Not Your Average Lasagne!

Hi Friends!

I have a really special recipe to share with you today.  But before I do, I just want to say that I have absolutely nothing against pasta.  I swear.  I love pasta, I really do.  I just don't eat it very often.  Like almost never.  When I do have it, I like it to be whole grain, spelt or brown rice.  Anything but white.  Why?  Because it tastes better (IMO) has a nicer texture, and packs a stronger nutritional punch compared to el blanco.  That being said, I LOVE when vegetables replace pasta in traditional dishes.

You've seen my raw pasta and lasagne dishes here, here, and here.  But this is a baked dish that uses sweet potatoes (quite possibly my favorite veg) as the 'noodles'.  How brilliant is that?  You could almost call it a Mousaka except that the flavors most definitely scream Lasagne.  This recipe is by Miriam who has a website called Mouthwatering Vegan Recipes.  And yes, this recipe was absolutely mouthwatering!  It was slightly sweet from the potatoes, creamy from the 'cheese' sauce and savory from the bolognese sauce.  I made it on Sunday and served it to my carnivorous sister who after one bite said that I HAD to make it at our next family gathering.  She also said that I would have to double the recipe because everyone would want seconds and possibly thirds!  Woohoo!  Score another one for vegan food!  We even decided that my brother would love it.  Did you read that, bro?  You.Will.Love.This.  For reals.

I didn't make any huge alterations to the recipe so I will post the link below.  The only change I really made was to switch out olive oil for coconut oil.  I prefer to only cook with coconut oil because it has a higher smoke point than other oils.  This allowis it to stay stable at higher temps and not become damaged.  Plus, it's better for my skin, and if it's better for my skin then it's better for me!

Next time I would also try baking the zucchini instead of frying them.  The result would be similar but would require much less oil.  Translation: less oil = less fat!  I don't care if it's a "good fat", it's still fat.  Everything in moderation, right?  

Also, the recipe calls for two sweet potatoes but I would definitely use three next time.  I think that Miriam was able to slice her sweet potatoes much thinner than I was so that's probably why it worked for her.  Unfortunately, my mandolin does not have a thickness setting like some do.  If you are able to slice them super thin then you may be able to get away with using two as well. I had enough for two full layers and then I had to really spread them out to cover the top layer. 

 

This dish was beyond delicious and will definitely impress any non-vegan (or anyone, really!).  Promise me that you will make this SOON.  Here is the link to the recipe:
Epic Sweet Potato Lasagne

Enjoy!

Love,
Ves xx