Vegetarian Lasagna

I made this version of the vegetarian lasagna when I went back to my parents' house... My mom loved it! She liked it so much that she wanted the recipe. I figure I'd post it here for recipe sharing, too. I actually skipped the bechamel sauce part of the recipe and made it up with extra tomato sauce and spinach.

PREPARATION TIME AND COOKING TIME: 1 1/2 hours
BAKING TIME: 45 minutes
YIELD: 1 tray of lasagna, 30 cm x 20 cm x 8 cm (12 inches x 8 inches x 3 inches)

This lasagna has five distinct ingredients: pasta, tomato sauce, bechamel sauce, spinach, and cheese.

Pasta:
about fifteen 17 cm x 17 cm (7-inch x 7-inch) sheets of instant lasagna (400 g, or about 14 ounces)

Tomato Sauce:
1/2 cup (125 ml) olive oil
1/2 teaspoon (2 ml) yellow asafoetida powder
1 cup (250 ml) chopped fresh basil
1 teaspoon (5 ml) dried oregano
1 teaspoon (5 ml) dried marjoram
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon (5 ml) freshly ground black pepper
1 medium eggplant, diced into 0.5 cm (1/4-inch) cubes
3 medium peppers diced into 1.25 cm (1/2-inch) quarters
24 medium tomatoes, blanched, peeled, and chopped, or six 250g (9-ounce) tins Italian tomatoes, cut into 2.5 cm (1-inch) cubes (keep the juice)
1/2 cup (125 ml) black olives, chopped
2 tablespoons (40 ml) tomato paste
1 teaspoon (5 ml) salt
1 teaspoon (5 ml) brown sugar
2 tablespoons (40 ml) chopped fresh parsley

Bechamel Sauce:
1/2 cup (125 ml) melted butter
1/4 teaspoon (1 ml) ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup (125 ml) sifted plain flour
4 cups (1 litre) warm milk

Spinach:
1 large bunch of spinach leaves, separated, stalks removed, washed, blanched in boiling water, and drained

Cheese:
375 (13 ounces) grated cheddar cheese
250 g (9 ounces) grated mozzarella cheese
60 g (2 ounces) grated parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon (20 ml) grated parmesan cheese, reserved for garnish

To cook the tomato sauce

1. Heat the olive oil over moderate heat in a large, heavy-based saucepan. When hot, add the asafoetida. Saute momentarily; then add the fresh basil, oregano, marjoram, bay leaves, and black pepper and saute for another few seconds.
   
2. Add the eggplant cubes and stir fry for 2 minutes. Add the peppers and, stirring occasionally, cook them along with the eggplant pieces until both are softened (about 3 or 4 minutes).
   
3. Add the tomatoes and olives and stir well. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat slightly, and cook uncovered, stirring often, for about 1/2 hour or until lit reduces and thickens. Add tomato paste, salt, sugar, and parsley, mix well, and remove from the heat.
   

To cook the Bechamel Sauce

1. Place the melted butter in a heavy saucepan over low heat and stir in the nutmeg, black pepper, and flour and saute until the mixture darkens slightly (about 1/2 minute). Remove from the heat.
   
2. Gradually pour in the warm milk, stirring with a whisk until the sauce is smooth. Return to moderate heat and stir until it boils. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring constantly until the sauce thickens to a thick-custard consistency (about 5 minutes).
   

To assemble the lasagna

1. Combined all 3 cheeses (except the reserved parmesan) in a bowl. Divide the tomato sauce and bechamel sauce into 3. Divide the cheese and spinach into 2. Divide the pasta into 5.
2. Spread one-third of the tomato sauce in the bottom of the baking tray. Place one-fifth of the pasta sheets on top. Spread on one-third of the bechamel sauce then another one-fifth of the pasta. Spread one-half o the spinach leaves; then sprinkle half the grated cheese on top.
3. Repeat this process twice more and you should end up with the bechamel sauce on top. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Place the lasagna in the top of the pre-heated 20 degree C / 390 degrees F oven and cook for 30-45 minutes or until the top is slightly golden and the pasta "gives" when you stick a knife in it. It's best to let the lasagna set for at least another hour before serving, as this "plumps" the pasta. Cut into squares and server.

