Olive Garden, vegan-style

Most of you know by now that I have recently gone vegan. This is primarily due to finding out that I have dangerously-high cholesterol. So why not fight back against this health concern by completely eliminating foods that contain cholesterol? Sounds good to me!

The problem is this: I'm "leaving behind" so many of my food friends. Goodbye, chicken; goodbye, scrambled eggs; goodbye, ice cream (that last one actually has me wearing a black veil in mourning). But I'm trying not to see it that way. In fact, I've been thinking about it like this: if there is someone in your life who is toxic, and who makes you feel bad every time you are around that person, do you still choose to be around them? Or would you rather cut ties and choose to surround yourself with people who are uplifting and help you become a better, happier human being? I'm guessing you would choose the latter. That's essentially what I am doing with my food. Instead of eating food that ultimately makes me ill, I am choosing food that will nourish me and keep me healthy for a long time.

Enough of that. One of my "old Sarah" favorites is Olive Garden. I can feel my mouth salivating already, just thinking about the breadsticks and cheese...mmmm... So what I did is I went onto the Olive Garden website where they have all their recipes, and I found one that I can easily translate into a vegan recipe! Let's have a look!

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Vegetable Lasagna

Prep Time:

30 minutes

Cook Time:

1 hour

Serves 4.

Ingredients

7 oz pack goat cheese (VEGAN ALTERNATIVE: vegan mozzarella)
1/3 cup pitted black olives, chopped
1 Tbsp fresh thyme (or 1 tsp dry), chopped
1/2 Tbsp fresh basil (or ½ tsp dry)
1/2 Tbsp fresh oregano (or ½ tsp dry)
2 tsp garlic, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
4 cups prepared pasta sauce (your choice)
1 lb whole-wheat lasagna, cooked according to package directions (VEGAN NOTES: make sure to check the ingredients on both the pasta sauce and lasagna noodles, as sometimes dairy/meat products can sneak in)
Freshly ground black pepper
2 small zucchinis, diced
2 small summer squash, diced
3/4 cup roasted red pepper, diced
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated (VEGAN ALTERNATIVE: vegan Parmesan cheese)

Procedures

Pre-heat oven to 375ºF.

1. MIX goat cheese, olives, thyme, basil, oregano, and garlic in a bowl; season with salt and pepper.
2. SPREAD 1 cup pasta sauce on bottom of a 9” x 13” baking dish.
3. ADD a layer of cooked lasagna and season with black pepper.
4. ADD a layer of zucchini, squash, and red pepper. Drop spoonfuls of goat cheese mixture over vegetables and spread to cover.
5. REPEAT layers, finishing with pasta and sauce.
6. SPRINKLE Parmesan cheese on top. Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes, until internal temperature reaches 165 ºF.
7. UNCOVER and bake 5 minutes or until top browns. Let stand 10 minutes; serve immediately.

Thank you to the following website for this information: http://www.olivegarden.com/Recipes/Main-Dishes/Vegetable-Lasagna/