I wouldn’t go so far as to label myself a hippie or anything. Although I do enjoy a good amount of Canned Heat, I’m just not old enough. What I could call myself is frugal. I grew up with granola in the house but it was “Dad’s Cereal”. Which is, of course, why it was so elusive. We were told it was too expensive for us to burn through on a Saturday morning and we were much better off with the Fruit Loops within reach. However, little did my Mother know that as one of the few occasions my brother and I would get along, we would tag team to the top shelf for a sneaky handful from the protected bag of goodness.

Being the rebel that I am, I’ve continued to prefer granola over mass produced O’s, but the one tidbit of price tag always stuck with me. The giant yellow box is half the price of the tiny one I covet. Seeing you can’t stuff air into oatmeal must be one reason for the price difference and of course, that age old saying of getting what you pay for.

As frugal as I am, I tend to never order in a restaurant or buy anything food wise that I could easily make for myself at home. Granola, naturally fits into this category quite well. After recently receiving a bag each of dried papaya and almonds I hit my pantry to complete the list of ingredients.

Although filled with a little more of the good stuff than most store brands, I would call it pretty close to that shoveled childhood handful. All I need to go with it is the bravery of Lolo to commit to making my own soy milk to go with it.

LOW FAT TROPICAL GRANOLA

2 Cups Whole Oats, Old Fashioned
1/3 Cup Dried Papaya, 2 spears halved and diced
1/3 Cup Almonds, coarsely chopped
1/3 Cup Unsweetened Shredded Coconut
1/4 teaspoon Salt
2 Tablespoons Safflower Oil
3 Tablespoons Blue Agave Nectar
2 Tablespoons Brown Rice Syrup

Preheat the oven to 300ºF.
Toss the oats, papaya, almonds, coconut and salt together in a large bowl.
In a small saucepan combine the oil, agave and syrup.
Mix well to combine and heat until it just begins to bubble.
Remove from the heat and pour over the dry ingredients. Stir well to coat.
Spread evenly over a parchment lined, edged cookie sheet.
Bake for 10 minutes. Stir to mix and rotate pan.
Return to oven and bake for an additional 5 – 10 minutes.
Shake granola lightly to break apart any large piece and leave to cool completely.
Store in an airtight container.

It’s unseasonably warm but damp today. Crazily enough, once winter takes it’s hold, at least for me, I just wish it would put us into it’s full throws. Cold, crisp, freeze your the inside of your nose, crunchy snow kind of winter. I find it a little easier warming up from the cold rather than the damp which is why today, I needed a little extra help.

Quick, satisfying, revive you to your toes help, like potato leek soup.

Potato leek is virtually the premise for most vegan “cream” soups, which is what makes it so perfect.
The simplicity leaves for the attention to details like the perfect potato, consistency, herb combination and finishing drizzles of infused oils and the like. It’s a free pallet that’s open for individual taste, but no matter what your preference, the satisfaction is all there.

I choose to keep my soup fairly au natural as possible then jazzing it up with some little bite sized Walnut Rosemary and Kalamata Madeleines.
Mmmm savoury and delicious.

CREAMLESS POTATO LEEK SOUP

4 Medium Yukon Gold Potatoes, peeled and diced
2 Large Leeks, light green and white parts
2 Tablespoon Olive Oil
3 Tablespoons Dry White Wine
4 Sprigs Fresh Thyme, 1 teaspoon dried
1/2 Sprig Fresh Rosemary, finely minced, about 1/2 teaspoon
2 Bay Leaves
6 Cups Vegetable Stock or Water
1 teaspoon Salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper or to taste
1 Cup Unflavoured Soy Milk

Rinse the leeks well then thinly slice.
Peel and dice the potatoes.
In a large stockpot, heat the oil over a medium-high flame.
Add the leeks to the oil and sweat until they are softened, about 3-5 minutes.
Pour over the wine and sauté for an additional minute.
Add the potatoes and stir well to prevent sticking.
Add the stock, salt, bay leaves, rosemary and thyme.
Bring the soup to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are soft, about 20 minutes.
Add the pepper and remove the bay leaves and thyme stems.
Then blend with a hand immersion blender or a food processor until smooth.
Once slightly cooled, stir in the soy milk.
Adjust salt and pepper, if necessary.
Garnish with truffle oil, chives, smoked gouda or toasted garlic… you name the taste.

