My 101st post will be the last on this blog. Reaching 100 posts is a milestone (in my book anyway). 101 is full of promise. I know I have mentioned before that I was considering blogging elsewhere.
I’m excited to introduce you to my new blog.
http://www.thesensible.me
For you fitblrs out there, it is probably more your thing.
Each Sunday, I will post a shopping list for all the items necessary for a weeks worth of dinner.
Each Monday, I will post the week’s meal plan and the first recipe. I will post a recipe each day with the corresponding nutritional information.
Each Wednesday, I will breakdown the cost of the week’s groceries and show you (fingers crossed) that eating healthy can be inexpensive.
As you can imagine, this is a lot of work on my part. I am extremely excited about it, and I hope you check it out.
Thank you everyone for your support. Unfood was a pleasure to write, and I am grateful for all the feedback I have gotten throughout it’s existence.
I took some educated guesses. I took a few risks. Sometimes, this results in culinary catastrophe. Not today, though.
Eggplant parmesan is usually fried before it is baked. Although I LOVE fried food, my waist line does not ( I think we can all agree here). I love a good challenge though. Alas, healthified eggplant parm.
Eggplant Parmesan Pecorino-Romano
- 2 cups pasta sauce (I used homemade)
- 1 large eggplant, sliced into 1” thick rounds
- 1 egg
- .25 cup milk ( I used coconut milk)
- .5 cup shredded cheese—use a stinky one (parmesan is probably best but I had pecorino-romano on me)
- finely chopped parsley
- salt, pepper, garlic powder
1. Coat the bottom of a oven proof casserole dish with pasta sauce. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Beat the egg in a bowl with milk. Season eggplant rounds with salt, pepper and garlic powder.*
3. Heat a large non-stick pan with cooking spray. Coat eggplant rounds in egg mixture. Immediately place rounds in frying pan so that they lay flat on the bottom. “Fry” until bottom begins to brown and flip.
4. When both sides are slightly brown, place in casserole dish covering in a flat layer. If you need to, you can make multiple layers.
5. Cover eggplant scantily with remaining sauce. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the eggplant is completely tender. The sauce should be bubbling.
6. Remove eggplant from oven, sprinkle parsley over the top, and sprinkle cheese over the top. Bake for another 10 minutes or so or until cheese melts.
7. Serve with garlic bread, pasta, or rice. You can also do what I did and serve it with couscous tossed in scallions and butter.
* I read that salting the eggplant and leaving it to drain for a half hour or so gets rid of the juices. I will try this next time!
This isn’t the crispiest eggplant parm, but I like that the egg rounds out the dish nutritionally and adds flavor. It might not be the same as the original but it was absolutely delicious; I didn’t miss the grease.
What is your favorite “healthified” dish that you make?
(Source)
The thing that makes being sick so miserable doesn’t lie in the symptoms. A leaky nose or a tough cough makes for a miserable few days but the worst thing about being sick is what it takes away. If you’re sick with a cold, it means taking away your health for a few days. This might mean missing a day or two from work, taking away your appetite, or taking away a fun night on the town with friends. If you’re really sick, it might mean taking away your sleep or perhaps the ability to lift heavy objects. If you are really really sick, it might mean taking this things away permanently. There is surely more to being sick than just having things taken away, but to me it is the most devastating part of illness.
Lots of people believe in karma or in the least believe that things happen for a reason. It doesn’t take a philosophy student to think about why the bad is so bad, or to make one wonder whether the good is only good because of the bad. (Stay with me here.)
It’s an age-old existential question as to why bad exists at all. I don’t feel like talking about it though because it doesn’t matter. Let’s just assume that there is good and bad and we have to deal with it. Let’s not concern ourselves with the sources of good and bad for the moment.
