Edible Creations: Layer it on me

Protein Boost Lasagna

In this recipe I will be introducing two products called, Nutritional Yeast and Tempeh. Now your first time seeing these product you might wonder, "what the...I don't want to eat this....what is this?" Don't worry we did the same thing. Let me give you a little background which might help with these questions.

Nutritional Yeast is a deactivated yeast, which is sold in the form of flakes or as a yellow powder typically found in the bulk section at grocery food stores such as WinCo. It is a source of protein and vitamins, especially the B-complex vitamins, and is a complete protein. It is also naturally low in fat and sodium and is free of sugar, dairy, and gluten. Nutritional yeast has a strong flavor that is described as nutty, cheesy, or creamy, which makes it popular as an ingredient in cheese substitutes. (Information from Wikipedia)

Tempeh is traditional a soy product originally from Indonesia. It is made by a natural culturing and controlled fermentation process that binds soybeans into a cake form, similar to a very firm vegetarian burger patty. Like tofu, tempeh is made from soybeans, but it is a whole soybean product with different nutritional characteristics and textural qualities. Tempeh's fermentation process and its retention of the whole bean give it a higher content of protein, dietary fiber, and vitamins. It has a firm texture and an earthy flavor which becomes more pronounced as it ages. Because of its nutritional value, tempeh is used worldwide in vegetarian and vegan cuisine, where it is used as a meat analogue. (Information from Wikipedia)

We don't have a fancy Whole Foods or Sprouts store where we live but we do have a Trader Joes which is where we buy our tempeh. It is a 3 grain 8oz block that packs 9grams or fiber per serving (1/2 a block) which is very impressive. It is precooked but very bitter on its own so we suggest not eating it alone for your first try. Just remember it may look, smell, and feel funny at first but once its added to your meal, it's fantastic!!! So let's get started!

What you will need:

1 cup Water

1 Onion

3-4 cloves Garlic

2 Tbsp. Chilli powder

8oz Tempeh

280z. Can of Crushed Tomatoes (we got one with added basil)

1 Tbsp. Olive oil

1 block Firm Tofu

2 Tbsp. Lemon juice

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

Any additional seasoning:

(crushed red pepper, smoked paprika, Ms. Dash, Basil. This is up to you and your taste buds)

8 Lasagna noodles (we chose a whole wheat noodle)

3 Tbsp. Nutritional yeast

2 cups Vegan "cheese"

A blender or food processor

A Crock Pot/Slow Cooker

What to do:

First dice your Onion and Garlic cloves.

By using your clean hands crumble the Tempeh to resemble ground beef. This is a great task for your little chefs.

In a medium pot or a high side wall skillet, add water and chili powder then turn your heat to high until water starts to steam.

Once the water starts to steam and is nice and hot add in the onion, garlic cloves, and ground Tempeh. Place heat to medium, cover the pot/skillet and cook until the onions are soft, stirring the mixture a few times. (roughly 10min cooking time)

Meanwhile create your "ricotta cheese" mixture. Put 1 block of firm tofu, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, other seasonings into the blender/processor. (you can see we were not light on our seasonings so don't be afraid to season!)

Also add in 1/2 a cup of your Vegan "cheese"

Blend the mixture until it becomes the consistency of Ricotta cheese.

Once your Onions are soft add in the can of crushed tomatoes and any other seasonings for taste. Cook on low/medium until mixture is nice and hot. It's now time to build the lasagna.

Helpful tip: When layering all the components know that you will be splitting the sauce into 4 parts, "ricotta" and noodles into 3rds and the vegan "cheese" into 3rds.

In the Crock Pot/ Slow Cooker spoon in some sauce until the bottom of the pot is evenly covered.

Create a layer of noodles by breaking the noodles to fit evenly. I used a little over 2.5 noodles per layer in my Crock Pot.

Now create a layer using the "ricotta cheese" mixture, evenly coat the noodles the best you can using a spoon or spatula.

Spoon more sauce and sprinkle some vegan "cheese" on top.

Then repeat the process: noodles, "ricotta", sauce, vegan "cheese", noodles, "ricotta", sauce. (don't sprinkle vegan "cheese" on top of last layer yet)

You should end up with 3 layers of noodles, "ricotta cheese", and vegan "cheese as well as four layers of sauce all in the crock pot with just some vegan "cheese" and the nutritional yeast left to sprinkle on top later.

NOTE: At this point you can place the Crock Pot into the fridge and wait to cook the next day or you can cook it right away. I like to make all the components the night before, layer it in the Crock Pot, then place in the fridge over night. When I get home from work the next day all I have to do for dinner is take the Crock Pot out of the fridge and turn it on. This is great for a Monday night dinner or a Friday night when the week has caught up to you.

Place your slow cooker on the 6hr setting and let it cook. The 8hr setting will be fine if you want to cook it while you are at work but, it will burn the edges which is easily to cut around.

Once the timer is off and your lasagna is ready sprinkle the rest of the vegan "cheese" and the nutritional yeast on top and recover lasagna with the lid just slightly cracked. Let lasagna sit until "cheese" is melted. Now you are ready to enjoy this protein packed, healthy, cheesy lasagna! This recipe might seem intense or have more components then my other food blogs but trust me it is very easy and comes together very quickly.

Please enjoy, let me know how you liked it and if you made any changes.