The Best Vegan Lasagna

1cup dried red lentils

(2) 25-ounce jars marinara sauce

1 cup raw cashews

14.5 ounce firm tofu patted dry

½ cup nutritional yeast

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice from about 2 lemons

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon oregano

½ teaspoon garlic powder

3 cups baby spinach

1 box lasagna noodles (about 12 noodles) regular, gluten free or whole grain

2-3 cups vegan shredded vegan mozzarella

Cook the red lentils.Add 1 cup dried red lentils and 3 cups of water to a medium pot. Bring to a boil, and then simmer for about 20 minutes. Drain the lentils in a fine strainer, and then add back to the pot and stir in the marinara sauce. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Make the Cashew-Tofu Ricotta: Add the cashews to a food processor and process until fine and crumbly. Then add the tofu in chunks, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, salt, basil, oregano and garlic powder to the food processor. Pulse until well combined and pretty smooth. If it's too thick, add a few tablespoons of water to blend. Set aside.

Assembling the lasagna:Add about 1 cup of lentil marinara to the bottom of a large 9×13 inch casserole dish. Spread it around evenly. Next add 4-5 lasagna noodles (uncooked). Spread half of the ricotta on top of the noodles. Top with half of the spinach. Add about 1 cup of the marinara sauce over the spinach, then place 4-5 lasagna noodles on top. Spread the rest of the ricotta over the noodles, then the rest of the spinach. Place 4-5 more noodles on top of the spinach, and then pour the rest of the sauce over the top, evenly.

Cover tightly with foil and bake for 40 minutes.

While the lasagna is cooking, make your Vegan Mozzarella Cheese, if using. Alternatively, use 2-3 cups store bought vegan mozzarella cheese.

After 40 minutes, remove the foil and spoon on the mozzarella (or sprinkle the cheese all over). Place the lasagna back in the oven and bake for 20 more minutes, uncovered. Remove from oven, let cool for at least 15 minutes and serve.

Leftover lasagna will keep for about 4 days in the refrigerator. See notes for freezing instructions.

Vegan Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

Cream Cheese Filling

8 ounces vegan cream cheese

1/3 cup powdered sugar

½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Pumpkin Muffins

15 ounce can pumpkin puree

½ cup canola oil

½ cup soy milk

1 cup brown sugar packed

2 cups all purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

Streusal

¼ cup melted vegan butter

1/3 cup brown sugar lightly packed

1/3 cup granulated sugar

¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ cup all purpose flour

• Preheat oven– Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and lightly grease two muffin pans (or make 1 pan at a time). If you want to use paper liners, also make sure to spray the cups lightly with oil so the muffins don’t get stuck to the paper.
• Make the cream cheese filling– In a medium bowl, stir the vegan cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla together until well combined. Set aside.
• Make the muffins– In a large bowl, whisk the pumpkin, oil, soy milk and brown sugar until smooth. Add the flour, baking powder, salt and pumpkin pie spice to the same bowl, and stir until just combined with a wooden spoon.
• Add to muffin pan– Portion 2 tablespoons of muffin batter into the bottom of each liner and use a spoon to create a little crater in the middle for the cream cheese. Drop about 2 teaspoons of cream cheese mixture into the crater, then place more pumpkin batter on top, about 3/4 of the way full.
• Streusel topping– In a small bowl, combined all ingredients and mix with a fork until crumbly. Sprinkle on top of the muffin batter.
• Bake– Bake for 22-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool before serving. Enjoy!

Easy Calzone Recipe 

• 2 lb pizza dough
• 1 cup pizza sauce
• 1 cup pepperoni
• ½ cup salami
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 2 tbsp oil
• ½ cup parmesan cheese

• Preheat the oven to 475 °F. Line the baking sheet with parchment paper or spray it with oil.
• Divide the dough into 8 equally sized pieces. Roll each piece into a 1/4" thick circle.
• Place the filling on half of each circle (pizza sauce, ricotta, pepperoni, salami and shredded mozzarella). Make sure to leave the edges clean to allow for sealing the calzone. Fold the side over the filling and crimp the edges.
• Place calzones on a baking sheet, leaving space apart. Cut a small vent on the top of each calzone. Brush the tops with oil and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Italian Calzone

Olive oil

1/2 yellow onion, thinly sliced

Pinch kosher salt

½ cup butternut squash, cubed

½ cup broccolini, trimmed

½ cup cremini mushrooms, sliced

3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced

1 (12-ounce) batch of store-bought or homemade prepared pizza dough

3 tablespoons jarred marinara sauce

1 (4 oz. ) mozzarella ball

In a medium skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add thinly sliced onions and pinch of salt. Cook onions for 30 minutes, or until onions are browned and caramelized.

While the onions are cooking, pre-heat oven to 400F. Place cubed butternut squash on a baking sheet and toss with a teaspoon of olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 15 minutes, or until soft. Remove and set aside.

When onions are caramelized, add broccolini and cremini mushrooms and sauteé for 5-10 minutes. Add garlic to the top and cook just until fragrant.

Lightly flour your work surface and roll out pizza dough to a 1/8-inch thick circle. Transfer pizza dough to a piece of parchment. Add the tomato sauce to one half. Top with broccolini/mixture. Add the butternut squash and then finish it off with a few slices of mozzarella.

Fold dough in half, over filling, and crimp as desired to seal. Transfer parchment with calzone to a baking sheet. Using a knife, slice a hole in the top. This will allow steam to escape as it bakes. Place it in the oven and cook until dough is puffed up and golden brown, 15-20 minutes.

1-15 pound smoked ham, on the bone

1-1/2 cups orange marmalade

1 cup dijon mustard

1-1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar

1 tablespoon whole cloves

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Trim tough outer skin and excess fat from ham. Put ham in a large roasting pan and score, making crosshatch incisions all over it with a sharp knife. Roast for 2 hours. Remove ham from oven and increase heat to 350 degrees. Combine orange marmalade, mustard and brown sugar in a medium bowl. Stud ham with cloves, inserting one at the intersection of each crosshatch. Then brush entire surface of ham generously with glaze and return to oven. Cook ham another 1-1/2 hours, brushing with glaze at least 3 times. Transfer to a cutting board or platter and allow to rest for about 30 minutes. 

Chicken Scarpariello

• 1 ¼ pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 2 teaspoons butter

• 2 tablespoons shallots, minced

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 cup water

• ½ cup white wine

• 1 cube chicken bouillon

• ½ teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed

• ¼ teaspoon salt

• 1 pinch ground black pepper

• Gather the ingredients.

• Cut chicken breasts into 1 x 3 inch strips, and dredge in flour.

• In 10 inch skillet, heat oil and butter. Add chicken. Cook, turning occasionally, until lightly browned on all sides (3 to 4 minutes). Using tongs, remove chicken from skillet. Set aside and keep warm.

• To same skillet, add shallots and garlic. Saute until softened (1 minute).

• Add water, wine, broth mix, and seasonings. Mix well. Cook, stirring frequently, until liquid is reduced by 1/2 (3 to 4 minutes).

• Return chicken to skillet, and cook until sauce is thick and chicken is heated through (2 to 3 minutes).