Meatless Monday with the Vegan Grilled Vegetable and Tofu “Lasagna” with Pesto

Welcome (back) to the Miratel blog for another BBQ season edition of our Meatless Monday vegan recipe share series. Miratel took the Meatless Monday pledge to support reducing meat consumption 15% by eliminating it one day per week to preserve the health of our planet. We consider our support of this great movement part of our CSR business strategies as it spreads awareness of the impact of our food choices on our environment.

We are continuing our meat-free options for grilling season with a Vegan Grilled Vegetable and Tofu “Lasagna” with Pesto. We previously featured a Vegan Kidney Bean & Walnut Burgers with Mississippi Comeback Sauce and a Vegan Eggplant Crunchburger perfect for the BBQ. Today’s recipe is a light and satisfying twist on a classic Italian dish perfect for the warmer months and comes courtesy of Martha Stewart.

INGREDIENTS

Image courtesy of marthastewart.com

For the marinade:

• 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 6 strips lemon zest (1 by 4 inches), plus 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (from 1 or 2 lemons)
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

For the pesto:

• 1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
• 1 small garlic clove
• 2 cups fresh basil
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

For assembling the “lasagna”:

• 1 package (14 ounces) extra-firm tofu, sliced lengthwise 1 inch thick
• 5 or 6 zucchini and yellow summer squashes (about 2 1/2 pounds), trimmed, and sliced lengthwise about 1/4 inch thick
• Extra-virgin olive oil, for brushing
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 medium tomatoes, sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 18 large basil leaves

PREPARATION

1. Make the marinade: Heat oil, lemon zest, and garlic in a small saucepan until bubbling around the edges. Remove from heat, and let cool completely. Stir in lemon juice. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
2. Make the pesto: Puree pine nuts and garlic in a food processor until a paste forms. Add basil, and pulse to combine. With machine running, pour in oil through feed tube until pureed. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Heat grill to medium. Assemble the “lasagna”: Arrange tofu on a double layer of paper towels. Cover with another double layer of paper towels, then cover with a baking sheet. (Weigh it down with 2 cans or something else equally heavy.) Let stand for 20 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, brush zucchini and squash slices with oil, and season with 2 teaspoons salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Grill, flipping occasionally, until softened and slightly charred, about 8 minutes. Remove from grill. Whisk marinade, and drizzle half of it generously over zucchini and squash slices.
5. Repeat with tofu and remaining marinade, flipping occasionally, until nicely charred, about 3 minutes. Let cool slightly. Slice tofu horizontally into 1/8-inch-thick sheets (they will be layered, so don’t worry if they fall apart).
6. Lay 3 slices each of zucchini and squash on a platter to form a 6 1/2-by-8-inch rectangle. Spread 3 tablespoons pesto over tops. Cover with a layer of tofu, and season with salt and pepper. Top with a layer of tomatoes, and season with salt and pepper. Top with 6 large basil leaves. Repeat layering twice (zucchini and squash, pesto, tofu, tomatoes, basil). Serve cold or at room temperature.

Tips:

• To save time, grill and assemble this layered no-bake “lasagna” beforehand, and then serve it chilled or at room temperature.
• Pesto can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. Bring to room temperature before using. Assembled “lasagna” can be refrigerated overnight.

If you haven’t already, we encourage you to visit the Meatless Monday website and join us in taking the pledge today. Spread the word at home and at work and promote CSR business initiatives to make your green call centre, office, factory, shop, restaurant or salon even greener.

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Miratel Solutions is a Toronto call centre, eBusiness, and letter shop mail house specializing in professional fundraising services including PCI compliant inbound telephone fundraising, outbound telephone fundraising, online fundraising, lottery fundraising services, donation processing and receipting and direct mail fundraising services. We are committed to our CSR business values in all our business decisions  and advancing the missions of the nonprofits we proudly serve.