Mexican Stuffed Peppers with Walnut Cheese Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 cup quinoa

• 2 cups vegetable stock 

• 4 large  bell peppers (halved long ways, seeds removed)

• 1/2 cup salsa (plus more for serving)

• 1 heaping Tbsp nutritional yeast

• 2 tsp cumin powder

• 1-1/2 tsp chili powder

• 1-1/2 tsp garlic powder

• 1 (15-ounce) can black beans (rinsed & drained)

• 1 cup whole kernel corn fresh or frozen

Directions

Rinse quinoa for about a minute. Put a little bit of oil in a medium sauce pan and lightly toast quinoa. Add broth and bring to a boil. Once boil, reduce to simmer, cover and cook for about 12 to 15 minutes. Check and once all liquid is boiled off, remove from heat, fluff with fork, put cover back on and let sit for 5 minutes for the rest of the water to steam off.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and lightly grease a 9×13 baking dish or rimmed baking sheet.

Brush halved peppers with a neutral, high heat oil (I prefer avocado oil).

In a large mixing bowl and add remaining ingredients – salsa through corn. Mix to thoroughly combine then taste and adjust seasonings accordingly, adding salt, pepper, or more spices as desired.

Generously stuff halved peppers with quinoa mixture until all peppers are full, then cover the dish with foil.

Bake for 30 minutes covered. Then remove foil, increase heat to 400 degrees F, and bake for another 15-20 minutes, or until peppers are soft and slightly golden brown. For softer peppers, bake 5-10 minutes more.

Walnut Cheese Sauce

Ingredients

• 1-1/4 cup walnuts

•  1/4 cup nutritional yeast

• miso to taste (I use 1 tablespoon but I like it tart)

• 1/2  tsp onion powder

• 1/2 tsp sea salt

•  3/4 cup warm water plus extra to get to desired consistency

Directions

Blend 3/4 cup warm water and all the other ingredients until smooth and creamy. Add more water to your desire texture is reached. Remember it will thicken up as it cools so don't make too thin. Taste for seasoning and adjust.

The Best Vegan Lasagna EVER!

Ingredients

For the Lasagna

• 2 cups Savory Cashew Cream

• 4 cups Marinara Sauce, homemade or jarred

• 2 cups Vegan Spinach Ricotta

• 15 cooked al dente lasagna noodles

Savory Cashew Cream

• 2 cups raw cashews, soaked and drained

• 1 cup water

• 1 tablespoon heaping nutritional yeast

• 1 teaspoon miso

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Vegan Spinach Ricotta

• 1  cup  raw cashews, soaked and drained

• 10-12  ounce  firm or extra-firm tofu drained

• 2  cups  fresh baby spinach or 1 cup frozen spinach

• ¼  cup  fresh basil leaves**

• 2  cloves  garlic***

• 1  teaspoon  salt

• 1  teaspoon  light miso (white, yellow, or chickpea)

• 2  Tablespoons  nutritional yeast flakes

Instructions

Make the Savory Cashew Cream

Blend all ingredients in a high-speed blender until creamy and smooth. Reserve 1/2 cup.

Make the Vegan Spinach Ricotta

In a food processor, pulse cashews, garlic, miso, salt, and nutritional yeast until the mixture is fine and crumbly.

Add the tofu, spinach, and basil and pulse to throughly combine.

Assemble the Lasagna

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. Spread one cup of marinara sauce in the bottom of a 13x9 casserole dish.

3. Layer 5 lasagna sheets over the sauce, overlapping slightly

4. Spread 1/2 of the spinach ricotta mixture over the noodles.

5. Pour 1 cup of marinara sauce over the ricotta.

6. Pour 1/2 of the savory cashew cream (minus the reserved 1/2 cup) over the marinara sauce.




7. Repeat with noodles, ricotta, marinara, and cashew cream.

8. Layer remaining 5 noodles on top of the cashew cream, then top with remaining marinara sauce.

9. Cover casserole dish tightly with aluminum foil, and bake for 30 minutes.

10. Remove foil and sprinkle the remaining cashew cream over the top.

11. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes. You can broil for 1 -4 minutes to brown up the top.




12. Let lasagna stand for 15.

Note

I use an ice scream scoop to put the ricotta around and then spread with an icing spreader. Assembling right after making the cream and ricotta is much easier because it is at room temperature.