Vegan Lasagna Soup

Too tired to make lasagna or don’t have the time? This recipe is for you! Lasagna soup has all the great flavors of lasagna, without the labor and time necessary to make the dish. Why haven’t I been making lasagna soup all my life? My recipe is a slightly healthier and vegan version of the soup that is the ultimate comfort food. It’s sure to be loved by everyone.

I heard the states are having a snow storm?! Has that already passed? Life with an almost two month old really steals you sense of time!

No fresh snow up here in Alaska, unfortunately. Maybe it's a good thing though; we've been having bright and sunny, chilly days and Oliver still seems a wee bit too little to be taken out for a ski. He did ,however, have his first outdoor jaunt this week! Todd ran in a local footrace and we bought a used stroller in the library parking lot minutes before it started so I could have the little man with us. Oliver and I met up with a friend, whose husband was also running, and her little five month old cutie pie. We causally strolled over to our local coffee house/cafe to chat about how much our lives have changed. While there we ran into my BFF's mom who joined us for coffee. It was such a lovely, small-town day and a much needed escape from the house. 

Anyways, I thought this soup would hopefully warm you all up as it seems you might be bundled up inside as well. It's comfort food in a bowl, and so much easier and quicker than making actual lasagna. I honestly don't know if I'll ever make traditional lasagna again! Unless I have a bunch of almond pulp on hand because that stuff makes the best ricotta and you know I can't waste anything! I hope you enjoy this soup as much as we did. 

Vegan Lasagna Soup

Recipe by Kathleen @ Produce On Parade

Too tired to make lasagna or don’t have the time? This recipe is for you! Lasagna soup has all the great flavors of lasagna, without the labor and time necessary to make the dish. Why haven’t I been making lasagna soup all my life? My recipe is a slightly healthier and vegan version of the soup that is the ultimate comfort food. It’s sure to be loved by everyone.

Yield: 6

Ingredients

• 1 cup dried TVP (textured vegetable protein)
• 1 scant cup hot water
• ½ tbsp soy sauce
• ½ tsp liquid smoke
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1 medium red or green bell pepper, diced
• 32 oz vegetable broth
• 2 15 oz cans diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 15 oz can tomato sauce
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 cup frozen corn (optional)
• 2 tsp dried Italian seasoning
• 1 tsp dried basil
• Dash of freshly ground black pepper
• 12 oz (2 ½ cups) broken, dried lasagna noodles or pasta of choice
• ½ cup vegan shredded mozzarella
• 2 handfuls of fresh spinach, torn

Cooking Directions

1. In a medium bowl, soak the TVP in the water, soy sauce, and liquid smoke; stirring to combine. Set aside until ready to use.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Saute the onions and garlic until softened and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Add the bell pepper, saute an additional 3 minutes.
3. Add the reconstituted TVP, broth, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce and paste, corn, and seasonings. Stir well to combine and bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a simmer. Stir in pasta and cover; cook about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. One pasta is al dente, remove from heat and stir in cheese and spinach; add additional liquid smoke to taste. Serve hot. The pasta will absorb more of the liquid as it sits so feel free to add additional water or broth if you like.

Broccoli & Squash Quiche + We Had a Baby!

Flaky puff pastry envelops a fluffy, cheesy, vegan quiche that’s loaded with nutritious broccoli, squash, and spinach. Kala namak salt gives this savory dish that eggy quality and tofu provides healthy protein. It’s a super easy meal that’s perfect for breakfast or dinner.

Hi everyone! Wow, what a whirlwind it's been lately. I feel like I'm living a different life! Five days after the last post, I was surprise induced due to gestational hypertension following an OB appointment. After exactly 36 hours of labor, Oliver was born!

If you follow us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram you've been bumping along with us on our exciting journey. Todd, Oliver, and I want thank you all for such a tremendous outpouring of love and kindness, especially during those really rough days when we were repeatedly readmitted to the hospital after we got back home. Reading your comments, especially regarding the light therapy, was really special and honestly made me feel so much better. 

Tiny Oliver is the beat in my heart and the sweetest darn thing I've ever laid eyes upon; he's quite the character too. Here he is taking his first a bath, eyes a fury. 

Now that he's a month old, I've been able to get around to cooking on occasion. I thought I'd share with you this spring-approriate broccoli, spinach, and summer squash quiche I made. It's super easy and pretty hands off, which is essential when you have a cluster-feeder! If a new mom with a newborn can make this, then anyone can! 

Broccoli & Squash Quiche

By Kathleen Henry

Published 03/04/2017

Flaky puff pastry envelops a fluffy, cheesy, vegan quiche that’s loaded with nutritious broccoli, squash, and spinach. Kala namak salt gives this savory dish that eggy quality and tofu provides healthy protein. It’s a super easy meal that’s perfect for breakfast or dinner.

