As I sit here listening to Jackson Browne’s “Late for the Sky”, sipping Prosecco after a 2 hour personal cooking class called Learn How to Make a Vegan Lasagna, I remember my students’ face in amazement and appreciation as I shared Chef’s Tips….. And all the students who came before her. And I know for sure that’s why I teach.
Vegan Pasta can be good, can be bad. Certainly, if you are using Green lentil Lasagne Noodles (no need to pre-cook) there’s a difference between that and what you cook up for 4 minutes, like Jovial Gluten Free Brown Rice Lasagna sheets. But even better than both? The one with the weird name: Tinkyada. 
The lasagna sheets separate as they should, making it easier to assemble and the taste is pretty good. But I also will say that I am going to wait until the Green Lentil Pasta Sheets are fully cooked and then report back because any product with green pea flour, or green pea protein usually has me!
We took an Eggplant and a Zucchini and peeled every other inch, stripping it. That gives you the flavor without the skin hardness. We chopped everything the same size for even cooking. So if we do the onions in small squares, we do the red pepper, the asparagus, the tomatoes, the small chunks of Beyond Beef that we crumb into the pan, the cheese we either crumble or cut into the Lasagna. All the same size. Of course, we savor the brown color and flavor and add ingredients, like Beyond Beef, making sure all the flavors from the other ingredients we have cooked in that pan, are there.
Assembly: The first thing that goes down is sauce, always. It prevents the lasagna from sticking. You can spray oil around the sides for that as well. If you are not using oil, just skip it. It should be fine.
So sauce, pasta sheets all in one direction (second layer goes in the opposite direction so that when you cut it, it all holds together).
Then begin to layer your ingredients. Combine the onions with the peppers, with asparagus. Add cheese and sauce. Second layer is pasta, Beyond Beef, more veggies and cheese topped with the caramelized Zucchini and Eggplant we cooked earlier. Looks good. Tastes good.
Chef’s Tips
The dull side of aluminum foil does not stick. If you are covering acidic contents like tomato sauce, make sure you put a sheet of wax paper or parchment between the ingredients and the foil. Otherwise, the acid will eat right through the foil, making that food inedible.
Pan searing eggplant or zucchini? Just remember: the brown on the pan is flavor. Take a small ladle of veg broth and put half of one into the pan, to bring up the brown because that’s where the flavor is.
Cook vegetables: add onion, when almost complete add red peppers, mushrooms or whatever veggies you would like in your lasagna. Just remember to cut everything to the same size so it cooks evenly.
Always remember to start caramelizing onions on high, then move to medium.
Having Guests? Throw a head of garlic or two into the oven at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes. Then you can squeeze it out onto bread for appetizers. Cheap, Fast, Flavorful.
And I guess the last thing I want you to remember is how we carved carrots into flowers. If you took the class, you know how.
Next time, we are going to do an Appetizer/Wine Pairing at a home in La Jolla. Did you know that Pinot Noir pairs really well with pizza? Just like fruit and cheese? Try it!
And I hope to see you at the next class that will be posted in a week or so.
Look for it under events!
Healthy Happy Cooking,