Happy Veggie Garden (寬心園)

Another restaurant discovery! This restaurant is in a Chinese shopping plaza, right next to 99 Ranch Market. The Chinese food is pretty authentic and decent.

Happy Veggie Garden (寬心園)

1015 S. Nogales St., Suite 127A
Rowland Heights, CA 91748

(626) 810-2298

Open 7 days a week
11:00am - 9:00pm (Sun - Thur)
11:00am - 9:20 pm (Fri - Sat)

Note: Their afternoon break is Monday through Thursday, 3:15pm to 4:30pm

Yeast White Bread

I'm pretty sure this is the last post of the day, since I haven't been trying out that many new recipes. I also haven't had the time and energy to make new posts, too, if it wasn't a holiday today.

This is my first attempt to make anything out of yeast, and it turned out really successful! I have gotten this recipe from a local vegetarian potluck gathering by the beach. The lady who brought the bread also brought printed recipes to share :) Wish I still remember her name though.

I know, I know...This is a simple white bread recipe, but it goes a long way. Feel free to experiment with whole grain flour, etc.

PREPARATION TIME: 2-4 hours
BAKING TIME: 20 minutes
YIELDS: 2 medium sized round loaves of bread

1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons (1 packet) yeast
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups warm water (if it burns your finger, it's too hot)
5 1/2 cups white flour (experiment with whatever types and combination you like. The lady has mostly white wheat, with some added oat bran and wheat germ for interest.)

1. Add sugar and yeast to warm water and let dissolve.
2. Gradually add salt and flour to liquid and mix thoroughly until dough pulls from sides of bowl.
3. Turn onto floured surface and knead for approximately 5 minutes
4. Let dough rest in bowl for a few minutes (I let it sit for 10 minutes) then knead again for about 3 more minutes. The dough should be bouncy and smooth.
5. Put dough in lightly oiled bowl and turn over once to grease the top
6. Cover with towel and let rise until double in bulk, which would take about 1 to 3 hours (mine took a bit under 2 hours)
7. Punch dough down, knead briefly then shape into 2 rounds
8. Place on cookie sheet or baking stone and let rise about another hour
9. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F for 15 minutes.
10. Pour 2-3 cups boiling water into a shallow roasting pan and position on oven bottom. (I skipped this step)
    
11. Put the cookie sheet or baking stone with bread on top on the rack above water and bake for 20 minutes
12. Turn off and allow bread to remain for 5 more minutes
13. Remove and let it cool.
    

Blueberry Oatmeal Scone

Wow, two posts in one day, after months of no posts? This is too good to be true! Somebody pinch me!

I got this recipe from a vegan website. It was one of those recipes that were submitted to postpunkkitchen.com (or theppk.com) by the vegan community. I happened to have some blueberries, thus the blueberry oatmeal scones...

The following is the way I made it because of the ingredients I had available at the time. If you would like to see the original recipe, please take a look here (originally submitted to ppk.com by Kirsten Holliday).

I strongly recommend to use organic dairy product if you do use them. Believe it or not, the dairy cows actually suffer from filthy environment and usually would be abused quite a lot just because we want their milk. Organic dairy farms are usually family-run, and their way of raising the cows are more humane. Plus, organic milk is more healthy for you! Who knows what the dairy cows have been injected with...

PREPARATION TIME: 20 minutes
BAKING TIME: 15 minutes
YIELD: 8 big scones

2 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons natural cane sugar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder (preferably aluminum-free)
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/3 cups vegan butter substitute, such as Earth Balance or even non-dairy margarine. It's important to use a butter sub rather than oil for texture. (I have used organic dairy butter)
1/2 cup organic plain yogurt
1/2 cup blueberries
3/4 cup plain Silk soy milk
3/4 cup rolled oats
some extra cane sugar

1. Combine the flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt. add in your butter / butter substitution, softened but not melted. Mix until the texture resembles coarse crumbs.
2. Combine the yogurt, blueberries, and soy milk and mix well. Add all these at once to dry mixture we made at step 1.
3. Add the oats and stir the whole thing till just moistened.
4. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and pat into a circle about 10 or so inches in diameter. Cut into 8 triangles (like you're cutting a pizza). If you are not trying to make the scones into any particular shape, just roughly divide the dough into 8 pieces and skip to the next step.
   
