Veggie Lasagna

Alright! It's been more than 10 days since my last blog/first recipe.
I feel like I haven't had ANY time to write a post.

But behold, dear friends, I'm back!

The recipe that I'm sharing with you today is one of my favorites. And will definitely will be in the book! I've recently had a tasting for it, and I must say, I was quite pleased with the average "grade" it was given. 9 out of 10. Perfection doesn't exist, after all.

A vegetarian lasagna!

Now, don't be scared, there are quite a few steps and quite a few ingredients. But they all are EXTREMELY easy to make.

Here is what you need.

- 1 large onion
- 1 medium size eggplant
- 2 red bell peppers
- about 40 cherry tomatoes (I've used two small containers, completely)
- Fresh basil and thyme
- Lasagna pasta (I've used the oven-ready, it cuts the time and is just as delicious)
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- Fresh, shredded mozzarella, about 1 1/2 cup
- Fresh, grated Parmesan, about 1 3/4 cups
- 1 cup of milk
- 1 cup of 15% cream
- vegan butter for cooking (I've used my beloved Earth Balance)
- 3 tablespoons of flour
- salt and pepper
- chili pepper flakes
- 1 oz of rum
- oil

In an attempt to simplify this recipe, I will divided the steps into tiny recipes.

#1 Red bell peppers — 20-25 minutes prep and cooking time

- Take the peppers and deseed them.
- Once that's done, slice them into 1/3 of an inch thick, slices.
- Spread them out on a baking shit lined with parchment paper and drizzle a little bit of oil.
- Place in a pre-heated 400 degree oven, and cook for 20-25 minutes or until you notice a bit of black on them. Kinda like when you grill them on a BBQ.
- Set aside.

Which reminds me, during the summer, or for you lucky ones with 365 days of summer, you can just grill halves of red bell peppers on the grill till they are a bit soft.

#2 Eggplant — 20 minutes prep and cooking time

- Take the eggplant, slice it length wise. About 1/2 on an inch thick.
- Cut off the skin on the sides.
- Place on a baking sheet, and sprinkle some salt on the slices. This will make the eggplant sweat, which in turn wont make them extra juicy in the lasagna.
- Let sit till assembling time!

#3 Caramelized onions — 20 minutes prep and cooking time

For this you'll need the onion, the vegan butter, oil and rum.

- Slice the onion into 1/4 inch thick rings.
- In a skillet or frying pan, over medium-high heat, drop about 1 1/2 tablespoon of butter, and same amount of oil.
- When the butter is melted, drop in your onion.
- Stir from time to time. When the onion is starting to get soft, pour in your 1 oz of rum and stir again.
- For about 10-15 minutes, reduce the heat to medium-low and let the onions caramelize. Stir once in a while so they get golden brown evenly.
- Set aside for assembling!

#4 Tomato sauce — 20minutes prep and cooking time

Now this one you can make a the same time as the onions.

You'll need:
- the cherry tomatoes
- the fresh basil
- the 2 cloves of minced garlic
- the fresh thyme
- salt and pepper
- vegan butter for cooking

- Chop in half all the tomatoes and drop in a sauce pan with the butter and the garlic. 
- Bring the heat to medium-high. Stir.
- When you see that the tomatoes are starting to let out their juices, drop in about 2 or 3 pinches BOTH of chopped basil and thyme. Salt and pepper. And let cook for a good 5 minutes.
- Once the tomatoes look really watery, you can pour the content in a blender. BE CAREFUL. blending with hot liquids can be a bit dangerous. Let it chill out for 2 minutes before pulsing the sauce. Also, use a rag to place over the blender's cover, that way, it'll prevent any burns or spills.
- Blend till smooth.
- At this point you can taste and adjust the seasoning to taste.

See! Both at the same time!

#5 Parmesan Bechamel sauce — about 5 minutes prep and cooking time

This one is super easy. You'll need the butter, flour, milk, cream, 1 cup of the 1 3/4 cups of Parmesan, salt and pepper.

- In another sauce pan, over medium-high, melt 2 tablespoons of butter while mixing in the 3 tablespoons of flour to create a roux. This is the base to thicken your bechamel.
- Pour in the milk and cream and stir well. Bring to a boil.
-When it's boiling and thickening, remove from heat and drop in a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Gradually whisk in Parmesan and stir until everything it well mixed.

NOW! The assembling!

In a deep glass oven-proof dish, here is what you'll need to do:

- Thin layer of tomato sauce, covering the whole bottom of the dish.
- 1 layer of pasta, making sure to cover the sauce with it.
- Another thin layer of tomato sauce
- Layer the eggplant on top.
- A thin layer of bechamel
- Add the onions on top, making sure to spread them evenly.
- Add the peppers on top, sprinkle some chili pepper flakes to give it some kick.
- A layer of tomato sauce
- A layer of pasta
- A layer of bechamel
- And finally, sprinkle the mozzarella and the remaining of the Parmesan on top.

Pop it in a oven pre-heated to 350 for 25 to 30 minutes, until the cheese is golden and bubbly.
Take out, let set for 5 minutes and Enjoy!!

I currently don't have any pictures of the finished product, but I PROMISE to post some as soon as I get them!

Nota : It seems like a long process, but most steps are done simultaneously. While the peppers are in the oven, you make your eggplant. While the eggplant is resting, you start you onions. While the onions are caramelizing, you make your tomato sauce. And once everything is done, you make the bechamel and layer the lasagna! Easy poesy!