Vegan, Gluten-Free, Nut-Free Lasagna

So, this is by far my favorite new recipe and after several different experimental versions, I settled on this one to share with you.

I give you fair warning, it is not for the faint of heart. It requires a lot of preparation and has multiple steps to include making your own Healthy Red Sauce and preparing your own Vegan Nut-Free Seed Ricotta Cheese. Luckily, I’ve shared both those recipes with step-by-step photos to help ease your preparation. Just click on the hyperlinks and you should be all set.

The good news is this lasagna is really delicious.

INGREDIENTS:

2 Tbsp of extra virgin olive oil

1 Tbsp of chopped garlic

1 cup of slice shiitake mushrooms

1 cup of spinach

1 cup of kale

1 cup of collard greens

1 cup of beet leaves

1 1/2 cup of Longeve plant-based protein crumbles

3/4 cup of hot water

1 package of Organic Green Lentil Lasagne

1 Vegan Nut-Free Ricotta Cheese

1 Healthy Red Sauce

1 Package of Daiya Mozzarella Shreds

PREPARATION:

(1) Add olive oil to your saute pan and turn to medium heat.

(2) Add chopped garlic and sliced shiitake mushrooms

(3) Add your chopped kale, spinach, collard greens, and beet leaves. Continue to saute until soft. Remove from heat and set aside to use for the lasagna.

(4) Prepare Longeve plant-based protein crumbles by adding 3/4 cup of hot water to 1 1/2 cups of crumbles. Let sit for 5 minutes.

(5) Add some of your healthy red sauce to your saute pan on medium heat.

(6) Add the Longeve crumbles to the red sauce and mix together.

(7) Cook for 5 minutes on medium heat. Remove from heat and set aside to use in the lasagna.

(8) Take your lasagna pan and add a layer of healthy red sauce.

(9) Add your first layer of organic green lentil lasagne.

(10) Now add a layer of your Vegan Nut-Free Seed Ricotta Cheese and spread evenly.

(11) Now add your layer of sauteed greens and mushrooms.

(12) Add another layer of healthy red sauce.

(13) Add another layer of organic green lentil lasagne.

(14) Add another layer of Vegan Nut-Free Seed Ricotta Cheese. Spread evenly.

(15) Now add your sauteed Longeve plant-based protein crumbles. Spread evenly.

(16) Now add your final layer of Organic Green Lentil Lasagne.

(17) Add another layer of healthy red sauce. Spread evenly.

(18) Spread a layer of Daiya Moz z arella Style Shreds.

(19) Top with a layer of freshly chopped parsley.

(20) Place in a pre-heated oven at 400 degrees and cook for 40 minutes.

(21) Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes.

(22) Cut a slice and enjoy!

Vegan Nut-Free Seed Ricotta Cheese

The hardest ingredient to replace in Vegan Lasagna is the ricotta – that delicious creamy layer that is critical to any good lasagna.

Since my Ayurvedic diet also requires me to avoid nuts, it is very difficult to find a store bought ricotta that works. Thus, I created my own. In order to learn about some different techniques, I suggest you check out this amazing post from SuperFoodEvolution.

For my recipe, I use a bunch of different seeds and I am very happy with the finished product. In fact, my wife actually likes this ricotta as a dip which see eats with carrots, celery and HU gluten-free, nut-free crackers.

INGREDIENTS:

1 Cup of Sunflower Seeds

1 Cup of Pumpkin Seeds

1/4 Cup of Hemp Seeds

1/4 Cup of Flax Seeds

1/4 Cup of Chia Seeds

1 Cup of Water, Hemp Milk or Coconut Milk

2 Tsp of Himalayan Salt

4 probiotic capsules

1/2 Cup of Fresh Sage

(1) Add the Sunflower Seeds to a large mason jar.

(2) Add the pumpkin seeds (I like to use Sprouted Pumpkin Seeds) to the mason jar.

(3) Add the Flax Seeds to the mason jar.

(4) Add the Chia Seeds to the mason jar.

(5) Add the Hemp Seeds to the mason jar.

(5) Add your water, Hemp Milk or Coconut Milk to the mason jar.

(6) Put the lid on the mason jar and shake to get the liquid to mix throughout the seeds. Then place the jar in the refrigerator and let soak overnight.

(7) Remove the seed mixture and add to your blender.

(8) Add your probiotic by opening the capsules and pouring into the mixture. Then add your himalayan salt.

(9) Add chopped Sage to the blender.

(10) Blend until smooth. Add additional water, hemp milk or coconut milk as needed to get a creamy consistency.

(11) Remove from the blender and place in a nut milk bag. Add a mason jar full with water to act as a weight to help squeeze out any excess liquid. Let rest on the counter for 4-6 hours.

(12) Remove from the nut bag and place in a bowl or tupperware. Now your Vegan Nut-Free Seed Ricotta Cheese is ready to use or eat. Store in the refrigerator.

Healthy Red Sauce

I apologize for the delay in posting, but last week was a crazy work week.

I wanted to share my Vegan Lasagna recipe, but in order to complete the full recipe I wanted to share the recipes for the Healthy Red Sauce and the Vegan Nut-Free Seed Ricotta Cheese.

