Eggplant & Ricotta Chi'z Lasagna

1 cup raw cashews, soaked for about an hour in warm water, set aside
4 medium eggplants, sliced 1/4 inch thick on a mandolin (or free-style with your killer knife skillz)
6 roma tomatoes, sliced 1/4 inch thick on a mandolin
8 or more large garlic cloves, peeled & left whole to be roasted
4 Tablespoons grapeseed oil (enough to drizzle over veggies)
Salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400.
Arrange sliced eggplant & tomatoes on sheet pans, drizzle with grapeseed oil & season both sides with salt & pepper .
Wrap garlic cloves in parchment, adding a touch of oil, salt & pepper. Then wrap again in foil to keep closed.
Plop the garlic package into the oven with the eggplant & tomatoes. The garlic will take about an hour to fully roast, so be patient! Thanks.
Roast the sliced eggplant & tomatoes for about 25 minutes (they will be done much sooner than the garlic, so be aware), or until lovely browned crispies appear.

1 jar of your favorite marinara
1 white onion, chopped into a medium dice
1/2 head of cauliflower, chopped about the same size as the onion
1 block of extra firm tofu, lightly squeezed of excess water, crumbled, then divided in 2 halves (using 1 half for the onion & cauliflower mixture and the other half reserved for the Sausagey Tofu Topping)
2 teaspoons each of garlic & onion powder, plus 1 more teaspoon of each for Sausagey Tofu Topping (You’ll See!)
1 teaspoon each of dried basil, parsley & tarragon
4-6 Tablespoons of nutritional yeast, plus 2 more Tablespoons for the Sausagey Tofu Topping (Trust!)
A few splashes of your favorite, unsweetened plant milk, just enough to help your blender along
Salt & pepper, to taste
1 cup fresh basil, torn

Saute onion & cauliflower until onions are translucent & fragrantly yummy.
Add garlic powder, onion powder, your dried herbs, salt & pepper. Saute for another few minutes or so.
Turn off the fire, add 1/2 the crumbled tofu, nutritional yeast & let cool for a bit.
Meanwhile, get out your fabulous high speed blender (Vitamix if you are extra fabulous like Mumsie & Me!)
Drain those cashews that were soaking and discard the water.
Blend the oniony mixture & cashews in even batches. Feel free to use a little oil or almond milk to help your blender along. You will need to use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides of your blender a few times (while it is turned off! Brilliant) and blend more, until fully combined and resembles “ricotta”.
Now taste your mixture. Add more salt, nutritional yeast or any of the other seasonings if you feel it will make the chi’z mixture more scrumptious.
Set aside your lasagna filling when it is perfect.

Combine the extra garlic & onion powders (1 teaspoon each), nutritional yeast (2 Tablespoons), salt & pepper. Add these yummies to the second half of your reserved, crumbled tofu.
Mix with a fork until it resembles a crumbly, sausage-y texture. Set aside.

Spray a 9 x 12 inch lasagna pan with an organic oil spray
Open up that jar of marinara. Now…remember the garlic we roasted? Squeeze it into that jar and stir with a butter knife. Just because.
Ladle about 1/2 of the roasted garlic marinara into your lasagna pan, spread evenly.
Arrange one layer of roasted eggplant sheets over the sauce.
Now arrange all the roasted roma tomatoes evenly over the eggplant layer.
Plop & shmear your ricotta chi’z mixture all over those stunning, buxom tomatoes.
Fresh basil time! Sprinkle torn basil evenly over chi’z.
Arrange another layer of roasted eggplant sheets over the basil.
Empty the rest of the jar of roasted garlic marinara evenly onto the top layer of eggplant sheets.
Top with Sausagey Tofu Topping.
Done! Now cover your lasagna pan with plastic wrap, then foil. (Mumsie doesn’t like aluminum poison, thanks!)
Bake covered in a 350 degree oven for 40 minutes, then uncovered for 20 minutes more.
Let rest for 20 minutes, carve and eat it in your mouth!

*serves 2 to 8 humans