The reason I bring this up is because we all have things we live for. For some of us, it is family. For others, it is for success. For the aristotelians, it is about happiness and knowledge. Sometimes, we forget that we live for others as well as for ourselves. I’m a strong believer that we construct our own realities; for you philosophy buffs this means that I am a Nietzschean. I believe that if you’re upset then you should do something about it because you are the only one that has the power to change your circumstances. I guess it is a lonely way to live your life but it is the only way I can see myself living.
Despite my strong belief in this idea, I’ve come across an obstacle. This is a surpassable obstacle that only requires me to be less obstinate but an obstacle nonetheless. So I propose a question: If one goes about his or her life in a way in which he or she is solely responsible for his or her happiness, but the things that are sources of happiness are taken away without option, what is he or she to do?
I was a runner. I wasn’t a runner for long but it became fundamental to me. It became a way for me to stay healthy. It was a way for my heart to stay strong and for my mind to wander. I would be lying if I were to say that I had profound thoughts while running. I would be lying if running helped solve any problems that I came across on a daily bases. Running was just something I did that I liked to do. It was challenging and it was rewarding. It was something to do, and it was a productive way to spend my time.
Running is hardly an option for me these days. It is painful. It is currently a stolen part of me. I try to bury under the covers like it doesn’t bother me that I can’t do it and that it isn’t a part of my daily life.
There are, after all, other things to do. Like I was saying before, illness takes things away. In this case, I’ve had my ability to run taken away from me. If I simply reconstruct my reality—start a new hobby, keep myself busy, deal with stress another way— it will hypothetically complete the parts of me in which I now feel a void. This must be true because according to this idea, I must change the things I do not like.
The thing is though, it isn’t easy to give something up. I know that life goes on. That running can be replaced. When something isn’t an option, it isn’t an option. You have to move on. You find something else. After all, like a said before, there was nothing necessarily profound about running except that it suited me.
The older I get, the more I start to think about life the more I think it is an exercise in endurance. I know I am getting pessimistic here but whether I like it or not, my life keeps going. I liked running because it wasn’t profound—it was as basic as life. It was something to do, it took up time, and it was something I liked.
At this point in my life, that is what life is about—something to do, something that takes up time, and some of the time is something I like.
Now that I’ve proposed some interesting questions and probably convinced you that I’m a little crazy, I’d love to open the floor to your favorite hobbies. I clearly need new hobbies and bread making isn’t cutting it. I’ve ruined a few loafs and I’m turning in my spatula. What types of things do you like to do?
If there is one thing my mom does best it is vegetable soup. My dad isn’t crazy about it—too many floating green things and far too many vegetables. To me, though, it is the best soup to exist. If I were to name one dish that my mom makes the best out of anyone I know, it is soup. It is not because this is the best dish she makes (come on now, after all it is soup.) It’s not because it is exotic nor as rich as a thick slice of flourless chocolate cake. It is because it is comfort food at its finest. It is winter in a bowl.
Making this soup makes me think about my mother and all the lessons I learned in the kitchen. It reminds me of all the times my dad carefully picked out all the parsley out of his soup. Most of all though, it is comforting. It reminds me of my family.
It is a classic clear broth epitomized by small floating bubbles of grease, a parsley garnish, and giant sized carrot chunks. I’ve never really tasted anything quite like it except among Polish families. There isn’t anything exactly “Polish” about it but it certainly reminds me of home and family. Luckily, it isn’t hard to make either.
I used to be afraid to make soup because it seemed like such a challenge to make it flavorful. Turns out, soup is souper easy. (Ahh.. get it?) You can use whatever you have on hand. Even better, you get to control the salt content and can use fresh veggies. You can make it as filling or thin as you want. You can also add some left over chicken, cooked noodles or a can of beans. The sky is the limit but this is my favorite way to make it.
Vegetable Soup- Zupa Jarzynowa
The Process:
1. *Heat your fat over med-high heat in a large soup pot and add your stock veggies. Cook until the onion is clear.
