Cm0nster

so I haven't been paying attention for a few day so I'm sorry but I have to backtrack a little bit. Patrick, how was the slow cooker lasagna? I have been looking at that recipe for so long but I didn't know if it is crazy or crazy enough to work. (not that specific recipe, but slow cooker lasagna) Did it work? Does it taste right?

I don't know, but I am in N. America and I buy it from the health food store in the dry good bulk bins, and it says TVP. It is always dried. You add water. I found an online photo. It looks like this

I use auto correct for spelling lasagna, so the US autocorrect has lasagne as the correct one. Sometimes I think autocorrect has intentionally misspelled words to expose people like me, but in this case I think it is correct. Maybe it can called lasagna if it uses the lasagna noodle.

Jennegatron: how is the consistency/texture/taste of the cottage cheese? I've been curious about using that.

Ok, so I decided on a black bean lasagna. I made this many, many years ago with no memory of what recipe I used or how it turned out, although I remember Clyde saying he liked it. this could be a false memory, because when I told him I was making black bean lasagna he was not down with the idea at all, saying it was going to be too mealy. Until I have google glass recording everything I do I will not what really went down. I do know I see this recipe all of the time and want to make it, but don't because I am not sure if it was good or not. This seemed like the perfect excuse to make it again. I just googled black bean lasagna and picked the one that had the most stars. Here is the link: Black bean lasagna, but I am also going to paste it here so I can talk about modifications. Ingredients 9 lasagna noodles 1 large onion, chopped (I also added a carrot, a stalk of celery, and about 8 baby bella mushrooms) 1 teaspoon canola oil 3 garlic cloves, minced (I used 6 cloves in the sauce) 2 cans (16 ounces each) black beans, rinsed and drained 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained 2 cans (6 ounces each) tomato paste (I got nervous during the second can that it was too thick, so I used a can and a half) 1 cup water 2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes 4 egg whites, lightly beaten (I got sick of separating, and used 2 whites and 1 whole egg) 1 carton (15 ounces) reduced-fat ricotta cheese (I hate ricotta, I always use firm tofu instead, you cannot tell the difference) 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded reduced-fat Mexican cheese blend Directions Cook noodles according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium heat, cook onion in oil until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Add the beans, tomatoes, tomato paste, water, cilantro and pepper flakes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes or until slightly thickened. In a small bowl, combine the egg whites, ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese and parsley. (I use a food processor here because i used tofu instead of ricotta, and if you food process it it turn it to the same consistency as ricotta) Drain noodles. Spread 1/2 cup bean mixture into a 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish coated with cooking spray. Layer with three noodles, a third of the ricotta mixture, a third of the remaining bean mixture and 2/3 cup cheese blend. Repeat layers twice. (This doesn't make any sense, because if you did this you would end up with ricotta, beans and sauce on top, which I don't think is right, so I just did it between the middle 2 layers. I put the tiny bit of sauce I had left and the rest of the cheese on top) Cover and bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes. Uncover; bake 10-15 minutes longer or until bubbly. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting. Yield: 12 servings ​Pics: So notes. It was too mealy. I wouldn't make it again. It wasn't bad, it really tasted like a burrito with lasagna noodles. Meanwhile after I picked this recipe I went to watch youtube videos of people making it, and I came onto one of Trisha Yearwood (who has her own cooking show) making it with Garth Brooks. It was awkward. But the reason I bring it up is that she uses tofu as ricotta also, but she put cashews into the food processor with it to give it more flavor. We cannot eat nuts, but if we could I would surely do that when I do tofu ricotta for my other lasagnas, because that sounds delicious. The good thing is that this lasagna held together better than any of my others, so I will try to do some of these steps again. I think the next one I will try to make is the open face one, but with a different noodle.

Here is the recipe for sloppy Joes, This is really a lot better than if you buy that can of premade sloppy joe mix, and you can sub brown sugar for molasses. http://cookingchrissy.blogspot.com/2007/12/tvp-sloppy-joes.html Meanwhile the open lasagna looks super tasty, but I am not a fan of the idea of using lasagna noodles like that, they seem kind of big and unmanageable. Can you suggest a substitute noodle that would go well in that dish?

TVP is really good for vegetarian sloppy joes, too.

Hey, This is fine, I just didn't want to be stuck to a specific recipe. It will be fun to do lasagna, because I make it a lot and have tried a lot of recipes for it, so I will enjoy the challenge of finding a new way to make it. Also thanks both people for the Shepard's pie recipes. Is mince the same as TVP? Hey. Yes, I'm here for the food. Mostly because I want to see what other people are cooking and eating, and how they do it. Good luck us!

Although I am down for trying Shepards pie, like you mentioned. We eat vegetarian at home so I've never tried it, since it's like meat pie. I'd love a vegetarian recipe for it.

Hi, this sounds fun, but I have to say that I'm not excited about a joint recipe. I'll try something new this week. Did you notice if your bechamel sauce tasted like white gravy? That's the problem I always have. I'm chrissy (Clyde's wife)