Pumpkin Parsnip Lasagna

Here is another recipe from the Nov/Dec 2012 issue of VegNews.  When I read this recipe I was excited to try it.  I like pumpkin, but how would it taste in a lasagna?  It turned out to be really delicious. The cashew/cheese flavor overrides the pumpkin so it tastes cheesy but you get the health benefits of pumpkin! yay! I made a few minor changes to the recipe to suite my taste, for the original recipe check out VegNews magazine.

Ingredients:
10 oz of organic lasagna noodles (or make this dish gluten free and use brown-rice lasagna noodles!)
2 1/2 TBSP organic olive oil, divided
1 bunch of organic kale, de-stemmed and thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 small organic onion, diced
1 TBSP minced fresh sage
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon Penzey finely ground black pepper
2 large parsnips, peeled and shredded
1 1/2 cups vegan mozzarella cheese (I use Daiya mozzarella)

For the Sauce:
one 15 oz can pumpkin puree
2  cups raw cashews, soaked for 3 hours and then drained
1 cup plain, unsweetened Rice Milk (I used Rice Dream original)
2 TBSP nutritional yeast
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 TBSP fresh squeezed lemon juice

Cook and drain lasagna noodles according to the directions on the box. On a parchment lined cookie sheet, lay out the noodles and brush with olive oil so they don't stick together.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly oil a 9 X 5 baking dish with 1/2 TBSP oil (use more if needed, I skimped on the oil and some of my lasagna noodles stuck to the bottom).

In a pan over medium heat, heat up 1 TBSP olive oil. Add kale, garlic, onion, shredded parsnips, sage and salt. Saute for about 10 - 12 minutes, or until the kale is bright green. Sprinkle with pepper.

For the sauce, put sauce ingredients in a food processor and spin until smooth (about 5 minutes). Scrape down the sides about 2 minutes in to make sure everything is mixed up.

To assemble, line the bottom of the baking dish with three lasagna noodles. Top with about 1 cup sauce and then sprinkle with the shredded parsnips and kale mixture and vegan mozzarella, cover with 3 more noodles. Repeat until all ingredients have been layered. Top with 1/4 cup mozzarella. Cover lasagna with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil and broil for another 5 minutes. Let cool about 15 minutes before serving.