right now
the chill seeps
past the usual barriers,
finding passage through
cracks & crevices
every year
i wonder aloud
why we don’t live
in the tropics
or at the very least,
winter in Australia

it’s a daunting task
to shake slumber off
when burrowing beneath the
corduroy comforter
is far more appealing
it’s also tempting to
fall into the soup rut
what’s not to like?
they’re warming,
usually quick & nutritious
but truthfully:
repetitive

what to do?
sleep like the bears
surfacing when the world is green anew?
flying south is out
december has already made her presence
known
what with the frost
the shiver inducing gusts of wind
the rain,
the bloody freezing rain,
it feels like i’m going to be cold forever

so i made this lasagna
because we’re going to incorporate more beans in our diet
because i can’t be bothered to cook every night
because it was easy
because it kept me in the kitchen,
warmed by the stove, oven and crock pot
and it fed us all week,
either for dinner or lunch
and damn if it didn’t warm us through

today’s post is a loose nod towards write alm‘s december promt-a-day.

black bean lasagna
adapted from trisha yearwood

*note: i was in 7th grade when trisha yearwood’s song She’s In Love With The Boy came out and dang if i didn’t sing that song all summer long. prior to cutting cable i saw this recipe on her show and it intrigued me. my proportions, seasonings and techniques are different from hers, so use her recipe if you want exact measurements.

1 jar of tomato sauce, i used our csa jarred tomatoes
8oz can of whole tomatoes squished/cut up
3 generous tablespoons of homemade tomato paste
1/2 large onion, chopped
a few garlic cloves, minced
3 carrots, skinned and diced
1 cup of dried black beans, soaked over night, then cooked on low in the crockpot for 5 hours
olive oil
salt/pepper to taste
1 package lasagna noodles, cooked according to package instructions
tofu ricotta, recipe below

Tofu Ricotta
1 container of firm organic tofu, excess water squeezed out
1/4 cup – 1/2 cup of raw cashews, eyeball it, i didn’t measure it
1/4 cup – 1/2 cup nutritional yeast, eyeball it, i didn’t measure it
healthy sprinkle of italian seasoning
salt/pepper to taste

in a food processor, whizz all the ingredients together. the mixture won’t be silky smooth, but it won’t be chunky either. set aside, in fridge until ready to assemble the dish.

in a large pot, boil up some water. cook the lasagna noodles according to package instructions.

in a large sauce pan or skillet, heat up some olive oil, saute the onions, garlic and carrots. season with salt/pepper. allow the mixture to brown up a bit, it’s at your discretion. add in the tomato sauce and paste. again, season with salt/pepper. add in the prepared black beans, allow to simmer on low while you complete the noodle boiling.

preheat oven to 350F.

to assemble, in a casserole dish, spoon out some of the tomato sauce first. layer noodles, then add the tofu ricotta, spreading it as best as you can, top with tomato sauce. repeat until all the noodles are done, making sure the final top layer is the tomato sauce.

bake in oven for about 45 minutes – an hour, if the top gets too browned/dry, put foil wrap on it.
allow to sit for 15 minutes before digging in.
will keep, covered, in fridge for a week.