traditional “meat” lasagna

This is it: the recipe for anyone who thinks they can’t give up meat.
Important notes: 1. This recipe makes an 8″ x 8″ pan of lasagna (six pieces, or four if you’re Garfield). 2. You’ll need to make one batch each of cashew ricotta and cashew parmesan cheese before you begin. 3. You can absolutely use your favorite sauce from a jar. If you want to go all out, make your own — or make my classic marinara.


Traditional "Meat" Lasagna
 
Author:
Ingredients
  • 1 batch of cashew ricotta (recipe at APB: Eats)
  • 1 batch of cashew parmesan (recipe at APB: Eats)
  • 2 tablespoons dried parsley (or around 4 tablespoons of fresh)
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil (or 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh)
  • ¼ cup cashew parmesan
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • Olive oil
  • 1 package (around 12 ounces) meatless crumbles (such as Lightlife Smart Ground)
  • 8 lasagna noodles (traditional noodles, NOT the precooked, no-boil ones!)
  • 2¼ cups of marinara sauce (your favorite from a jar or homemade)
Instructions
  1. Make one batch of cashew ricotta and one batch of cashew parmesan cheese.
  2. To the cashew ricotta, stir in the parsley, basil, and cashew parmesan cheese. Cover and refrigerate while you complete the rest of the steps.
  3. In a pan, sauté diced onion in a little olive oil or water over medium heat, just until it's translucent. Mix in the meatless crumbles and cook according to package instructions.
  4. Cook 8 lasagna noodles according to package instructions. Important: Unless you managed to find lasagna noodles meant for an 8" x 8" pan, you'll need to cut each one to fit. Be sure to cut each noodle with only a single slice, holding on to every "scrap." When you're doing the layering in step 5, you'll put two "scraps" together to form one full noodle when you run out of the longer pieces. (See? No waste!)
  5. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spread ¼ cup of marinara in the bottom of the pan (so the noodles won't stick). Place three noodles in the pan, slightly overlapping them. Going all the way to the edges (on everything you layer), spread a heaping ¾ cup of cashew ricotta over the noodles using a spoon, spatula, or your very clean fingers. Spread around ⅓ of the meatless crumbles/onion mixture on top of that. Spread ½ cup of marinara on top of that. Repeat these steps three times, ending with three noodles. Top those noodles with the remaining ½ cup marinara. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 40 minutes. Let stand about 10 minutes before shaking more cashew parmesan on top and serving (with your favorite salad!).
Notes
1. This recipe makes an 8″ x 8″ pan of lasagna (six pieces, or four if you can really put away lasagna).
2. You’ll need to make one batch each of cashew ricotta and cashew parmesan cheese before you begin. Get the recipes at APB: Eats.
3. You can use homemade sauce or your favorite from a jar, or make my marinara recipe from APB: Eats.

 

 

pumpkin chocolate chip cookies

The pumpkin not only acts as an egg replacer, but it also creates a depth of flavor in these crowd-pleasing cookies, explains Kristy Turner, author of this recipe and the book But I Could Never Go Vegan!
Photo by APB: Eats

 

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
 
The pumpkin not only acts as an egg replacer, but it also creates a depth of flavor in these crowd-pleasing cookies, explains Kristy Turner, author of this recipe and the book "But I Could Never Go Vegan!"
Author:
Ingredients
  • 1¾ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon flaxseed meal
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ground ginger
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
  • ½ cup vegan butter, melted
  • ¼ cup maple syrup
  • ⅓ cup vegan brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted smooth almond butter or whatever nut butter you have
  • 1 cup vegan chocolate chips
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Whisk together the flour, flaxseed meal, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, salt, nutmeg, and cardamom in a large bowl. Set aside.
  3. Use a hand mixer (or whisk very quickly) to mix the pumpkin puree, vegan butter, maple syrup, brown sugar, and almond butter. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.
  4. Use a tablespoon or ice cream scoop to scoop roughly 2 tablespoons of dough and place on the prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Wet or lightly grease the bottom of a measuring cup and gently press down on each cooking to flatten. If you want them more evenly shaped, wet your fingers and gently form them into circles.
  5. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until firm with lightly browned edges. Cool on the baking sheet for 2 to 3 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Let cool completely before serving (or not -- they're too good to wait)!