I love latkes. It’s almost bad, how much I like latkes. A holiday tradition usually brings sharing and that might be my biggest problem. To date the best solution I’ve had is to make them smaller so I have more. That way it takes me a little longer to eat them and gives others a chance to snag one.

Usually served on their own with a choice of apple sauce or sour cream on the side, I wanted to offer something with them to dress them up, especially when served as an appetizer. Slathered on a plate, I like the sour cream option, but there’s something about the salty grease that goes so well with a little tartness.

For platter passing, otherwise known as sharing, I conjured up my own applish sauce, just a little fancier for the Hoildays. I added the glimmer of pomegranate to quince to make this tart and spicy relish.

It was pretty good. I ate the whole plate.
… But after I was done, I thought I might just make another batch, maybe even double it – to share.
The relish in a little jar tied with a red bow, might just make a pretty sweet hostess gift.

EGGLESS POTATO LATKES

4 – 5 Yukon Gold Potatoes, 2 -2 1/2 Cups grated
1 Small Onion, finely diced
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Arrowroot Powder
3 Tablespoons All Purpose Flour
1/2 teaspoon Salt
2/3 Cup Oil for Frying (more or less)

Peel and grate the potatoes and squeeze as much moisture from them as you can.
Add them to a large bowl, along with the finely dice the onion.
Sift the baking powder, arrowroot and flour.
Dust the dry mix along with the salt, over the potatoes, stirring while you add to incorporate it evenly.
Heat half of the oil in a large sauté pan over a medium-high setting.
Either with your clean hands or spoons, shape the potato into a 2″ diameter ball, again squeezing excessive liquid, if necessary. Lightly pat the finished ball to flatten once it’s added to the heated oil.
Repeat to fill the pan and fry for about 5-6 minutes on each side or until crisp and golden.
Drain latkes of oil over brown bags and paper towels.

Serve with Pomegranate Quince Chutney, apple sauce, or sour cream.

POMEGRANATE QUINCE CHUTNEY

1 Quince, peeled and roughly diced
1/2 Cup water (give or take)
1/8 teaspoon Freshly Grated Nutmeg
pinch Cinnamon
2 Cloves
2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
1 Tablespoon Orange Balsamic Vinegar*
1/4 Cup Pomegranate Seeds, 1/2 Pomegranate

Peel and dice the quince into 1/2″ cubes.
Add the quince to a small saucepan and cover with just enough water to submerge.
Simmer over a medium-high heat until just tender; about 8 – 10 minutes.
Remove from the heat. Add the quince, along with the remaining water, to a sauté pan.
Continuing over a medium-high heat, sauté the quince, adding the cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg.
Once the liquid has reduced, add the brown sugar and balsamic vinegar.
Lower the heat to medium and simmer to create a syrup; 1-2 minutes.
Add the pomegranate seeds and continue to simmer to release the juice.
Remove the chutney from the heat, find and take out the cloves, then gently mash with a fork. (Watch for pomegranate juice, it stains.)
Serve a top latkes or other savory dishes as a condiment.

*If you don’t have orange balsamic vinegar, you may try substituting regular balsamic with the zest of one orange; about a teaspoon.

Stuffing is easily the highlight of most Holiday dinners. It’s what turns Sunday dinner in to a Holiday feast and there are about the same amount of people who eat it that there are ways of making it.

Here, I’ve combined a few of my favourites with a little seasonal flare, creating something scrumptious, festive and memorable.

What would be lovely on it’s own, shuffled up beside stewed cranberries, I originally thought I would stuff red onions. Upon a quick search, I found that the beautiful site, Smitten Kitchen had already done just that but with much different stuffing. Having a surplus of onions and one lonely pumpkin still left from Halloween, I decided to march forward and give you all one more pumpkin dish.

Naturally the stuffing can be baked up on it’s own, or in any other found cavity, but I really liked the moisture and the sweetness of this little pie pumpkin. It really complemented the dried persimmons and roasted chestnuts headlining the dressing.

…And I still had a little left over for a few onions after all.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. Thank you for all your kind words and encouragement.
Enjoy the day, your friends, family and your dinner.