2. Add 4-6 cups of liquid and other veggies. The proportion of stock to veggies is up to you.
3. Cook until all vegetables are tender.
4. Garnish each plate with parsley or dill. You can also serve this over a bed of cooked noodles.
Stock Ingredients
-olive oil, butter, or lard (2-3 tbsp)
-diced onion (about a half cup)
-diced leek (the whiter part)
-2-3 cloves of garlic
-stock (vegetable or chicken) or water
Veggies: (dice into chunks, I’ve bolded the one’s I usually use)
-carrot (approximately 2-3in pieces)
-cauliflower
-chopped celery
-parsnip
-potato
-rutabaga
-celery root
-kohlrabi or turnip
-cabbage
See. It is really easy. It is best made with seasonal ingredients or whatever ingredients you have on hand. You can do it (I promise!)
*I used left over chicken stock from when I roasted a free-range chicken this week. The fat content worked perfectly and added a lot of flavor. Butter or olive oil works as well, though.
** The parsley is crucial. It might not seem important but it adds huge flavor.
Some of you are interested in nutritional advice for vegetarians and it is about time I talked more about it. I was hesitant at first to mention it much on this blog because I hadn’t been a vegetarian for very long and I didn’t want to provide information when I had little experience. Now that I am armed with not only knowledge but experience, I can offer a little advice.
I feel as though a lot of vegetarians shoot off nutrition as though its not important but I also think that carnivores make an unnecessary spectacle out of vegetarian diets because they are different. Sometimes, vegetarians assume they are healthier because they avoid meat, which can be high in unhealthy fats. However, I also think that it is silly to think that the lack of meat in a diet can create such drastic nutritional issues; it is not as though meat is drastically different from plant-based protein. In my opinion, the difference between meat and plant-based protein is that iron in meat is more easily absorbed, has b12, and has a higher protein content. However, because these are rare deficiencies to come across, I think that blaming meat is silly. I think that vegetarians and meat-eaters alike should be concerned about nutrition.
I hardly believe that there is not a single person who does not struggle with some aspect of nutrition, whether they realize it or not. Whether it is a vegetarian issue such as getting enough b12 or a non-vegetarian issue such as getting enough calcium, everyone has something to worry about. Throw in a hefty mix of genetically inherited diseases and it becomes clear that we all need to watch what we eat. Regardless of what your ethical stances are, we all need to make some conscious efforts about nutrition.
Because of this, I would like to approach any discussion of nutrition in a way that concerns both vegetarians and non-vegetarians. I will certainly try to offer suggestions that appease both. At the end of the day, we all need the same things; meat or a lack thereof doesn’t change this fact. If you are a vegan, you certainly have a greater challenge in certain regards because your options are more limited. I personally do not believe that vegetarianism or veganism puts a person at any disadvantage nutritionally. WIth that said, one should not turn to veganism without doing some research. Because you eat a less varied diet, you have to be careful. In another sense, a vegan diet is also plentiful in other common vitamins such as b-vitamins, beta-carotene, lycopenes, and antioxidants. None of these things are mutually exclusive to vegetarianism or carnivorism. In other words, vegetarian or not, fruits and vegetables are important. The issue of meat or plant-based protein is hardly important. Know that we have that out of the way, let’s talk about some things that everyone should be concerned about.
Calcium, iron, vitamin d, iodine, zinc, and omega-3 fatty acids are all nutrients that everyone should be concerned about. The one and only nutrient that is a strictly vegan issue is vitamin b12. It is the one nutrient that I suggest careful supplementation for because it is difficult to eat an adaquete amount in a vegan diet. There are vegan-sourced b12 supplements and for anyone who does not eat a lot of meat or eggs, I think you should consider this supplement. (It wouldn’t hurt.)
A vitamin b-12 deficiency can result in anemia, hair-loss, lethargy, moodiness and also brain-damage. Just saying. This shouldn’t scare you though because some people can last years on a vegan diet without having a change in their b-12 stores. B12 is stored in your liver. Some people deplete it much faster. From what I have read there is not really much of a way to tell why or what effects the rate at which you use up your b12 stores. To be on the safe side, this is an important supplement to take. You can get tested if you are worried about you b12 stores.
