Recipe: Slow Cooker Vegan Pumpkin and White Bean Lasagna

When I moved into my new house last year, after losing 50% of my kitchenware, my mother was nice enough to buy me a crock pot. My original intentions were to use it to heat up rum and cider and I was never sure if I'd find a good use for it to make food. In some families, crock pot cooking is the norm, but my mom never got down with crock pot cooking when I was growing up. The idea of putting food in a pot and letting it cook all day seemed odd to me. But after my boyfriend recently grumbled about how long it takes to cook on weeknights, I decided to buy The Vegan Slow Cooker by Kathy Hester. I'm generally hesitant about buying cookbooks sight unseen, but after reading reviews for the cookbook, it seemed like it would have some fairly simple recipes that we could try out.

And by "we" I mean my boyfriend.

I had every intention of making this vegan pumpkin lasagna myself. But...I basically just ended up just getting spices out of the cupboard. Not sure how that happened exactly, but if someone wants to make you dinner - don't turn them down.

Vegan Pumpkin and White Bean Lasagna

Ingredients:

For the pumpkin tofu ricotta:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 sun dried tomatoes rehydrated
• 1 package silken, soft, or firm tofu
• 1 can cooked pumpkin
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 2 cloves crushed garlic
• salt and pepper to taste

For the lasagna:

• 1 jar pasta sauce
• 3/4 package regular (not no boil) noodles
• 1 can (14 ounces) white beans, rinsed and drained

Method:

1. Make the pumpkin tofu ricotta. Blend all ingredients until creamy. 
2. Prepare the crock pot. Spray with cooking oil or grease the pot to prevent the sauce from burning/sticking to the sides. 
3. Spread a think layer of pasta sauce on the bottom of the crock pot. 
4. Break off the corners of a lasagna noodle and place it on top of the sauce. (to make use of the whole crock pot, break other noodles to fill in the rest of the pot). Place a single layer of noodles over the sauce.
5. Spread 1/3 of the ricotta mixture over the noodles. 
6. Spread a thin layer of sauce over the pumpkin ricotta mix.
7. Spread 1/3 of the beans over the sauce. 
8. Repeat the layers two more times and end with noodles on top. Top noodles with remaining pasta sauce.
9. Cook on low for 3 to 4 hours or on high for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

So how did it turn out? Because I went for a longer run than I'd originally planned (oops) the noodles got a little overcooked. But...the lasagna still ended up being really good. There was a very subtle pumpkin flavor. Otherwise, it tasted like good old lasagna. (and my boyfriend tells me the lasagna is better reheated - he had the leftovers for lunch yesterday) I wasn't the biggest fan of the beans, but...they added protein. And my boyfriend liked them, so...maybe we'd include them when we make this recipe again. If using tofu in a recipe weirds you out, this recipe could be easily vegetarian-ized. You'd just swap tofu for ricotta cheese and omit the nutritional yeast. I'm sure it would be just as good.

Overall, I'd say this was a cooking WIN. Not just because I didn't have to lift a finger, but because this was a super easy meal to make and it was a really interesting way to use pumpkin. Let me know if you give this recipe a try! And if you're looking for quick and easy recipes to try out in your crock pot, pick up The Vegan Slow Cooker!

You down with OPP? (Original Pancake House's Pancakes)

There seems to be an epidemic of talk of being single in Cleveland blogs this week, so I'll avoid dipping into the melancholy.  Instead I want to talk to you about OPP - the Original Pancake House's pancakes.  (it's a stretch, I know.)

I went to the house of flapjackery last weekend.  I'm generally not a fan of breakfast, but my eating has been a little bit out of whack lately, so I figured why the heck not?  (BTW - that's my motto for 2010 - why the heck not?  that should lead me on some exciting adventures!)  It was breakfast time.  I was hungry.  And I'd never been there before.

I was expecting an experience in between Denny's (frightening and dirty) and Eat 'N Park (ok service - meh food).  Thankfully, the Original Pancake House is like neither of those other places.  I went to the Woodmere location.  It was jam packed with people, which I assumed was a good sign.  The hostess was friendly and I was seated just a couple minutes after walking in the door.  My server greeted me with a mug of steaming hot coffee when he approached the table.  (A good way to up the dollars per sale, if you ask me.  How many people will refuse fresh hot coffee on a cold December morning?  Hmmm?)

I was uber delighted to see pumpkin pancakes on the menu.  (Remember my love of all things pumpkin that I blabbed about in early fall?)  They're surprisingly hard to find.  At least at most chain-type restaurants.  I decided to order them without the dollops of whipped cream that are supposed to be served with them, but I still think they were a thing of glory.

 

Yes, folks, they tasted as good as they look.  I could have polished off the whole plate...but I restrained myself.  The subtle pumpkin-y flavor got better with every bite.  I liked these pancakes so much, I might just go back again before the holidays.  Considering that I've been a breakfast-phobe for so long, that's a strong statement coming from me.  But these pancakes were just THAT good!

What's your favorite Cleveland breakfast spot?

Another great pumpkin discovery - Stonyfield Farm Pumpkin Pie Yogurt

Through the power of social media, I frequently get alerts tweeted to me or sent to me via Facebook about new healthy, organic, or vegetarian friendly products. About a month ago, Stonyfield Farm Yogurt sent out an update (and a much less exciting press release) announcing the release of a new fall limited edition yogurt flavor - pumpkin pie. Loving all things pumpkin, I was SO excited and ran to the grocery store to look for this new item. Unfortunately for me, I wasn't able to find the pumpkin pie variety until yesterday. (I know, the agony!)

I'll be the first person to admit that I'm a yogurt snob. For so many years I couldn't eat yogurt since it was infused with gelatin to make it "creamier," so if a yogurt doesn't meet my taste and texture preferences, I don't even feel bad about throwing it away. I'm sad to report that the texture of this pumpkin pie yogurt was a little bit thicker than I'd generally care for, but the authentic pumpkin pie taste really made up for that. (And at only 130 calories, I'm guessing it's a bit "better for me" than real pie) It's pretty incredible how spot on the flavor is. If you blind-folded me, and real pie and this yogurt had the same texture (impossible, I know...but work with me here), it might be hard to tell the difference, except for the slightly sour aftertaste of the yogurt.

I'm hoping this is one of the the first of many pumpkin flavored product discoveries this fall. Too bad I didn't discover this cool treat last week when it was still hot and pumpkin pie coffee today, since it's so cold...oh well. Are there any new fall inspired products that you're a fan of?