Lentils may not be the glamour star of superfoods, but packed with protein, carbohydrates, fibre, folate and magnesium, they’ll fill you up and make you feel great. A deliciously creamy, golden cauliflower and cashew cheese finishes off Simon’s plant-based crowd-pleaser.
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 2 medium aubergines (eggplants) thinly sliced lengthways about 1cm thick
- 2 tsp olive oil
- salt & pepper, to taste
- 7 1⁄2 cups baby spinach leaves
- Tomato lentil sauce
- 30g fresh porcini mushrooms
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1 red onion finely diced
- 2 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 1 medium carrot finely chopped
- 1 celery stalk finely chopped
- 2 sprigs of rosemary leaves stripped & finely chopped
- 2 400g tins chopped tomatoes
- 2 400g tins of lentils, rinsed & drained
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 80ml (1/3 cup) vegetable stock
Cauliflower cashew cheese
- 1⁄2 head of cauliflower cut into florets
- 100g (2/3 cup) cashews
- 240ml (1 cup) almond milk
- 1 tbsp dairy-free butter
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 80ml (1/3 cup) water
- salt & pepper, to taste
Method
- Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas 5 and line a baking tray with baking paper. Place aubergine slices on a tray, drizzle with oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove and set aside.
- Meanwhile, to make the sauce, put porcini mushrooms in a heatproof bowl and fill with boiling water. Leave to sit for about 30 minutes. Drain the gritty water and chop up finely.
- Heat a saucepan with oil over medium-high heat and add the onion and cook for a few minutes until browned.
- Add garlic, carrot, celery and rosemary and cook until soft. Next, add the tomatoes and lentils and cook for another 5 minutes. Add the porcini mushrooms, oregano, stock and season to taste. Simmer for another 20 minutes on low.
- To make the cauliflower cheese, fill a large saucepan with boiling water and simmer cauliflower and cashews until both are soft, around 5-7 minutes. Drain and add to a food processor along with almond milk, vegan butter, nutritional yeast, water and season to taste. Blend until smooth.
- Grease a 22 x 16cm oven-proof baking dish and begin to layer your lasagne. Start by layering the bottom of the tray with eggplant. Then add the lentil tomato mix followed by a handful of spinach leaves, then a layer of cauliflower sauce. Repeat until you have filled your dish. Sprinkle remaining cauliflower cheese on top and cover with foil.
- Place baking dish in the oven for 40 minutes. Remove foil and cook for another 15 mins, or until the top is crispy.
- Allow to rest for 5 minutes before slicing. Serve.
This recipe is from our “Fit and toned” stream for females.
Simon Hill is a featured expert on Chris Hemsworth’s personalised digital health and fitness program, Centr, available from the App Store for iPhone and Apple Watch, the Google Play Store for Android, or online at Centr.com
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