Vegan tempeh and pumpkin lasagna

Before blogging, I had a way of making lasagne that worked really well for me.  Since beginning blogging I have had a number of vegetarian lasagnes that are just brilliant.  I love a lasagne that is full of vegetables but not too rich and creamy.  But I sometimes miss the meaty lasagnes that my mum made me as a child.  This tempeh lasagne with cashew cream sauce from Tofu for Two was all I love in a lasagne today and all I loved in a lasagne as a child.  Except there was no meat and no cheese.

The meatiness came from the tempeh crumbles that were then doused in soy sauce and liquid smoke.  I don't use tempeh a lot.  Sometimes it is brilliant but other times it can be too stodgy and the flavour is all wrong.  I was a bit wary of this recipe as a result.  Now I am just sorry I waited so long to make it.  These tempeh crumbles were so good that I will consider using this part of the recipe as a meat substitute for other dishes. 

I made some serendipitous changes to Tofu for Two's recipe.  I bought a whole Kent pumpkin recently so I threw in some roasted pumpkin.  We also had some fresh basil and not much milk.  Hence both my tempeh filling and my cashew cream sauce were much thicker than intended in the original recipe.  Next time I would make both a bit less thick.

Tofu for Two uses the European measurement "dl" which I found a bit confusing so I checked out Cindy and Michael's version which had measurements from my own patch.

The other element which really added to the meal was Sylvia.  Unfortunately the dish took quite some time to prepare so she at her dinner earlier.  By the time dinner was ready there wasn't time to eat before she went to bed.  Hence I left the lasagne to sit for an hour after taking it out of the oven.  I am sure it helped, especially with the cheeze sauce topping which changed from a-bit-too-crispy-and-dried to being soft-and-a-little-chewy.

I waited till E had taken a few bites to check what he thought.  Brilliant.  He said his dad would love it.  When I told him it was vegan, he didn't flinch.  He likes a vegan lasagne as much as I do.  I confess I love grated cheese on my lasagne.  This one was so good that I didn't miss the grated cheese at all.  It was so tasty, hearty, meaty, creamy that I was totally satisfied.  Definitely a keeper.

I am sending this lasagne to Karen of Lavender and Lovage for Pasta Please, the event that Jac coordinates.  This month the theme is nuts.

Previously on Green Gourmet Giraffe:
One year ago: Lentil Quinoa Stew
Two years ago: Shoots, Eats and Blogs (Top 10 List)
Three years ago: Mock Tuna (Chickpea) Salad
Four years ago: Apricot Crumble: a moveable feast
Five years ago: Bagels, Boiling and Baking

Tempeh and pumpkin lasagna with cashew cream sauce
Adapted from Tofu for Two
Serves 6

Tempeh filling:
2-3 tbsp olive oil
300g tempeh
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon liquid smoke
1 finely chopped onion
6 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
680ml jar of passata
2 cups diced and roasted pumpkin
1 teaspoon maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
handful fresh basil leaves

Cashew cream sauce
1 cup raw cashews
100ml soy milk
1 1/2 tablespoons nuttalex margarine
1 heaped dessertspoon wholemeal flour
500 ml soy milk
1/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes
juice of 1/2 medium lemon 
1 tsp wholegrain mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground pepper

250g large instant lasagne sheets
handful baby spinach leaves, chopped

To make tempeh filling (tomato sauce):
Pat as much moisture out of tempeh with a paper towel and crumble tempeh into small pieces.  Heat 1 to 2 tbsp of oil on a heavy-based non-stick frypan and fry tempeh pieces until dry, separated and golden brown (about 10 to 15 minutes).  Stir in the soy sauce and liquid smoke.  Mine soaked up straight away but Tofu for Two says it takes a few minutes.  Set tempeh crumbles aside in bowl.

Heat about a tablespoon of oil in the frypan used for the tempeh.  Fry onion for about 10 minutes or until well cooked.  Stir through garlic.  Add passata, maple syrup, salt and pepper.  Bring to boil and simmer a few minutes.  Add pumpkin and tempeh.  Mine really thickened when I added these.  Next time I might add a bit of water at this point to make the sauce thicker.  Scatter with basil.  Set sauce aside.

To make cashew cream sauce:
Blend cashews and 100ml soy milk.  Meanwhile melt margarine in a medium saucepan.  Stir in wholemeal flour and stir over heat for a few minutes until it browns slightly.  Stir in remaining ingredients until thickened.

To assemble lasagne:
Spread a small amount of tomato sauce on the bottom of a rectangular lasagne dish.  Lay first layer of lasagne sheets on top.  Spread with one quarter of tomato sauce.  Layer with lasagne sheets, tomato sauce and cream sauce, then lasagne sheets, tomato sauce, chopped spinach, then lasagne sheets, tomato sauce and cream sauce, then lasagne sheets and cream sauce.  (I was miserly with the cream sauce in the layers with the tomato sauce and generous with the cream sauce on the top.)  Bake until the lasagne sheets feel soft and cooked when a knife is stuck into the lasagne.  It took me 1 hour at 220 C.

On the stereo:
Blue - Joni Mitchell