B12 is important for your blood cells to function correctly. There are tons of debates about this vitamin and whether you can obtain it from whole foods such as sea vegetables. In general, it is hard to do so. There are other ways to get your b12 but they require eating fortified foods, which is essentially supplementation. Such foods include fortified cereals, fortified nutritional yeast, soy milk, tempeh, and sea vegetables. Note that many of these foods are vegan staples and it is the reason why I believe they are b12 fortified. Remember that these aren’t really “natural” sources of b12; they are fortified. Non-vegan sources of b12 include fish, eggs, and meat.
I use this one which was recommended to me at Whole Foods.
Personally, I don’t think that vitamin b12 is a reason why humans need to be meat-eaters. Some people might think it is silly to avoid meat and take a pill instead. If you think about it, meat isn’t the only source of b12; it is simply more bioavailable. Before modern farming, getting b12 from plant sources was much easier. Therefore, I don’t think that b12 deficiency is a sufficient argument against veganism.
Can you tell I get really excited about nutrition? I’ll be talking more about the other vitamins and nutrients throughout the week. Look out for a soup recipe soon, too :) My incredible boyfriend bought me a camera because I miss blogging; I can’t wait to put it to good use! Maybe I’ll get some good shots of my new kitchen ;) Any questions or concerns about b12?
Yay for three responses to my last post! :) You guys are awesome.
I love nutrition and am looking into becoming a registered dietician so I will gladly talk about vegetarian and vegan nutrition tips. I’m without a camera at the moment, but I will happily post as many recipes as possible soon.
I am currently neither a vegetarian nor a vegan. Can you believe it? (I still hardly do) I am also not really much of a runner anymore nor do I go to the gym as regularly as before. This summer was one of the best summers I have ever had because I finally felt like I knew what I wanted and who I wanted to be. I also felt the best that I have, ever.
Now, you must be wondering how an ecstatic vegan went to eating not only dairy products but meat as well. Because of the blood clots, I am on a blood thinner called coumadin. My hair has also been falling out in ridiculous amounts which might be a protein deficiency. The problem with coumadin is that you have to limit the amount of greens you eat. In my personal experience, I was not able to keep my blood levels at a safe level while eating greens. Greens are a staple in a healthy vegan diet because they contain iron and some protein. Since greens are full of blood thickening vitamin K, they counteract the effects of my medication. As I became anemic in the hospital due to a low iron diet, I decided that continuing to eat a vegan diet would jeopardize my health. To say that there is no way to be a vegan on coumadin would just be simply false. In the future I will have the opportunity to go back to a vegan diet but in the meantime my goal is to become better.
I have also read several compelling arguments in former vegan writers’ blogs which have really resonated with me. I’ve never been against eating meat itself but did not want to support the cruel conditions under which animals in our country live. With that said, I have instead decided to exercise my influence by purchasing farm-raised meat and supporting a healthy, cruel-free environment for animals. In the meantime, I feel as though I’m not only making myself healthier but I’m also helping out small farms. I also should add that I still eat a primarily vegetarian diet. I am pretty much a vegetarian when I go out to restaurants. I don’t really eat meat before dinnertime because I don’t feel a need to. I buy meat maybe once a week and I eat primarily fish maybe all of two times a week. I am well aware that fishing conditions are terrible, but in my mind admit that it is easier for me to stomach the act of eating fish over meat. I also know that fish is healthier than meaI. I still cannot eat chicken regardless of how humanely it was raised. I thank seeing several movies on farming conditions for that one.
My new goals have been to eat everything in moderation. Including dairy in my diet has been a lapse of judgement on my part. I have been eating some cheese, mostly goat cheese, and yogurt. Mostly I have been doing so to eat more protein but also because I like it. I know for a fact that my digestive system does NOT like it. It is hard for me to give up though. I do try to eat it in moderation though.