ROASTED CHESTNUT AND PERSIMMON STUFFING

1/3 Cup Brown Rice
3 T Wild Rice
1 Cup Water
1/2 teaspoon Salt

10 Chestnuts, roasted and roughly chopped
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 Tablespoon Margarine
1 Red Onion, finely diced
2 Stalks of Celery, finely diced
1/3 Cup Dried Persimmons, roughly chopped
1/2 teaspoon Salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon Fresh Black Pepper 0r to taste
10 Fresh Sage Leaves, finely chopped
1 teaspoon Rosemary, finely chopped
1 1/2 Tablespoons Fresh Thyme Leaves, chopped
3 Cups Whole Grain Bread, day old, cubed
1 1/2 Cups Vegetable stock
1 Pie Pumpkin, 2 – 3 pounds

In a medium saucepan, bring the water to a near boil, add the rice and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
Once the water begins to boil, cover the pan and reduce the heat to low and let it sit for 15 – 20 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
Keeping the rice covered, turn off the heat and leave the pan for an additional 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, with a sharp paring knife, score the bottom of each chestnut with an “X”.
Dry roast over a cookie sheet for about 15 minutes, or until the chestnuts are opened and fragrant.
Twist the roasted chestnuts in a tea towel to loosen the skins and allow to cool.
Remove the top and clean the inside of the pumpkin, reserving seeds for another use, if desired.
Place the pumpkin upside down in a small roasting pan with enough water added to just cover the bottom.
Par-roast the pumpkin for 20 minutes at 350ºF.
In a large sauté pan, heat the oil then add the margarine.
Sauté the diced onions and celery until translucent; 3 – 5 minutes.
Cube the bread and add, tossing to coat and crisp all sides.
Peel and roughly chop the chestnuts as well as the dried persimmons and add to the bread mixture.
Follow with the chopped herbs, salt, pepper and stock stirring well to combine.
Adjust seasonings where and if necessary.
Fill the pumpkin, stuffing it as tightly as possible and cover it with aluminum foil.
Return it to the oven and continue to bake it at 350ºF for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking for another 20-25 minutes or until the pumpkins is tender.
The dish may be served cut in wedges, otherwise the stuffing may be removed and the pumpkin scraped to be offered along side.

I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like to share at Thanksgiving. Quite frankly, it means there’s more to go around and it makes everyone feel good, of course.
Suganya, over at Tasty Palettes is doing just that. She’s been putting together a bit of a vegan recipe go to, perfect for vegans and non alike. Check it out, there’s sure to be quite a list to find something for dinner.

CRANBERRY PUMPKIN TEACAKES

2 Cups Drained, Puréed Jarrahdale* Pumpkin
1/4 Cup Vegetable Oil
3/4 Cup Brown Sugar
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
1/2 Cup All Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1 teaspoon Lemon Juice or Zest of One Lemon
1/2 Cup Cranberries, fresh or frozen – dried may also be substituted but will not give as fresh and tart of a flavour

Heat the oven to 350ºF.
Prepare large hole muffin tins with a spritz of spray oil.
Drain the pumpkin in a large mesh sieve in order to remove any excess liquid.
In a large bowl, combine the pumpkin, sugar and oil.
Add the vanilla, cinnamon, salt and lemon.
Once combined, add the flour, baking powder and baking soda, mixing only to moisten.
Fold in the cranberries and drop by the spoonful into the muffin tin.
Filling about 3/4 full, flatten the tops the back of a clean, dampened finger or spoon to make each cake even and level.
Bake for about 18 minutes or until a cake tester can be removed cleanly.

Allow to cool slightly then remove from tins to a rack to cool completely before dusting with confectioners sugar.
Serves perfectly with a big hat and a steeped Earl Grey.

*Jarrahdale pumpkins are beautiful, blue ridged heirlooms which originated from Australia. Terrific for baking, they have a velvety texture with a mild sweetness and a vibrant orange flesh. Of course other unseasoned pumpkin purées may be substituted if one can’t be found.

Upon returning from vacation I couldn’t help but notice one of my pumpkins from my collection. The skin of my Marina Di Chioggia had turned much darker than its original green and although I don’t know a whole heck of a lot about pumpkins and their various shades green, I do know that my prized Marina Di Chioggia is one of the most delectable of all the gourd breeds.

From the coasts near Venice, love is in the air for the pumpkin aptly nicknamed “Deliziosa”. The hard, green shell of this heirloom pumpkin may be a pain to peel, or even get into for that matter, but it’s sweet, subtle flavour and silky flesh certainly make it worth it. To claim victory over the tough to surrender peel, just make one cut around to get in and clean out the seeds, then simply roast the pumpkin in a short depth of water for about 90 minutes at 350ºF.