5. Place the scones onto a lightly greased baking sheet. Sprinkle generously with the extra cane sugar.
6. Bake in a 400 degree F oven for 15 minutes.

Source: theppk.com

Sweet Corn Bread

I was lucky to have found this recipe. It was my first try in making corn bread! It turned surprisingly well. I have shared with some of my friends and they really like it! Here it is with some modification -

PREPARATION TIME: 10 minutes
BAKING TIME: 35 minutes
YIELDS: about 12 servings

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup yellow corn meal (I have used whole grain yellow corn meal)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups milk
2 units of Ener-G Egg Replacer (3 teaspoons of egg replacer powder + 4 table spoons warm water, mix thoroughly)
1/3 cup vegetable oil (I used canola oil)
3 tablespoons butter or vegan butter (I used butter)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 9x13" or 8-inch square baking pan with some extra vegetable/canola oil. Skipping greasing the baking pan if you are using a non-stick pan
2. Combine and mix all the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, cornmeal, baking powder and salt) in a medium bowl.
3. Make sure you have mixed the 2 units of egg replacer before you proceed to the next step.
   
4. Combine milk, egg replacer, vegetable oil/canola oil, and butter in a small bowl. Mix well.
5. Add the content of the small bowl to the flour mixture. Stir just until blended.
6. Pour the blended mixture into the prepared baking pan.
7. Bake for 35 minutes or until a wooden tooth pick inserted in center comes out clean.

Source: VeryBestBaking.com

Dish Cafe (Vegetarian/Vegan)

The restaurant that I'm featuring in this post is in Santa Barbara, California. My boss and co-workers took me to this little restaurant on my first day of work. Their specialty is organic food! I like this place also because they have a lot of vegetarian and vegan options on their menu. They also offer food with a lot of international flavors. Here is a little quote from their menu:

"At Dish Cafe, we believe in bringing together an ecleectic menu of healthy foods from around the world. We use organic/unsprayed produce, fruits and whole grains whenever possible . . ."

Some of the things from the menu:
Egg rolls, soups, sandwiches (some are made with plantain! must try!), sweet potatos fries (apparently their specialty!), burritos, salad, burgers, enchiladas, quesadillas, etc.

Dish Cafe

5722 Calle Real
Goleta, CA 93117

Phone: (805) 964-5755

Open everyday except Sunday
Monday - Saturday (11:30am - 9:00pm)

Happy Family Vegetarian Restaurant (欣園素菜館)

This is one of my favorite Chinese vegetarian restaurants in California. Needless to say, they serve excellent Chinese cuisine with vegetable dishes or substitute soy meat. Need I say more?

Please note that this restaurant is divided into two parts. The 1st floor serves regular non-vegetarian Chinese menu, and the 2nd floor serves vegetarian food.

Happy Family Vegetarian Restaurant (欣園素菜館)

http://www.happyfamilyveg.com

608 N. Atlantic Blvd.
Monterey Park, CA 91754

(626) 282-8969

Baked Pepper (Vegetarian / Vegan option available)

With the basmati rice recipe or just about any rice recipe, you can make stuffed baked pepper with the rice. I have made stuffed baked peppers with some leftover rice (which was later made into fried rice to stuff the pepper). It's an easy dish if you have the rice already!

BAKING TIME: about 30-40 minutes 3-5 bell peppers (or enough peppers to contain your rice)
3-5 cups of rice (cooked and flavored, such as tomato rice with herbs)
Some cheese

• Shreded or sliced mozzarella cheese AND/OR
• Parmesan cheese AND/OR
• Feta cheese AND/OR
• Soy cheese

Herb seasoning of your choice (parsley flakes, oregano)

1. Preheat the oven to 355 degree F
2. Wash and cut the peppers in halfs
3. Start stuffing the rice into the bell pepper halves until filled.
4. Sprinkle the cheese or the toppings of your choice (black peppers, herb seasonings, etc.) on the top of the stuffed bell pepper halves
5. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the peppers seem tender enough to eat
   

Tomato Rice with Herbs (Vegan / Vegetarian)

This is yet another recipe from my trusted cookbook by Kurma Dasa. I have never attempted to make rice the non-Chinese way, and this dish turned out pretty good for me today :) I made this dish because we had a lot of tomatoes at home that need to be used...

