We always look forward to reading (and trying out) the delicious recipes provided to us by The Happy Pear. In our Autumn 2021 issue, they knocked it out of the park again, with a delectable lasagne and pudding combo. Check them out below!
Warm Indulgence
Enjoy autumn comfort, savoury and sweet
by David and Stephen Flynn
High protein lasagne
This is a really delicious, light and very pretty lasagne recipe. It’s a protein-rich take on the classic lasagne, packed with flavour. If you can get hold of lentil or bean lasagne sheets, you can pack even more protein into this dish.
Takes 60 mins
Serves 6 people
Tomato sauce – ingredients
2 red onions
3 cloves of garlic
1 fresh chilli
400g sweet potatoes
1 courgette
2 yellow peppers
1 x 400g tin of cooked lentils
2 x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
100g tomato purée
5 sun dried tomatoes (leathery texture is best)
100ml red wine
1 bay leaf
a few sprigs of thyme
1.5 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp salt
50g baby spinach
High protein béchamel sauce – ingredients
3 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp gram flour
50ml light tahini
300g silken tofu
200ml oat milk
Pinch salt
Pinch of ground black pepper
¼ tsp Nutmeg
100g vegan cheese of choice
To make the tomato sauce
1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C.
2. Chop the sweet potato into lengthwise slices, the pepper and courgette into long strips, and the red onion into half-moon-sized pieces.
3. In two baking trays, spread out the chopped veg, keeping them all separate. Mix with 2 tbsp of oil and a generous pinch of salt. Bake for 30 minutes, stirring once or twice during this cooking time to ensure they cook evenly.
4. Finely dice the garlic and chilli. Heat a medium sized pan over high heat. Add 1 tbsp of oil, and once hot, add the diced garlic and chilli and fry for 2 minutes until the garlic starts to golden.
5. Add the red wine and leave to cook for 2-3 minutes, allowing some of the alcohol to evaporate.
6. Drain and rinse the cooked tinned lentils. Chop the sun dried tomatoes. Next, add the chopped tomatoes, tomato purée, sun dried tomatoes, cooked lentils, maple syrup, bay leaf, thyme and salt. Bring to a boil on high heat.
7. Reduce to a simmer and adjust the taste of the tomato sauce to your liking by adding ground black pepper, more salt or some balsamic vinegar or lemon juice. Take the tomato sauce off the heat.
8. Time to make your béchamel sauce while the veg is still cooking in the oven.
9. In a blender, add the silken tofu, the tahini, oat milk, salt, pepper and pinch of ground nutmeg and blend till smooth
10. In a saucepan on medium heat, add 3 tbsp of oil and sift in 3 tbsp of gram flour. Using a whisk, bring the mixture together. Allow it to cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Slowly add in the blended sauce and bring it to the boil, whisking constantly. Take the sauce off the heat and adjust the taste to your liking by adding a dash of lemon juice – approximately ½ tsp – and salt. And in any extras such as vegan cheese, and allow them to melt and spread throughout the sauce.
11. Remove the roasted veg from the oven and set aside for layering up the lasagne.
To layer up the lasagne
1. In an oven proof dish or tray that will serve approximately six people, place a thin layer of béchamel sauce on the bottom, spread it out evenly, and lay down a layer of lasagne sheets, ensuring that they form a single even layer.
2. Next, add a layer of your tomato sauce, ensuring that the sauce is spread out evenly.
3. Next, add a layer of baked sweet potato, being careful that they don’t fall apart. On top of these, add a layer of roasted pepper.
4. Put a single layer of lasagne sheets on top.
5. On top of this, add a layer of baby spinach.
6. Repeat another layer of tomato sauce.
7. Layer on the baked red onions and courgettes.
8. Add another layer of lasagne sheets.
9. Lastly, spread the remaining béchamel sauce on top, ensuring that the pasta sheets are totally covered by the béchamel (this will stop them drying out when baking)/
10. Optional – Grate some vegan cheese on top.
11. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees for 20 minutes, until the pasta is soft. Enjoy!
Sticky toffee pudding
This is a decadent and delicious dessert that is sure to satisfy any sweet tooth!
Takes 1 hour
Serves 4-6
Pudding – ingredients
200g pitted dates chop
200ml of boiling water
75g sunflower oil
2 tbsp molasses or treacle/maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
50g coconut sugar
2 tbsp ground flax seeds
6 tbsp water
150g white flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
Toffee – ingredients
50ml water
Juice ½ lemon
250g coconut sugar
1 full fat can of coconut milk
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
2. Chop the dates into small pieces, ensuring that there are no hidden stones in the middle.
3. In a bowl, pour the boiling water over the dates and leave to sit.
4. Make 2 flax eggs by mixing together the ground flax seeds and the water in a mug.
5. Mix well and leave to sit for 5 minutes.
6. In another bowl, add the sunflower oil, vanilla extract and molasses. Mix until homogeneous.
7. Mix together the flour, sugar, baking soda and baking powder in a large bowl.
8. In a food processor, blend the dates and water until you are left with a smooth caramel-like texture.
9. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and mix in the flax eggs, the date mixture, and the sunflower oil and molasses mixture. Mix until all ingredients are well combined.
10. Line a baking tray – approx 34cm (13 inches) x 34cm (13 inches) – with baking parchment and pour in the cake batter. Level out and put in the oven to bake at 180 degrees for 30 minutes.
11. While the cake is baking in the oven, it’s time to make the coconut toffee! In a large bottomed pot on high heat, add the water, lemon juice and coconut sugar. Using a whisk, stir continuously to avoid any of the sugar catching to the bottom and burning.
12. After approximately 3-4 minutes, the sugar should start to dissolve into a smooth caramel. Gently add the coconut cream from the top of the can of coconut milk. Be careful not to add any of the water from the can, just the cream from the top of it. Continue to heat and stir the mixture until it starts to become really bubbly and lovely and smooth. Once smooth, turn off the heat and leave to one side to cool and thicken up.
13. Take the cake out of the oven and leave to cool. Once cool, add half of the toffee mixture on top of the cake to give it a glaze and add a lovely sweetness. Keep the remaining half of the toffee mixture to serve on top of the ice cream with the pudding.
14. Cut into brownie shaped pieces and serve with dairy-free vanilla ice cream. with hot toffee poured on top. Enjoy!