Of all the heirlooms gathered from the patch this season, the glorious Marina Di Chioggia is perfect for just about any recipe. It’s sweet yet delicate and can hold it’s own beautifully in pies, pasta and of course, gnocchi.

Perpetually intimidated by making gnocchi, with or without eggs, I found that this pumpkin is a great addition to the delightful dumplings. Typically worried about them being gummy and dense or at worst, falling apart in the cooking water, I found nothing of the sort. The dough was quite soft, so depending on the extent of draining you do, climate you live in and any other moisture factors, you may have to adjust the amount of flour to create a workable dough.

…And with a terrific yield, everyone can look forward to a few great pumpkin recipes to add to autumn and holiday collection.

MARINA DI CHIOGGIA GNOCCHI

1 1/2 Cups Marina Di Chioggia Pumpkin, about 1/2 roasted
1 Russet Baking Potato, baked in it’s skin
1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt
1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
Scant 1/2 teaspoon Dried Thyme Leaves
Pinch of Black Pepper & Nutmeg
1 3/4 Cups Unbleached All Purpose Flour, plus extra for rolling

Prick with a fork and bake the potato in a 350ºF oven for about 1 hour or in a microwave for 10-12 minutes, turning it over after 6 minutes.
Once the potato is just cool enough to handle, break it open and scrape the inside and continue to mash with the fork or a potato ricer.
Remove the roasted pumpkin from the skin. Place it in a sieve and allow it to drain as much extra moisture as possible.
Purée or pass the drained pumpkin through a sieve.
In a large bowl, mix the potato and the pumpkin purée with the remaining ingredients, adding in the flour 1/4 cup at a time.
Once the mixture comes together as a smooth, workable dough, transfer it to a flat board and cut it into eight pieces.
One by one, roll each of the pieces into 3/4″ diameter cylinders then cut them into 1/2″ pieces.
Using the back of a floured fork, push and roll each of the cut pieces down towards the end of the fork to create the ribbed gnocchi shape.
Roll in additional flour, if necessary and set aside.

Put a large pot of slightly salted water on to boil.
Once the water is rapidly boiling, drop the gnocchi in.
Cook only until the gnocchi begins to float, about 2 minutes, watching carefully being sure not to over cook.
Drain all at once or with a slotted spoon.
Serve immediately with butter, pesto, classic tomato sauce or toss with spinach and thyme.

SPINACH THYME TOSS

Heat about 2 Tablespoons of lactose free margarine (or butter) and add 2 cloves of minced garlic and 1/2 teaspoon of fresh or dried thyme leaves.
Once the margarine has melted and the garlic begins to sizzle, add a full handful of baby spinach leaves, about two cups and sauté to wilt.
Toss the cooked gnocchi with the spinacg to brown slightly.
Serve immediately.

Back when I was younger and maybe a little more daring, dinners at home were sure tear jerkers.

My room mate and I at the time would frequently bring home or make our own sushi. In fact, it was our equivalent to most other twenty something’s macaroni and cheese.

About a bottle of sake later, the games would begin….
Starting with a fleck, then working up to a gob, we would up each other’s wasabi intake. For those unfamiliar with the powers of the great green Japanese horseradish, wasabi most closely resembles a spicy hot mustard sensation.

Serving our sushi with it’s typical Wasabi-joyu, soy sauce combination for dipping, we embraced the festivities, upping the ante with the additional blob atop the sushi itself. You see, when wasabi is a even a little over loaded, the sensation is nothing like the burning tongue of a pepper. Starting with a tingle, it continues, flurrying up your nasal passage, stopping only at the bottom of your eye, usually finishing with a tear and a jolt of adrenaline.

Watching someone suffer is not only entertaining, but addictive, which, I suppose is why we did it. As juvenile foodies, I’m sure there is much more mischief we could have been getting ourselves into. But oh, it hurt so good.

VEGETARIAN SUSHI ROLLS

1 Cup Glutenous Rice
1 2/3 Cups Water
2 Tablespoons Rice Wine Vinegar
4 – 6 Asparagus Spears
1/2 English Cucumber
1 Avocado
1 Asian Purple Yam, optional
1 Carrot, optional
3-6 Sugar Snap Peas, optional
2 Tablespoons Black Sesame Seeds
4 Sheets Nori

Low Sodium Soy Sauce
Wasabi

Be sure to seek out glutenous rice. It may be white, but it’s sticky and it’s what works.
Prepare the rice as to the package directions.
The same as the rice, be sure to use nothing other than rice wine vinegar. Most grocers carry it, but if you can’t find it, I wouldn’t suggest substituting anything else for it.
Sprinkle the rice vinegar over the rice and stir well to coat grains.
Allow the rice to cool enough to handle.
Cut the cucumber into 1/2″ strips.
Peel and cut the carrot into matchsticks.
Trim and steam the asparagus.
Peel and pit the avocado. Slice into 1/4″ lengths.
Peel and steam the yam. Slice into 1/2″ strips.
Wash and string the sugar snap peas.

