Add 1 cup of pasta sauce on the bottom of your casserole dish. Add a layer of noodles, half the basil cheese sauce, half the vegetables, more pasta sauce, another layer of noodles, the rest of the cheese sauce, the rest of the vegetables, more pasta sauce, and finally a sprinkle of cheeseIMG_4371
  3. Cover with tinfoil and prick with fork a few times. Bake at 400F for 40-45 minutes and then remove tinfoil and broil for 5 minutes on medium. Watch closely so you don’t burn the edges. Remove and serve. Will keep in the fridge for at least 3-4 daysIMG_4377IMG_4393

Eat Hearty! xx

 

Simple Pan Seared Scallops

Now that we are just about settled in at CasaDelSal, I can’t wait to entertain in our new kitchen; it is absolutely beauteous. Seriously though, I am in love. 🙂

When having guests over, the one thing I try to plan for when prepping the party menu is to serve dishes that take little time to assemble (it’s all about the prep!). I want to be able to enjoy our company rather than be stuck slaving away in the kitchen.This dish for seared scallops is a dream. The prep can be done in advance, its ingredients are simple, it is not complicated, and  yet it looks fancy and tastes delish!

The sweetness from the corn and the red pepper along with the saltiness of the prosciutto and sun-dried tomatoes is heavenly when paired with seared scallops. This dish makes for an excellent starter or great meal served with a simple salad.

Pan Seared Scallops (yields 4 servings)

  • 8 sea scallops
  • 1 red pepper, diced
  • 1 can of corn
  • 6 slices of prosciutto, double smoked bacon or pancetta, diced
  • 10 sun-dried tomatoes, diced
  • 1/4 cup white wine
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • parsley to garnish
  1. Pan fry choice of meat until crispy, remove and set aside on paper towel
  2. Deglaze the pan with white wine
  3. Add red pepper, corn, sun-dried tomatoes to pan and cook on low-medium heat, set aside
  4. Thoroughly dry the scallops by laying and folding them within a double layer of paper towel
  5. Pre-heat a heavy-duty skillet over high heat then add oil. When it is almost smoking, season the scallops with salt and pepper and sear them briefly, 1-2 minutes per side, so they are golden on the outside, and still tender inside. I always add a bit more wine!
  6. Plate the red pepper, corn mixture on a plate with 2 scallops
  7. Garnish with parsley

photo 1Savour On. xx

Pumpkin Risotto

Nostalgia and a feeling of warmth flows over me whenever I hear the word risotto (ri-sòt-to/riˈzoːtto, pronunciation is key– nothing quite irks me like this one, it’s not ri-SOH-toh or ri-ZAH-toh people!). It is definitely the comfort food that instantly brings me back to my childhood. Growing up with Italian roots, risotto was always my choice of comfort carb -forget about the pasta.  My mom would make her chicken giblets, garlic, and white wine recipe (simplicity at its best) and a smile would cross my face as the smell of heaven circulated the house.

As I grew older, I gravitated towards the more complex varieties. Seafood, squash, beet, truffled mushroom, the flavour combinations bountiful and ever changing. How do we try them all?  Different variations are constantly popping up at my favourite restaurants or in my favourite magazines, often surrounding the latest food trend – which inspired me to introduce pumpkin to my love of risotto.

Once the cooler weather hit, I was set on stirring up a pumpkin risotto. And low and behold a friend of mine happened to post this dish days after the idea entered my mind. So here it is, pumpkin risotto. Best served as a meal or would make a killer side dish to an apple stuffed pork tenderloin (just saying).

Pumpkin Risotto (yields 6 servings)

  • 2 cups aborio rice
  • 1 cup bacon, sausage or pancetta
  • 1 medium onion
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 4-5 sprigs rosemary
  • 1.5 litres of vegetable stock
  • 1 tbsp paprika
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 can of pumpkin puree
  • S&P to taste
  • Parmesan
  1. In saucepan saute, oil, onion, garlic on medium heat
  2. Add in meat option, paprika and rosemary and mix until meat is cooked through
  3. Add aborio rice to mixture, once coated add 2 ladles of vegetable broth
  4. Once absorbed add 2 more ladles of vegetable broth
  5. Repeat adding ladles of broth every five minutes on medium to low heat for 20 minutes
  6. Melt in pumpkin puree within the last minutes of cooking
  7. Serve with parmesan, cracked black pepper and rosemary

China 1347Mangia Mangia! xx