Lasagna with Roasted Cauliflower & Spinach

We are going to eat this tonight! I'll let you know. So far, toddler approves the tofu/cauliflower ricotta filling.

OK, well, I opted for Newman's Own Marinara for the sauce. Because, as you can see, my daughter became a bit bored with all the cooking. I used whole wheat noodles, so they had to be boiled ahead of time. The mixture of cauliflower and tofu was pretty good. I didn't use exact measurements, but it still worked out. I would love to add roasted garlic, along with the cauliflower (maybe I'll try that next time.) All in all, it was a success. The cooking time was near perfect, which is a challenge with lasagna. I didn't have any olives, so I couldn't add them. Daiya might be good as a topper to this dish.

Toddler Approved Vegan Pumpkin Oat Bars

Pumpkin Chocolate Bars (changed from original recipe on VegNews by Kim Lutz)

Makes 20 bars

What You Need:

3 cups gluten-free oat flour (make your own by grinding rolled oats in a blender)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup canned organic pumpkin pie mix
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup canola oil, plus more for pan
1/2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon gluten-free vanilla
1 cup milk-free chocolate chips

What You Do:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and lightly oil a 9 x 13-inch baking pan. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon and set aside.

2. In a large bowl, combine pumpkin with baking powder. Add oil, sugar, and vanilla. Stir to combine. Mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients, one half at a time, and stir to combine. Mix in chocolate chips.

3. Pour batter into pan. With damp hands, press batter to evenly fill pan. Bake 18 minutes, and cool completely before cutting into bars.

So, I had some left over pumpkin pie mix, who doesn't after Thanksgiving, and I am always on the alert for things my toddler will eat. These pumpkin bars are delicious, and pretty easy to make. I changed the recipe to suit my cabinet. The original just calls for pumpkin, instead of the pie mix, and about a cup more sugar and a cup more chocolate chips. The first time I made these I put in the full 2 cups of chocolate chips, and that was even too much chocolate for me. (Is there such a thing? Yes, apparently.)

On another note, I am hoping to keep up with this blog more, now that I have a laptop. Woo Hoo!