If you have a bamboo sushi mat, use it. Otherwise, you should get by on a cutting board, it just might be a bit stickier.
With wet hands, spread a thing layer of rice over a nori sheet.
Sprinkle over 1/2 – 1 teaspoon of the sesame seeds.
If you’d like the roll “inside out”, flip it over before filling.
Fill the roll placing thin rows of 2 asparagus spears, avocado, yam and carrot about an inch from the edge of the nori sheet.*
Roll the sushi away from you, tucking tightly until you reach the end.
Lightly dampen the end of the nori with water and allow the sushi roll to rest on the seam as you continue to roll the remaining ingredients.

*Other tasty combinations are:
Sugar Snap Peas, Carrot & Avocado
Just cucumber. Just avocado. Just asparagus.
Yam and Carrot.
If your feeling playful with any of these combinations, dot a smear of wasabi beside the veg for an extra fun kick.

Serve with soy sauce and additional wasabi.

Makes 4 Rolls.

OLIVE OIL TART CRUST (Gluten Free)

1 Cup (Cranberry) Bean Flour
1/2 Cup Soy Flour
1/2 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Frozen
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/4 Cup Ice Water

Freeze pre-measured olive oil in a small bowl.
Measure flours into the bowl of a food processor, pulsing to sift.
Add the salt and frozen olive oil.
Combine until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
With the motor running, add the water 1 tablespoon at a time.
Stop once about half of the water has been added to begin checking the consistency of the dough by pinching the crumbs. The dough should hold together but not be sticky.
Add the remaining water as necessary.
Bring the dough together into a ball, then flatten it into a disk.
Wrap in cling film and refrigerate for a minimum of 15 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
Roll the chilled dough 1/8″ thick to fit a 10″ tart pan.
Fit the dough in the pan and dock the dough with a fork.
Line the dough with a circle of parchment.
Add dried beans or pastry weights.
Blind bake for 12 minutes and allow to cool in the oven slightly before removing.

I’m not sure when I first had a sweet potato with tomato, but I do know I’ve always liked it.
The sweetness combined with the slight tang of tomato sauce creates such a delicious balance.

When I first decided I was going to make this for presto pasta night, I was dreading the idea of laborious ravioli when I remembered a gift from my cousin in Poland. Years back, she was here for a visit and in my typical, true form, I wanted to learn whatever she’d share about her favorite traditional and classic meals from home.
Upon her return, she sent me a gift. In it contained a cookbook of tripe, boiled potatoes, battered pork chops and borscht and a set of pierogi makers.

Not one to throw anything away, yes I still have the book – it is a conversation piece after all, I dug out the pierogi maker, rolled my dough and set to seal some sweet potato.
It was so easy and quick, honestly, I was finished making the ravioli faster than my pot of water could boil. And, as expected, homemade pasta wins again!

SWEET POTATO RAVIOLI

1/2 Cup Unbleached Flour
1/2 Cup Semolina Flour
1/3 Cup Hot Water
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1 Tablespoon Tomato Purée, Optional
1 Sweet Potato

Bring a pot of water to boil; peel and dice the sweet potato and add to the water.
Once the sweet potato is softened, drain, mash and set aside.
In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flours and salt.
With the motor slowly running and the feeder tube removed, add the oil, tomato purée and slowly drizzle in the hot water.
At this point the dough should come together into a ball, if it doesn’t add more water, 1 teaspoon at a time.
Remove the ball of dough from the food processor and divide in half.
Roll each piece as thinly as possible and using the pierog/ravioli maker, cut as many rounds as possible from the dough.
Place one circle of dough into the maker and add about a teaspoon of the mashed sweet potato.
Seal and repeat with the remaining dough.
Bring another large pot of water to boil and add the finished pierogi.
Cook to al denté. Remove when they begin to float, after about 3 – 4 minutes.
Serve with a primavera tomato sauce or a fresh tomato sauce.