Ingredients

• 1 sheet of puff pastry, thawed
• 2 small heads of broccoli, chopped small
• 2 medium summer squash, diced small
• 2 handfuls of fresh spinach, torn
• ½ cup shredded vegan cheddar cheese
• 2 12 oz packages of firm, silken tofu
• ½ cup chickpea (garbanzo bean) flour
• ¼ cup large nutritional yeast flakes (plus extra for garnish)
• ¼ cup plain, unsweetened soymilk
• 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 2 tsp stone-ground mustard (or regular - optional)
• 1 tsp kala namak salt
• ½ tsp ground turmeric
• Dash of freshly ground pepper

Instructions

1. Thaw the puff pastry according to the package, if frozen. Place the broccoli in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 2 minutes; set aside.
2. Grease a 9 inch springform pan with nonstick cooking spray. When the pastry is thawed, roll it out just thin enough to cover the top edges of the pan; arrange in the pan and prick all over with a fork. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
3. In a blender, combine the tofu through the pepper; using a tamper blend on high until smooth. Pour just enough of the egg mixture into the pan to cover the bottom of the pastry. Top with half the cheese, half the broccoli, half the squash, and all of the spinach followed by half the egg mixture. Repeat with remainder of cheese, broccoli, and squash. Press down to compact the quiche, then top with the remaining egg mixture; garnish the top with a dusting of nutritional yeast.
4. Bake on the middle rack in the oven for about 50 minutes, until the pastry and top of the quiche are golden brown. Allow to rest for at least 30 minutes before serving; serve warm or cold.

Yield: 6-8

Enjoy! Wishing you all a fabulous week, from our entire family... Bob and Anouk included :)

Creamy Shiitake & Chard Spaghetti

There isn’t a dish much more comforting than a big bowl of hot mushroom spaghetti in a rich and creamy garlic sauce. This is the absolute perfect meal for cold winter nights! It’s remarkable enough for a special occasion but easy enough for a weeknight and is sure to please everyone.

It's a great day for a heart-warming recipe, and this one is going into the weekday lineup! It's been so frigid here (-30°F) and poor Todd has been tackling the heaps and heaps of snow we've been getting. Our little home is surrounded by a beautiful winter wonderland and after a long day of work, it invites me to curl up by the fire with a big mug of cocoa and vegan marshmallows several times a week. 

I haven't been able to do much around the house lately and have been trying to lay pretty low. The combination of being super pregnant (just a few more weeks to go!) and acquiring gestational hypertension has me slow-going. My obstetrician is threatening bed-rest and has now taken away my 'leisurely walking' privileges which really stinks because it's so lovely outside and there is so much snow to play in! Consequently, I've been reading a lot of books if not keep my body active, at least my mind. Follow along with what I'm reading on social media or Goodreads.

Todd and I have been hastily scraping together a nursery and Bailey has been following me around the house everywhere. He's my little shadow, even climbing into the shower with me last night... I think he finally knows about the baby. When Anouk snuggles me, he nuzzles his little head against my bump and closes his eyes sleepily. They're both so sweet! I have some obligatory photos of them below, patiently waiting for their new family member to arrive.

Creamy Shiitake & Chard Spaghetti

By Kathleen Henry @ Produce On Parade

Published 01/23/2017

There isn’t a dish much more comforting than a big bowl of hot mushroom spaghetti in a rich and creamy garlic sauce. This is the absolute perfect meal for cold winter nights! It’s remarkable enough for a special occasion but easy enough for a weeknight and is sure to please everyone.

Ingredients

• 2 oz dried shiitake mushrooms (I use half shiitake and half foraged bolete), rehydrated and chopped (or use 1 lb fresh mushrooms)
• ½ cup vegan stick butter, divided
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp dried herbes de provence
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• dash of fresh nutmeg
• 1 lb dried spaghetti
• 3 cups plain, unsweetened vegan milk (I like to use soymilk)
• 1 bunch of chard, de-stemmed and chopped
• ½ cup - 1 cup reserved mushroom broth or vegetable broth

Instructions

1. Place the dried mushrooms in a medium size bowl and cover completely with hot water. Allow to rest for about 15-20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, gather and measure all the ingredients and prepare the chard. Mise en place! Bring a large pot of salted water to boil for the pasta.
3. Heat ¼ cup butter in a very large rimmed frying pan over medium-low heat; saute the garlic until fragrant, about 3 minutes. While the garlic cooks, remove the mushrooms from the broth using a slotted spoon (save the broth) and dice; add to the garlic and saute 8 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl and set aside.
4. When the water for the pasta is boiling, add the pasta and cook 8-10 minutes until al dente. In the frying pan, heat the remaining ¼ cup of butter over medium-low; whisk in the flour, herbs, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Saute for about 3 minutes, then slowly whisk in the milk; whisk on occasion for about 5 minutes, until the sauce has thickened slightly.
5. Stir in the mushrooms and the chard, cook for about 3-5 minutes until the chard has wilted. Remove from heat and stir in the drained pasta.
6. Toss well to combine and serve hot. Add the reserved mushroom broth in ¼ cup quantities to thin the dish as you see fit, or as you reheat the pasta for leftovers.

Yield: 6-8 servings

Until next time, stay warm and cozy my friends!