Sweet Potato Lasagna

This is our favorite entertaining meal. It can be made ahead, it tastes great and no one would ever guess that it's vegan and I think it's tastier than my favorite non-vegan lasagna. The secret is the cashew ricotta cheese. The prep work is a little time consuming but definitely worth it. I soak the cashews and cut and marinate the vegetables the night before. I usually double the recipe and freeze one to enjoy later for a quick and tasty dinner. This recipe has been adapted from Healthy, Happy, Life http://kblog.lunchboxbunch.com/2010/06/vegetable-lasagna-vegan-ricotta-nut.html
The seasonings are estimates as I don't usually measure them so you may need to adjust the seasoning.

Cashew Ricotta
2 cups cashews, soaked 2-4 hours or overnight
1 garlic clove
2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 Tbsp. basil
1/4 Tbsp. oregano
1/4 Tbsp. thyme
1 Tbsp. maple syrup
1/2 cup nondairy milk

Combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Add more milk if necessary.

Sweet Potato Lasagna

1/2 recipe of cashew ricotta

1 box lasagna noodles
1 jar marinara sauce
1/2 cup non-dairy cheese optional

Veggies
1 medium sweet potato, thinly sliced
1 zucchini, thinly sliced
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup diced onion optional
1-2 cups leafy greens
1 tomato, sliced

Marinade
3 chopped garlic cloves
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. water or vegetable stock
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 Tbsp. basil
3/4 Tbsp. oregano
3/4 Tbsp. thyme
1/2 tsp. pepper

Cut the veggies and prepare the marinade. Marinate all the veggies except the sweet potato 2-4 hours or overnight. Blanch the sweet potatoes in boiling water for 4-5 minutes so that they're soft but not quite tender. Assemble the lasagna: sauce, noodles, greens, zucchini, ricotta, sauce, noodles, sweet potatoes, ricotta, sauce, noodles, mushrooms, onion, ricotta, sauce, noodles, sauce, tomatoes, non-dairy cheese shreds. I use Daiya. Bake in a preheated oven at 400 degrees for 45 minutes.

Vegan Nachos Supreme

This was my first time eating vegan nachos, and I’m addicted. These are so good. Vegan nachos where have you been all my life? This is my new late night snack. We piled on refried beans, guacamole, tomatoes, cilantro, and onion and then slathered on some vegan cheese sauce. The recipe for the cheese sauce came from Kathy at Healthy. Happy. Life.  http://kblog.lunchboxbunch.com/2010/07/cheese-peas-n-pasta-meatless-monday.html

I love that this cheese recipe uses a sweet potato. It gives the cheese a beautiful bright orange color. I made just a few minor changes like reducing the amount of nutritional yeast to 4 tablespoons and omitting the olive oil. We also love this on our black bean tacos (recipe coming soon) as well as the pasta and peas dish at Healthy. Happy. Life. We made our Quick and Easy Guacamole. I don't measure the ingredients so the recipe that follows are just estimates you may need to adjust to your own taste preference.

Quick and Easy Guacamole

1 avocado

2 Tbsp. salsa

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 Tbsp. lime juice

Optional add-ins:

1-2 Tbsp. Cilantro

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

1/2 diced tomato

1 Tbsp. diced peppers
1 Tbsp. diced red onion