FRESH TOMATO SAUCE

2 Tomatoes, skinned and seeded
1 Clove Garlic, Puréed
pinch of salt
1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Bring a large pot of water to boil.
Prepare a bowl of ice water.
Score the bottom of the tomatoes and drop them into the boiling water for about 1 minute.
Remove and plunge them into the cold water.
Core the tomatoes and remove the skins; slice and remove the seeds.
Mash the tomatoes with a fork and add the puréed garlic, salt and olive oil; mix well.

With this surplus of beets and an urge to make pasta, I set forth to make one of the prettiest pastas most people get a chance to see. Beet pasta is an unmistakable, vibrant pink which even for those who aren’t crazy for beets, and I know you’re out there, must be tempted to try. The beets tend to lend more colour than flavour to the pasta, but that’s alright, that’s what all those layers of the lasagna are for.

I wanted to keep this Presto Pasta dish to the point and make it quickly. Surprisingly the preparation didn’t take all that long at all. Using a food processor everything, except the dishes, was a breeze.

The recipe’s got it’s layers, but it really did only take about 30 minutes to prepare.

FRESH BEET PASTA

1 Red Beet, Medium Peeled
1/3 Cup Hot Water
3/4 Cup Unbleached, All Purpose Flour
1/4 Cup Semolina Flour
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1/2 teaspoon Salt

Peel and roast or boil the beet. Add it to a blender or a food processor along with the hot water.
Purée the beet an strain, reserving the hot liquid.
To the bowl of a food processor, add the flours and the salt.
With the feeder tube open and the motor running, add the oil and the hot water.
Stop the food processor when the dough comes together to form a ball.
If the dough doesn’t come into a ball quickly, you may need to add very small amounts of water, 1/2 teaspoon, at a time until it does.
Remove the ball of dough. It should be moist and pliable but not sticky. Cut it into quarters and cover.
Using a pasta maker or a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface, roll each quarter as thinly as possible.
Trim into long workable strips or leave whole.
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil and drop the pasta sheets in for about 1 -2 minutes. Drain and lay flat until ready to use.

TOFU RICOTTA

1 Package Firm Tofu
1 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon thyme, dried
1/2 teaspoon Onion Powder
1 Tablespoon Nutritional Yeast Flakes, optional
2 Cloves Garlic or 1 teaspoon, minced
Small Sprig of Oregano (about 8-10 leaves), finely chopped
4 – 5 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
A good grinding of black pepper

Place the tofu into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse to mash the tofu until it is small and evenly crumbled. To it, add the nutritional yeast, garlic, oregano salt and pepper.
Drizzle over the olive oil making the mixture come and hold together when held or pressed with a fork.
Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary.

BÉCHAMEL SAUCE

2 Tablespoons Margarine
3 Tablespoons Unbleached All Purpose Flour
2 Cups Soy Milk
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
Pinch of nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon Fresh Black Pepper

In a large saucepan, melt the margarine on a medium heat. Add the flour, stirring well to incorporate and cook.
Once slightly paste like and golden, remove from the heat and whisk in the soy milk.
Return and reduce heat to low. Add the salt, pepper and garlic, stirring occasionally to incorporate and thicken the sauce.
Adjust seasoning as necessary and remove from the heat. Set aside.

SAUTÉED SPINACH AND BEET GREENS

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1/2 White Onion, finely diced
2 Cloves Garlic, minced
1 Bunch Beet Greens
4 Cups Baby Spinach leaves, packed
Salt and pepper to taste

Wash and trim only the brightest and crispest stems from your bunch of beets; chop into 1/2″ lengths.
Heat the oil over a medium high heat in a large sautée pan.
Add the onion and garlic, cook until soft and transparent.
Add the trimmed beet greens, cooking until tender, about 3 – 5 minutes.
Rinse and add the spinach leave; tossing occasionally until bright and wilted.
Remove from heat and set aside.

ASSEMBLY

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
Spoon a thin coating of the béchamel over the bottom of a shallow baking dish.
Add one layer of the pasta and top with an even layer of the tofu ricotta.
Add another layer of the pasta, topping it with another thin layer of the béchamel, followed by the spinach and beet greens mixture.
Cover everything with a thin layer of the remaining pasta and top with what is left of the béchamel.
Thinly sprinkle over nutritional yeast flakes, if desired and bake for about 30 minutes or until the top has evenly browned.