When I became a vegan, I kind of already knew that forbidding myself foods would not really be the answer. It was, however, extremely effective at helping me make better choices. Now that I can’t really call myself a vegetarian, vegan or pescatarian, there are instances when making the choice to avoid meat or dairy is harder. But, I feel healthier knowing that I make these choices without a label.
I should also mention that the seasons have a huge influence over how we eat. Right now, the last thing I want to eat is raw food. I’ve still been trying to eat seasonally, which means lots of squash and root veggies. My new favorite (I’ll post my recipe) is roasted carrots and parsnip. and who doesn’t love some sweet potato fries? Those have been winter staples around here.
I have plenty more things to share but I’ll leave it at that for now.
I know that many of you read my blog because you are vegetarians or vegans. I love vegetarianism so don’t read this post and take my word for it. This is what is working for me right now. I hope to eat more vegan in the future when my health is ironed out. I will write a post about my nutritional advice about veganism in a separate post soon.
However, if you are vegetarian or vegan, know your stuff. Research. Get your blood drawn. Do this even if you aren’t a vegetarian. Also, research your family history. I didn’t realize this because I was naive. At 22, the last thing I was thinking about was my inherited predisposition to blood clots. Again—research, ask, and find out. When I was in the hospital, all the nurses told me to do my own research. They are right. You are your best advocate and you are also responsible for your health. It is never too early to pay attention.
Now that I’ve successfully turned this into a lecture I’ll end on a happier note. Many of you are following me and writing your own blogs because you care about your health, animal cruelty, or the environment. Keep it up! The first and most important step is to care. Once you care, you are already making better decisions.
Thanks again for all the great feedback :) I’m excited to be writing again.
Thank you to everyone who has recently added me. It is crazy to see new followers since I haven’t blogged in a very long time. I haven’t posted much because I have gone through some significant changes, some of which I am still not to happy with. I am recovering from bilateral DVT’s (Deep Vein Thrombosis) which means I have blood clots in both legs. Has anyone ever had any experience with this?
After an extremely healthy summer and fall, I was shocked to find myself not only in pain but in the hospital. The DVTs made it impossible to walk for about a month and my legs continue to bother me when I walk. This dramatic change in activity (and the Christmas season) has been a major challenge to me in terms of my health. My weekly mileage of 30 miles dissipated to a short walks across my house. Just now I am able to walk for a few miles at a time and I still experience severe pain and swelling. I’ve been trying to tough through it and work out anyways. This has been devastating for me since I was hoping to start training for a half marathon this year and was having a great running season. Running became not only a way for me to stay healthy but to stay sane as well.
Since I still have a few followers, I would love to open the floor and find out what you guys are interested in. Why do you read my blog? What parts would you like to see more of or less of? Do you read it for fitness or food? Do you like the recipes or the updates?
Because I have made major dietary and fitness changes in my life (which I would be happy to share about) it would be nice to know what you guys are interested in.
Send me a message:)
Or don’t. I wish you would though—even if its just letting me know whether you’re interested in fitness or food or both. What would you like to see more of?
Yes. There is an egg in that photo. Eggs are not vegan. I don’t want to talk about it quite yet. The egg is a personal choice that I will likely explain sometime soon.
I haven’t been able to cook all that much. I have been in and out of the hospital for the last few weeks. I am currently not allowed to eat greens or anything that has much vitamin k. While in the hospital, I was really amused by what the staff considered “non animal by-products.” The first morning they brought me milk, creamer, and butter. I had plenty of food to eat so no complaints here. I thought that someone out there might find my experience entertaining. It’s true that few people really understand how many things are made of animal by-products.
One thing I have been making whenever I feel up to it are grain bowls. I’ve been picking out a grain—whether it be rice, couscous, bulgar, or oatmeal and have been topping it with some sauteed or steamed veggies. Usually I’ll cook up some beans with tomato to go with it. Or in todays case, I fried up an egg.
