And That, My Family, Was Vegan Lasagna That You Just Ate
I just returned home from Vermont where I spent five days with my extended family including my baby niece and 2-year-old nephew. Rather than spending lots of loot on gathering everyone up and going out to dinner each night, we took turns cooking. Eek! This could be a nightmare for a vegetarian amongst a family of meat-eaters!
First chef up - my grandfather and his wife. She made an entirely meat-free meal: an uncooked pasta sauce made of fresh grown tomatoes, basil, garlic, onions, oil, and then served it up over hot whole wheat spaghetti with a side salad.
Second night - my aunt prepared dinner. With a husband who has a special diet, she seemed to really look out for everyone. We had grilled zucchini with balsamic vinegar, three bean salad, and brown rice … and some grilled meat was on the table.
Next up was my aunt and uncle (who is vegetarian!). They made a dish that was actually inspired by a Weight Watchers recipe: whole wheat spiral noodles tossed with spinach, pine nuts, feta cheese, tomatoes, and mushrooms. On the side we had salad greens with granny smith apple slices, sprouts, cucumbers, and such. And don’t forget the toasted Italian bread with vegan garlic butter!
My sister made dinner on Monday night, and she cooked each person’s meal in a foil packet so that my uncle’s and mine didn’t touch meat. She followed a Martha Stewart recipe adding potatoes instead of chicken to the veggie ones (per something she read right here on LWM), and in addition to raisins tossed in a few dried cherries which added a nice, sweet punch.
Finally it was my turn. I used the previously posted vegan ricotta replacement recipe (yum!) and made vegan lasagna. I layered noodles, the vegan ricotta mixed with soy mozzarella-flavored cheese, finely-chopped spinach, and a lightly sauted mix of garlic, onions, carrots, celery, zucchini, red pepper, mushrooms, fresh basil, and pasta sauce. Everybody loved it! In fact I think there are some leftovers in my refrigerator right now, calling my name at this very moment …
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August 24th, 2007 at 3:58 pm
I too was in Vermont and must say that it was a pleasant change to have yummy and guiltfree food while on vacation! Of course we snuck in a few treats here and there.
August 28th, 2007 at 12:43 pm
Your trip to Vermont sounded like a success in accommodating everybody’s food choices and tastes. I have a group of friends who range from serious meat eaters to absolute vegans, so it is often interesting to try and have everybody over for a meal. I have been able to pass a vegetarian chili by the meat-eaters on a few occasions. A case of what they don’t know will NOT hurt them.
August 29th, 2007 at 6:42 pm
Hey, Sally!
Your lasagna sounds really delicious, and your vacation and family gathering sounded wonderful, happy and relaxing… and yummy! (I love VT!)
So glad to hear you’re enjoying that vegan ricotta recipe!
December 2nd, 2007 at 11:22 pm
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December 31st, 2007 at 9:10 pm
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