Spinach and Tofu Lasagna

I'm not convinced that Italians would put tofu in their lasagna and therefore cannot vouch for the authenticity of the Italian-ness of this recipe. I can vouch for it's deliciousity and at the very least will claim it to be some sort of Italian-Asian fusion and therefore close enough to post as Italian.

The inspiration for the recipe came out of a cookbook on my mother's shelf many many years ago. I do not remember the name of it and have made so many adaptions over the years that I think by now it is pretty much my own ...

Here's how I make it ...

1 (big) jar of Pasta Sauce - I like Bertolli Five Brothers Oven Roasted Garlic and Onion !!
8 ounces lasagna noodles
10 ounce package frozen chopped spinach ... thawed and drained

Mix the following to make the tofu/cheese mixture.
1 cup tofu
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 cup cottage cheese

Mozzarella cheese, grated - to put on top

Preheat oven to 350F/180C. Assemble ingredients in a 9x13 baking dish in the following order. Small amount of pasta sauce, noodles, 1/3 of the spinach, 1/3 of the tofu/cheese mixture, pasta sauce. Repeat. And repeat again ! Finish with sauce and then top with moz cheese. Bake for about 40 minutes or until bubbly. Let stand before serving.

Makes 8 servings.

Menu Plan Monday - Khrista - Edition 27

• Mexican Style Lasagna
• Pesto Farfalle (I'm making it without the chicken.)

*And the Tater Tot Casserole is for my husband. I can't stand the stuff, and will probably eat a salad or something, but he has requested it a couple times this month, so I thought I would appease him. :)
I'm also hoping Bonnie posts the Ecuadorian Quinoa Vegetable Soup soon, so I can try it. It's weird how I planned to make the original, and then came on here and saw she was going to post a variation. Can't wait!
More menus at I'm An Organizing Junkie ...

Lasagna a la Bonnie's Mom !

Preheat oven to 180 C (375F)
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Mix 2 cups cottage cheese with 1 egg. Add parmesan cheese til the mixture is no longer goopy. (maybe 1 cup or a bit more ... varies everytime I make it !)
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Brown 500g (1 lb) mince ( ground beef ) with 2 cloves (I use about 6 cloves ! ) finely chopped garlic and 1 finely chopped onion. Take off heat. Mix with a jar of Ragu ( or any tomato based pasta sauce), a big can of chopped tomatoes, basil, oregano and parsley to taste. Set aside.
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Also need ... Shredded mozarella cheese & Instant Lasagna Noodles.
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Start with a bit of sauce on the bottom of your baking dish. Not heaps ... just so noddles don't stick.
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Then do layers ... three is good, four is better !!
Noodles
Sauce
Cottage cheese mixture (just do blops ... don't try to spread flat or you'll run out !)
Mozzarella.
Last layer should be Noodles, Sauce, Mozzarella.
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Bake 35 minutes covered ( or til noodles are tender), remove cover and bake additional 10 minutes.

Menu Plan Monday - Bonnie - Edition 8

Ya'll KNOW we had pizza for dinner Friday night. We tried Pam's version of my asparagus pizza (it's mine not her's pictured here). We had friends join us for pizza and movie night this week so I wasn't takin' food photos !!

Plans to go to the beach Saturday had me preparing this vegetarian lasagna in the afternoon so I could just pop it in the oven when we got home. Unfortunately, when we got home there was no power !! Still none by time to eat dinner ... so, we went out.

Sunday was a crazy day around here ... dinner was sporadic. Grab a bite and run. The kids had hot chips at the cafe after church. Rory had a milkshake and some of those chips. I had a Sprite and called it good. Actually, I had a piece of the leftover pizza about 4:00 and that was pretty filling !

Monday - tonight - we will FINALLY eat the lasagna !!! I'll be posting the recipe later in the week.

Remember when I made a bunch of spaghetti sauce and chili and froze them ? We'll be having spaghetti Tuesday night and chili Thursday night.

Out of order, but that just leaves us with Wednesday since my menu's start on Fridays. We'll be having Lemon Baked Cod and trying Khris's lemon spaghetti. (her photo shown here)

And that's what we're havin' . What' s on the menu at your place this week ? Pop over to Laura's place and share ...

Non-Cook "Lasagna"

Ok ... I realize this photo looks odd. Like, perhaps something you would like to NOT put in your mouth !! BUT ... it is yummy and I assure you, once you make it, you will not be able to stop putting this in your mouth !! I love it. We had it for a light dinner tonight. Rory had it on fresh white crusty bread. I had it on whole wheat rice crackers.

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1/2 a zucchini, finely sliced
2 cups tightly packed fresh spinach, processed til finely chopped
1/2 cup avocado, mashed
AND
1 ripe tomato, seed and chop (1/2 cup)
1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes
1/2 cup red bell pepper
2 tbls olive oil
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
1 clove garlic
1/2 tsp salt
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Process everything under the AND ... til smooth.
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Layer zucchini, spinach, avocado, tomato sauce. Do a few layers. I think I got three in a rectangular tupperware and four or five in a square tupperware ... It's best if you leave it set a few hours in the fridge before you eat it. The flavors really develop !

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See ... it is edible !!

The yummiest thing you'll put in your face

The famous Spicy Chicken Upside-down Whole Wheat G. St. Lasagna:

Whole wheat lasagna noodles (uncooked)
1/4 lb chicken breast, chopped into little pieces (the size you'd use for Thai Chicken Soup)
2 T pesto
1-2 squeezes of chili pepper paste (to taste)
1/2 cup Romano (or Parmesan), finely shredded
1 cup frozen spinach, thawed and drained
1/2 cup cottage cheese
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese

Cook chicken with chili paste, when chicken is cooked through, stir in pesto. Set aside.

Stir together spinach and cottage cheese. Set aside.

In a meatloaf pan, spray non-stick spray. Layer one of the noodles, spread on chicken and pesto, sprinkle Romano cheese on top. Layer 1 or 2 more noodles, to cover chicken, spread on spinach mixture. Layer 1 or 2 more noodles, to cover, then sprinkle on mozzarella cheese.

Bake at 375 for 35-45 min. (I could be making that temperature up...so check it often) until the cheese is browned on the edges and noodles are al dente.

Flip pan upside-down onto a plate and let sit for 5-10 min. Remove from pan and enjoy!

Makes 3 Servings.