Egg Over Easy with Caramelized Onions and Mushroom over Bulgar
serves 1
- 1/3 cup dry bulgar wheat ( I used Bob’s Red Mill)
- 2/3 cup water
- 1 teaspoon oil ( I used safflower, olive oil would have been great)
- 1/4 cup onions
- 4 or 5 mushrooms sliced and halved
- veggie seasoning ( i use a Polish brand. a teaspoon of veggie bouillon would work well too)
- one or two egg
- salt, pepper
- Bring your water to a boil. Add the bulgar and bring to a simmer.
- In the meantime, heat the oil in a small frying pan on medium-low heat. Add the onion and let it cook for five or six minutes until it is almost translucent.
- Add the mushrooms and add three or four tablespoons of water to help the mushrooms cook. Your onions should be caramelizing at this point.
- Check on your bulgar—it should take about 12-15 minutes to cook depending on the brand. When the water cooks away, take the bulgar off the heat and mix in your seasonings or bouillon.
- Once the mushrooms are tender and the water has been cooked, plate the bulgar. Place the mushrooms and onion mixture on top. You could also mix the two together.
- Turn your heat to low and check to make sure your pan is still adequately greased. Carefully crack your egg in the pan.
- Now, with extreme patience wait until the white is almost entirely opaque. When it is almost entirely cooked, place a flat spatula over the top and rotate your frying pan so the egg flips onto the spatula.
- Shimmy your egg off of the spatula and allow to cook one more second.
- Sprinkle salt and pepper on your dish. Enjoy!
The egg yolk broke and mixed into the bulgar and it was lovely.
I tried listening to Christmas music today and I am just not feeling it. Anyone else feeling this way?
Every day after work this week, I have come home and made a huge salad for lunch. I mean HUGE. Note that this is a large mixing bowl and it is full. I had stopped making salads often and I forgot how amazing greens make you feel. That is why salads are back in my rotation. My new favorite dressing is Trader Joe’s Spicy Peanut. I’ll admit that I’ve been a little lazy and have been buying bagged lettuce. BUT, I have noticed that I eat many more salads when I have everything ready. Trader Joe’s also has some awesome chopped veggie mixes. This has been saving me lots of time (note: much more expensive though).
I haven’t been able to run since last week. I had the most frustrating experience at the gym when I tried to run just two miles. I didn’t make it past the first quarter mile before my legs started to burn. I woke up with the same back pain that I had after my last run two weeks ago.
The pain became unbearable on Friday when I could barely finish grocery shopping. My legs seized up and I felt as though they weighed a hundred pounds. I came home and made this and figured I would rest.
Friday’s lunch was as healthy as it gets and delicious. Kale with caramelized onion and sea veggies. Roasted brussel sprouts and pan-fried tofu.
Pan-fried tofu is my new favorite method. Just heat a non-stick skillet and throw your pressed tofu on the pan. Season and don’t touch them. I used some salt and cumin. After five minutes or so, flip them. They should be just golden around the edges. Continue until all sides are “fried.”
Within an hour I couldn’t walk and not much later I was at the doctor’s office. I was informed that I have a condition where my sacrum becomes inflamed. It is incredibly painful and my doctor suggested ibuprofen, heat pads, and physical therapy.
Physical therapy are two words I didn’t want to hear. I am currently not insured and this is obviously going to take a long time to heal. I can’t run or work out until I am better. I am likely to have this reoccur for the rest of my life.
As if that wasn’t bad enough, I had the most embarrassing experience and passed out at work on Saturday. I guess it was too much and I couldnt handle it.
As someone who has made such progress in my health this year, I am extremely disappointed. I feel so weak even though I know that just two weeks ago I was running 5 days a week and lifting. I feel like I”m trapped in someone else’s body. I’m used to a body that can do an hour of cardio every day; being able to stretch passed my toes.