I’ll start with what I call my Healthy Red Sauce. Essentially, after years of cooking a traditional Italian Tomato Sauce, I created this recipe to (1) reduce the amount of tomatoes (trying to reduce the consumption of nightshades) and (2) to add a bunch of other ingredients that I couldn’t get my kids to eat any other way. So I essentially sneak them into the sauce.

INGREDIENTS:

1 Can of San Marzano Peeled Tomatoes

1 Cup of Carrot

1 Cup of Celery

1 Cup of Butternut Squash (blended)

3 Shallots

3 Scallions

3 Tbsp of Olive Oil

4 Cloves of Garlic

1″ of Fresh Ginger

1″ of Fresh Tumeric

1/2 Cup of Fresh Parsley (Italian Flat or Regular)

1/2 Cup of Fresh Oregano

1 Tsp of Apple Cider Vinegar

1 Tsp of Balsamic Vinegar

2-3 Cups of Water

Salt and Pepper to taste

Optional – 1 Tbsp of Dried Italian Herbs

(1) Add the Olive Oil to a large saucepan and put on medium heat

(2) Add finely diced garlic and cook for 1 minute

(3) Add the chopped ginger and tumeric and cook for another minute

(4) Add the diced shallot and cook for an additional minute

(5) Add the diced carrots, diced celery, chopped scallions, and apple cider vinegar. Cook for 3-5 minutes until soft

(6) Add 1 Cup of pureed Butternut Squash, stir and cook for another 2 minutes

(7) Add the Can of San Marzano tomatoes, smash and mix with other ingredients

(8) Mix all the ingredients together and add your water. The less water the thicker your sauce. Raise the heat to high and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat to simmer, cover and continue to cook.

(9) Add your chopped parsley

(10) Add your chopped oregano, balsamic vinegar, and Italian herbs

(11) Let simmer for 3-6 hours and then your sauce is ready to use.

Adzuki Bean Tempeh

As Team Harrison continues to expand our horizons on vegetarian and vegan options, I am increasing my exploration into homemade options over store bought packaged food. In fact, I touched on this topic in my post Make Your Own Food. Most of the packaged food includes ingredients that violate my Ayurvedic diet or have lots of preservatives, sweeteners, and excess additives that I simply don’t want. Therefore, I know that by making my own food at home I can avoid these ingredients.

One of the key foods that both Dr. Nibodhi and Andrew Sterman both recommended is tempeh. Unfortunately, most store bought tempeh is made with soy, wheat, and/or grains which I am trying to avoid. Therefore, I decided to try and make my own homemade Adzuki Bean Tempeh.

After doing a lot of research, I found the perfect recipe from Meatless Makeover which specifically uses an Instapot.

I tried this recipe and it worked GREAT! I was really surprised at how good the tempeh tasted, and more importantly I was shocked that Angie and Elvis seemed to really enjoy the finished product.

A few things to note if you are going to try and make this at home is (1) don’t overcook the beans and (2) it took MUCH longer in my Instapot then the recipe suggested. In fact, I think it took 72 hours or longer on the “Less” Yogurt setting on my Instapot.

Ingredients:

2 cups of Adzuki Beans

4 tbsp of rice wine vinegar

1 packet of Tempeh starter

6 cups of water

Below are the steps and a few pictures to help you.

(1) Buy quality Organic Dry Adzuki Beans

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(2) Measure 2 cups

(3) Soak the beans in water

(4) Add them to the pressure cooker in 6 cups of water and set to “Normal”

(5) Set to “High” for 7 minutes. When done let sit for another 10 minutes and then vent the steam and check that the beans are cooked.

(6) While the beans are cooking, prepare a ziplock bag by punching wholes 1″ apart through both sides. Also, get the metal rack to use later inside the pressure cooker.

(7) Strain and rinse the beans, then pat dry. Then transfer to a bowl, add the 4 teaspoons of rice wine vinegar and the tempeh starter pack.

(8) Add the beans to the ziplock and roll the top down pulling the beans tight.

(9) Place the bean package on the metal rack in the Instapot with the ziploc seam face down.

(10) Set the pressure cooker to the “less” setting on the Yogurt mode. I originally did 24 hours, but on my second batch I set the timer for 72 hours.

(11) Check the tempeh after 24 hours and every 12 hours thereafter until you see the growth of the mold and crust.

(12) Remove when ready and cut in half.

(13) You should be able to see the mold on the outside and the inside. This will last 10 days in a sealed container in the refrigerator or 2 months in the freezer.

(14) Now slice into 1″ to 1 1/2″ pieces and saute in your favorite way – ghee, miso tamari, olive oil, etc. and then serve over your favorite dish. Below is an example of Adzuki Bean Tempeh over Vegan Pesto Chickpea Pasta.

(15) Here is the same sauteed miso glazed tempeh over cauliflower fried rice. Garnish with mung bean sprouts, scallions, and sesame seeds. If you are making Lettuce Wraps, you can actually use the same dipping sauce and toppings over your tempeh.

I hope you enjoy and remember be kind to yourself and just do the work today!