"MEATLESS LASAGNA"

I am sharing with you my "Meatless Lasagna" recipe that my family truly enjoys! My husband said this lasagna tastes like it has meat in it, and that it has the texture of a regular lasagna. The chunky vegetables do the trick. Try it, and you'll be surprised how good it is.

[CHICHAY TIP: if you wish to add meat in this recipe, replace portions of the vegetables and tofu with the ground meat, and brown the meat and drain it (the fat liquid) first before cooking it with the sauce.]

-CHICHAY
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"MEATLESS LASAGNA"

What You Need:

• 12 lasagna noodles


• 2 teaspoons olive oil


• 1 small onion, finely chopped


• 2 cloves garlic, minced


• 1 1/2 lbs fresh mushrooms of your choice (assorted or plain mushrooms, try
  portobello, cremini, shiitake, brown, button...), chopped


• 1/2 cup chopped eggplant


• 1 stalk celery, finely chopped


• 2 blocks hard tofu, drained and chopped


• 1 1/2 cups tomato pasta sauce (homemade or store-bought)


• 1/2 cup grated asiago cheese

How To:
-Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions. Then drain and set aside.
-Heat oil in skillet and saute the garlic, onions and then all the vegetables together for about 5 minutes.

-Stir in the tofu, and cook for another 3 minutes.

-Season with sat and pepper. Set aside.
-Spread the bottom of a 13"x9" inch baking pan (or any baking pan you have)
with 1/4 of the sauce.

-Top with 3 noodles, then 2 tbsp cheese a bed of the cooked vegetables and
some sauce.

-Repeat layers twice.

-Cover with remaining noodles and sauce. Cover with foil.

-Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

-Remove foil, top with the remaining asiago cheese, and bake some more for about 5-10 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

-Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

"VEGETABLE MEDLEY"

Eating a lot of spinach and broccoli lately made me miss some of my favorite vegetables that are commonly used in Filipino cooking, namely: okra, "talong"(eggplant), and "sitaw" (long beans). I just had to run to the market and get these for my "Vegetable Medley"! While buying my vegetables, a store employee told me they have newly delivered 'carnival squash' in the store, and he even shared with me some ways to prepare it.

I checked the bright yellow squash, it looked really pretty, and so I had to buy it. BUT, I really do not enjoy eating squash...well, at least the kind we used to have when I was younger! Oh well, I told myself since I don't remember anymore the last time I ate squash, then why not mix it in my "Vegetable Medley"...I might like it this time.

Surprise, surprise! The carnival squash I got was not the soggy kind of squash that I used to hate. Even when I reheated the leftovers, it still wasn't mushy nor soggy - not as I expected it would be.

Anyway, in the "Vegetable Medley" that I cooked years ago, I added coconut milk and "bagoong", or just "bagoong". But now that I no longer use "bagoong" in my cooking, and I can no longer eat coconut/coconut milk, I tried using oyster sauce for flavor. It came out delicious, and the sweetness of the oyster sauce went well with all of the vegetables, especially with the squash! Try it and please let me know if you liked it, ok?

[CHICHAYS TIP: Using oyster sauce as a flavoring is optional, and you can always use the traditional "bagoong" that we all love. If you are to use bagoong, try to squeeze in some lemon or kalamansi to your vegetables while cooking, just for a hint of tanginess.]

-CHICHAY

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"VEGETABLE MEDLEY"

What You Need:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 medium-sized onions, chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
• 8 pcs of "sitaw" (long beans), cut into 1 1/2 to 2 inches each
• 1 small carnival squash, peeled, cleaned, and cut into bite-size cubes
• 1/2 tsp ground pepper
• 1 tbsp of your choice of flavoring (either cooked "bagoong", or oyster-sauce)
• 1 medium-sized tomato, quartered
• 8 pcs of okra (pick the small ones, about 1 1/2 to 2 inches in length), stems trimmed
• 1 small talong (eggplant), cut into bite pieces
• 1 tsp sesame oil

How To:
-In a hot pot, saute the onions and garlic

-Add in the sitaw, squash cubes, water, ground pepper, and the flavoring ("bagoong" or oyster sauce), mix together, cover and let this cook for about 5-7 minutes, or until the squash is quite tender (but not overcooked).

-Stir in the tomatoes, okra and the eggplant, cover and cook for another 5-7 minutes.
-Drizzle your veggies with some sesame oil and turn off heat.
-Transfer to a dish and serve with rice.