Vegan Turkey Lasagna with Broccoli, “Mascarpone” and Taragon

I’ve always gone to extreme measures when replicating the Vegan version of a typically non-Vegan dish. “Go Big or Go Home.”? No. Go Big, and do it In Your Home. Why can’t Big be done at home? I like my house. I can make a damn scene in my kitchen if I want to. But I digress...

This is one of my favorite, albeit, time consuming, recipes from my Vegan Recipe Blog:

Veganize It...Don’t Criticize It!

You can’t purchase MimicCreme anymore, but you can substitute a plain Vegan Creamer, preferably a nut-based one, in it’s place. You also don’t have to use Dr. Cow’s, either. They sell a variety of tree nut cheeses at Kroger’s, Safeway’s, etc..

The Turkey Seitan recipe is, by itself, great for any Thanksgiving recipes you want to Veganize.

Vegan Turkey Lasagna with Broccoli, “Mascarpone” and Tarragon

For the Lasagna...
2 TBSP Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Onion, chopped
3 cloves Garlic, minced
1 batch of Vegan Turkey, finely chopped
1 batch of Vegan Mascarpone (recipe follows)
3 TBSP Fresh Tarragon, chopped
Salt and Pepper, to taste
3/4 lb Broccoli Florets, broken into bite size pieces
1 lb No Bake Lasagna Noodles
2 cups Vegan Mozzarella, finely grated

For the Sauce...
1/4 cup Vegan Margarine
2 TBSP Unbleached White Flour
2 1/2 cups Soy Milk (or other Non Dairy Milk)
2/3 cup Dr Cows Tree Nut Cheese, finely grated
Salt and Pepper, to taste

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, then saute the onion and garlic until softened but not browned. Add in the diced vegan turkey, raise the heat to high, and saute for about 5 minutes longer. Remove the pan from heat, then stir in the mascarpone and tarragon. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, then blanch the broccoli for 1 minute. Drain in a colander over the sink, then immediately rinse with cold water. Drain well and set aside.

In a medium saucepan, melt the vegan margarine over medium-high heat. Stir in the flour and cook for one minute, stirring constantly. Remove the pan from heat, then gradually whisk in the soy milk. Return the pan to heat and bring to a slow boil, stirring constantly. Simmer for 1 minute, then slowly whisk in the Dr Cow cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

To assemble the lasagna, first place a thin layer of sauce on the bottom of a 9 x 13 casserole dish, then layer in the following order:

1. Layer of Noodles
2. Layer of "Turkey" Mixture
3. Layer of Broccoli
4. Layer of Mozzarella

Repeat the layers twice more, finishing with a sprinkle of fresh tarragon for garnish, if desired. Bake in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes.

Vegan Mascarpone

1 package Mori-Nu® Silken Soft Tofu
1/8 cup MimicCreme
1/2 tsp Sugar

A stand mixer with a whisk attachment is ideal for this, but a strong arm and a whisk will do the job as well. Combine ingredients in a stand mixer, and whisk together on the highest setting possible (the setting that doesn't leave you covered in tofu chunks), and mix until light and creamy. Chill until ready to use.

Vegan Turkey Recipe

Vegan Turkey Dough
1 cup Vital Wheat Gluten
1/3 cup No Chicken Broth
1/3 cup White Ale
1/3 cup MimicCreme

For the Broth...
4 cups prepared Better Than Bouillon's No Chicken Broth
2 cups Low Sodium Vegetable Stock
1 cup of Dry White Wine (I use Chardonnay)
1/2 can of Light Ale
1 1/4 cup MimicCreme
1 TBSP Lemon Juice
1/4 cup Mirin
1 tsp Onion Powder
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp Yellow Mustard Powder
2 Bay Leaves
2 Stalk of Celery, sliced
1 TBSP Mellow White Miso Paste

Combine all of the broth ingredients EXCEPT the mellow white miso paste in a very large stock pot. Bring to a boil, then add the mellow white miso paste and stir until dissolved.

Whisk together the liquids for the dough (No Chicken Broth, White Ale and MimicCreme), then by mix with the vital wheat gluten and knead until it’s completely mixed. Squeeze out any excess liquid, then depending on the recipe you're using the vegan turkey for, either shape into one large rectangle or flatten the dough into a circle and and use a sharp knife or kitchen shears to cut into four pie wedge “Turkey Breast” shaped pieces.

Drop the dough into the pot of boiling broth, reduce heat to simmer, and cover the pot with a lid. Let the seitan simmer for about an hour, stirring every 10-15 minutes.

Once done cooking, drain the Turkey Seitan well. Place the pieces (or piece) of seitan on top of a drying rack, then allow it to drain for a few hours to achieve that "dry" element that real turkey has.

Use as directed in any of my vegan turkey recipes, or substitute for real turkey in one of your favorites!