The physical aspect of this is just as difficult to stomach as the disappointment. I have never been in such pain—not even after I had my sinuses surgically corrected. I can’t walk much and when I do it is extremely painful. My legs are swollen because the nerves in my back are inflammed and shoot pain down my thighs. I can’t imagine what it must be like to get older.
I don’t know how often I”ll be updating—not that I have been updating all that often. I wish I could! I don’t think I will be doing much cooking in the near future.
If anyone knows anything about this, I appreciate any feedback.
Have any of you dealt with major setbacks?
I have been trying to make more recipes from scratch based on my intuition rather than recipes. Growing up, my family had few dishes that did not revolve around meat. I think anyone who first becomes a vegan or vegetarian has to learn how to cook quite differently. It is not that you can’t turn anything vegetarian or vegan—this is hardly the case with all the meat-substitutes on the market. The challenge with cooking vegetarian or vegan is not relying on former meat-based dishes to inspire you. I wanted a vegetable lasagna and not a vegetarian lasagna. I wanted my lasagna to scream “I am not trying to recreate my inferior counterpart the greasy, meaty beef lasagna.” When I cook for myself, I try not to recreate things as they “used to be.” I like vegetables and this lasagna was not going to hide that fact. I wanted a cheesy but balanced lasagna. I didn’t want anything to overtake the dish; i wanted all the parts to meld together. I think I got that with this recipe. I looked at what seemed like hundreds of lasagna recipes and none of them had what I was looking for. In the future, I might grill the vegetables first to see what the dish tastes like roasted. Although there is a lot of prep, this dish is truly worth it. The nutritional profile is excellent as well. This dish is low-calorie, high in protein, full of fiber, vitamins, and minerals. The only drawback is it is fairly expensive because of the many ingredients. This could feed 6 easily as a main dish and would be excellent with a large green salad.
Very Veggie Lasagna
Vegetables:
1 package mushrooms
1 zucchini
1 eggplant
1 jar tomato sauce (or homemade!)
.5 bag of spinach
(Feel free to add anything else. Fresh sliced tomatoes would be an excellent addition. I wish I had some of my own pasta sauce around but unfortunately I did not. You could also make this fall inspired by using butternut squash. You could also substitute kale for spinach. Be creative—you can’t go wrong by using different veggies.)
Cheese:
1 package tofu (I used Nasoya’s lite firm tofu. because you will be processing it, I imagine any kind would work)
.5 cup chopped chives (save 2 tbsp or so for garnish)
4 tbsp nutritional yeast
2 small cloves garlic
italian seasonings, salt to taste
1. Pulse garlic in a food processor until minced. Add the tofu and process until almost creamy.
Look, I swear it looks like ricotta.
2. Add the nutritional yeast and Italian seasonings to taste. I used about 2 teaspoons of seasoning. Pulse to combine. The mixture should resemble ricotta cheese at this point.
3. Stir in the chives and set aside.
Putting it all together
Do as I say and not as I do. I accidentally forgot about my mushrooms so they were strewn across the top of my lasagna and I forgot to save some pasta sauce and raided the fridge for more. I suggest better planning and doing the following:
Begin by putting a cup of tomato sauce on the bottom of your baking pan. Layer one set of noodles on top with a layer of zucchini, mushrooms, and any other veggies. Add half of your cheese and top with your greens. Then repeat until you are done with your ingredients.
Try to finish your lasagna so that you have sauce and/or veggies on top. This way, your noodles will not dry up. I ended up using only 8 lasagna noodles and had two left over.
Sprinkle with extra chives and bake covered at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes.
Nutrition facts for 1/6 of the lasagna
266 calories, 19 grams protein, 44 grams carbs, 5 grams fat
Nutrition for 1/4 of the lasagna (a huge portion!)
399 calories, 28 grams protein, 66 grams carbs, 8 grams fat
This recipe is high in calcium and iron as well.
