“Only for the serious vegan cook,” she says ominously.

Okay, you feel pretty confident in your vegan cooking skills. You’re looking for a recipe that challenges you, tests your kitchen endurance, your ability to work long hours for 15 minutes of gastronomic delight. Yes, the love of food is such a painful emotion, isn’t it? The meal, so fleeting;
the preparation, so detailed. Read on, brave vegan, and see the challenge that awaits you. Will you accept?

1 box of lasagna noodles, no-boil or pre-boil type
2 cups tomato sauce (your own or store-bought, whatever you want)
2 cups mushrooms, sliced
1 onion, chopped
4-6 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup black olives, sliced
1 carrot, grated
1 red pepper, sliced thin
(any other veggies you want: spinach and zucchini are good, too)
1 lb medium-firm tofu
1 tbsp dried basil
1/2 tbsp dried oregano
sea salt to taste
2 tsp lemon juice
1 recipe SUNFLOWER PATE
1 recipe CHEESE SAUCE

If you have to pre-boil your noodles, do so.

Make up one recipe of sunflower pate, but do not bake it.

In a frying pan, combine all the vegetables and herbs and sauté until they reach desired tenderness.

In your food processor, blend the tofu with the basil, oregano, sea salt and lemon juice, just to combine (don’t blend too smooth).

In a 9″x9″ baking pan, place a layer of tomato sauce, then a layer of noodles. Add the herbed and crumbled tofu, then a layer of sauce. Add a layer of noodles, then pour the entire recipe of sunflower pate over them as another layer. Add a layer of tomato sauce over the pate. Add a layer of noodles, then the sautéed veggies. Then a layer of noodles, a layer of tomato sauce, and pour the “cheese” sauce over all.

Cover with foil and bake in a 400 F oven for 45-60 minutes. Remove the foil and return to oven for 10 minutes (or less) to brown the “cheese” sauce topping.

Let stand for at least 20 minutes before serving.

Serves 6-8