Pumpkin Mushroom Lasagna is one of the main dishes in the "Autumn" section of the Moosewood Restaurant Farm Fresh Meals Deck that I reviewed last week. The original recipe calls for canned pumpkin, which doesn't exit in my house, and lots of ricotta and parmesan cheeses. I veganized the Moosewood recipe by using tofu ricotta a la Isa (see below). Instead of pumpkin, I used roasted simply because it was already in the house. The result was exceptional, and has become a new favorite for us!



Delicata Crimini Lasagna
Yields: 4 big servings or 6 medium servings

6 no-boil lasagna noodles
2 delicata squashes
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 cups chopped onions
3 cups chopped crimini mushrooms
2 tsp dried rubbed sage
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup vegetable broth
1 Ener-g Egg Replacer egg
1 1/2 cups tofu ricotta (see recipe below)
pinch ground black pepper
pinch ground nutmeg (fresh, please!)
1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs

Halve, seed and roast squashes, skin up, on a baking sheet for 25 minutes at 400°F.

In a large skillet, heat oil on medium low and add onions. Cook onions for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add mushrooms and saute an additional 5 minutes. Add sage, half of the salt and the vegetable broth. Simmer on low heat for 5 minutes and then remove from heat and set aside.

In a large bowl,scoop out the roasted flesh from the squash skins and mash it with a fork. Discard the skins. Stir in Ener-g egg, tofu ricotta, pepper, nutmeg, and remaining salt. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 375°F and lightly spray a 7x9 or 8x8 glass baking dish with olive oil.

Dip out about 1/4 cup of the liquid from the mushroom pan and pour into the prepared baking dish. Place two lasagna noodles in the bottom of the dish and then spread on half of the squash-tofu mixture. Spoon on a third of the mushrooms. Add a second layer of noodles, followed by the remaining squash-tofu mixture, another third of the mushrooms. Finish with a layer of noodles, thoroughly soaked by the last of the mushrooms. Sprinkle the top with breadcrumbs.

Cover with foil and bake for 50 minutes. Uncover and bake for an additional 10 minutes until the lasagna is bubbly. Allow to rest about 10 minutes before cutting, unless you want a sloppy mess on your hands! This lasagna begs to be served alongside a crisp green salad. Ours was topped with sliced Asian pear and a honey mustard dressing, making for a perfect Autumn meal.



Tofu Ricotta from by Isa Chandra Moskowitz
Yield: 1-1/2 cups

8 oz extra firm tofu, pressed and crumbled by hand
1 tsp lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
4-5 handful fresh basil leaves, chopped fine
pinch tsp salt
dash fresh black pepper
1 tsp olive oil
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast flakes

In a small bowl and using your hands as weapons of tofu destruction, crumble tofu and mix with lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper and basil. This should take about 2-5 minutes. Add olive oil and stir in with a fork. Add nutritional yeast and stir (also with the fork). Tofu ricotta can be used immediately, or covered and refrigerated for later use.