Vegetable lasagna

Lasagna It’s a funny thing, given all the different things my mother cooked, she never made lasagna. But then my father had a thing about Pasta! Unless it was Spaghetti Bolognese, he would not look at it, let alone eat it. I also acknowledge that my Dad was not alone in this, I know a few women friends, who look forward to a night alone, so that they can have a simple pasta dinner. My friend Christi always made a vegetarian lasagna in London in the 70’s for dinner parties. I mostly seemed to be in charge of making the Bechamel for the top.. So, when I came to America and there was lasagna on so many menu’s I was really surprised, and it was then that I realized that not all lasagna is created equal. My version of vegetarian lasagna is a riff on the Silver Palate one. I found that I liked to have something green in the vegetable mix. This recipe is a little labour intensive but it is so worth it. I use no boiling required lasagna, my first lasagna I used lasagna sheets that I cooked, and it was a major mistake and mess. I like the spinach lasagna sheets but have to bring them back from England.. I have also found that a good jar of Marinara sauce works as well as me making a quick batch.. Spreading marinara sauce

Recipe 1 large eggplant - cubed, salted, oiled and roasted until golden 1 Butternut Squash, peeled, cubed, salted, oiled, roasted until golden Cremini mushrooms, sliced, sauteed in olive oil 1 red, 1 yellow pepper, sliced, sauteed in olive oil 2 packs frozen chopped spinach, sauteed in olive oil with chopped garlic 1 box no boiling required lasagna sheets 1 jar good Marinara sauce - I like Raos. Goat cheese - crumbled 2 cups Bechamel sauce with 1/2 cup grated parmesan 8oz grated mozzarella Sauteeing spinach and garlic

In a lasagna dish spread a good amount of marinara sauce over the bottom, cover the sauce with 3 lasagna sheets, then repeat. Start layering the vegetables, spinach garlic mixture first - it then absorbs the juices of the other vegetables; mushrooms, peppers, eggplant and squash follow. Crumble goat cheese over the vegetable layers. Cover with lasagna sheets, another layer of marinara and the final sheets of lasagna. Pour the cheesy bechamel sauce over the top and sprinkle the mozzarella over the entire pie. Bake at 350 degrees for approx. 45 minutes until golden. Serve with a seasonal salad. Layering the vegetables

Garden in snow

Hungry birds looking to see if I come bearing seeds

Bamboo

Thyme and lavandar beds

Our first Harlem garden

We got the grass to grow!

Frist winter's snow

The birds always enjoyed singing to the drumming

The garden was best in Spring and Fall when the leaves were not as dense on the tree next door..