Unique and yummy recipes
I stumbled across these recipes on Runner's World...they sound weird, but they are very very tasty and healthy to boot (confirmed by my meat-eating roommate; I didn't tell her there was tofu in the lasagna...she thought it was ricotta cheese :) ). And both are very easy to make.
Lentil Tacos-
My changes: used whole wheat tortillas and varied the seasoning amounts. I ended up have to pretty much quadruple the broth/water- lentils take awhile to cook, so keep an eye on them so the water doesn't run out!
1 cup onions, diced
1/4 cup celery, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup brown lentils, dry
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 cup water or vegetable broth
3 tablespoons dried black currants or raisins, minced
1 cup salsa, plus additional for topping
8 6-inch corn tortillas
shredded lettuce ,chopped tomatoes, shredded cheddar cheese (optional)
In a large frying pan over medium heat, sauted onions, celery, and garlic in the olive oil for five minutes or until vegetables are soft. Stir in the lentils, chili powder, cumin, and oregano. Cook for one minute. Add the broth and raisins. Cover and cook for 20 minutes, or until the lentils are tender (add more water or broth as needed). Remove the lid and cook an additional 10 minutes (until lentils are thick), stirring often. Fold in the salsa. Wrap the tortillas in a damp white cotton towel and microwave on high for one minute. Spoon the lentil mixture among the tortillas. Top with lettuce, tomatoes, and cheese. Serves four.
Potato Lasagna
My changes- I used 3 potatoes and 1 lb tofu to fill an 8 X 8 pan, but left the rest of the ingredients the same, so if you make the full portion, you may want to increase the seasonings/oil/lemon juice/honey. I added a layer of sliced mushrooms and did not use light sauce or part-skim cheese.
6 medium potatoes
2 lbs firm tofu
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 tbsp honey
1 Tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil
4 tsp dried basil
1 tsp garlic powder
1 qt light spaghetti sauce
1 cup shredded, part-skim mozzarella cheese
Directions: Boil, steam or microwave potatoes until tender. Chill for at least 30 minutes. In a large bowl, mash tofu with a fork or potato masher. Add lemon juice, honey, salt, oil, basil and garlic powder. Combine thoroughly and set aside.When you're ready to assemble the lasagna, peel and slice potatoes. In a 9x13-inch pan, spread a thin layer of sauce. Layer half the sliced potatoes on top, then spread half of the tofu mixture over the potatoes, then half the remaining spaghetti sauce onto the tofu. Repeat this layering process with the remaining potatoes, tofu and sauce, then sprinkle mozzarella on top.Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Serves 12.