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"This simple combination of rice, herbs, and tomato with an Italian flavour can also be used as an alternative stuffing for baked peppers."

PREPARATION TIME: 5 minutes
COOKING TIME: 25-35 minutes
YIELD: enough for 4 persons

1 cup (250 ml) basmati or other long-grain white rice
1 3/4 cups (435 ml) water
1 teaspoon (5 ml) salt
1 teaspoon (5 ml) paprika
1 teaspoon (20 ml) tomato paste
2 tablespoons (40 ml) fresh basil leaves, chopped fine
2 tablespoons (40 ml) olive oil
1/2 teaspoon (2 ml) yellow asafoetida powder
1 cup (250 ml) firm tomatoes, cut into 1.25 cm (1/2-inch) cubes
2 tablespoons (40 ml) finely chopped fresh parsley

1. Wash, drain, and dry the rice.
2. Bring the water, salt, paprika, tomato paste, and basil slowly to a boil in a 2-litre/quart saucepan over moderate heat.
3. Heat the olive oil in a non-stick 2-litre/quart saucepan over moderately low heat. Saute the asafoetida in the hot ghee. Add the rice and stir-fry for about 2 minutes or until the rice grain turn whitish.
4. Pour in the boiling water. stir, raise the heat to high, and bring the water to a full boil. Immediately reduce the heat to low, cover with a tight-fitting lid, and gently simmer, without stirring, for 15-20 minutesor until all the water has been absorbed and the rice is tender and flaky.
5. Remove the rice from the heat and allow it to steam for 5 minutes with the lid on. Finally, fold in the tomatoes and fresh parslye and serve immediately.

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Ingrid's experience with this dish:

• I didn't have any fresh parsley, so I used dried parsley flakes and some chopped basils to mix in at the end instead. I'm sure that the rice would be more flavorful with fresh parsley though.
• Again, I used grounded black pepper instead of asafoetida powder.

(Source: Great Vegetarian Dishes: Over 240 recipes from around the world by Kurma dasa. See more on http://www.kurma.net/)

(Keywords: vegan, vegetarian, rice dish, main entree, Indian, Italian, basmati rice, tomato)

Okra in Tomato Sauce (Vegan / Vegatarian)

This is another recipe from Mr. Kurma Dasa. I have never actually cooked okra before (I usually just boil it for a minute and dip them in soy sauce), so this is new for me.

"Okra releases a glutinous sap when cut, and sweats when salted, so dry it thoroughly before cooking and add salt after the cooking is completed. Okra is a summer vegetable. When selecting okra look for small pods. If the pointed end snaps off, it is fresh. Serve this dish, which originates in Trinidad, as an entree or side dish."

PREPARATION TIME: 10 minutes
COOKING TIME: 20 minutes to 30 minutes
YIELD: enough for 6 people

500 g (a little over 1 pound) young okra pods
3 tablespoons (60 ml) olive oil
1/4 teaspoon (1 ml) yellow asafoetida powder
1 small green pepper, seeded and chopped into small cubes
1 medium hot green chili, seeded and chopped
3 medium tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1/2 teaspoon (2 ml) brown sugar
1 teaspoon (5 ml) salt

1. Wash the okra, dry them with paper towels, and cut off the stem ends. Heat the oil in a heavy pan and saute the okra until lightly browned sugar all over, (about 10 minutes). Lift out the okra with a slotted spoon, and transfer to a sauce pan.
2. Saute the asafoetida in the oil remaining in the pan, add the peppers and chili, and stir-fry until they become soft.
3. Add the tomatoes and sugar and simmer for 4 to 5 minutes or until the tomatoes break down.
4. Pour the tomato mixture over the okra, stir to mix, and cook covered until the okra is tender (about 5 minutes). Sprinkle in the salt and serve hot.

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Ingrid's Notes and Modification:

• I added some grounded black paper instead of asafoetida powder (I still can't find any place that sells such seasoning).

(Source: Great Vegetarian Dishes: Over 240 recipes from around the world by Kurma dasa. See more on http://www.kurma.net/)

(Keywords: vegan, vegetarian, entree, okra, tomato)