F*ck, That's Vegan?! #19
19. "Lunch in Freetown"
In the Copenhagen commune of Freetown Christiania, there's a grocery-buffet hybrid run by the community called Grønsagen. The name means "The Vegetable", but ironically they serve up a mean meat lasagna according to Bronson in this (19th) section of F*ck, That’s Delicious. They also serve many vegan cakes, hummus, zucchini fritters, brownies, meatballs, soups, and salads. You eat your seemingly mismatched foods on mismatched dishware at mismatched tables.
Since you're likely not making it to Freetown any time soon, I veganized 3 Grønsagen buffet staples: meat lasagna, hummus, and brownies. Invite over your most free-thinking pals, have them bring a delicious dish, and enjoy a buffet on mismatched plates at home!
Meat Lasagna Ingredients:
lasagna noodles, no-boil
ground "meat"
red sauce
bechamel sauce
Meat
1/2 white onion, diced
1 1/4 cups tvp
1 cup mushroom broth
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp vegan worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
black pepper
smoked paprika
garlic powder
thyme
oregano
salt
olive oil
Red Sauce
1/4 cup mushroom broth
3 tbsp tomato paste
3 roasted red peppers
4 roasted piquillo peppers
black pepper
olive oil
Bechamel Sauce
1 1/2 cups cashews, soaked
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 cup mushroom broth
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp potato starch
2 tbsp sunflower oil
salt
garlic powder
black pepper
white pepper
nutmeg
Instructions:
Bechamel Sauce:
Blend all ingredients together until very smooth. Set aside for assembly.
Meat:
Heat mushroom broth, soy sauce, vegan worcestershire sauce, nutritional yeast together. Pour over tvp and mix. Heat a pan over medium-high. Add olive oil once hot, then add onion. Once onion is translucent, add hydrated tvp and seasonings. Brown onion and tvp, then remove from heat. Set aside for assembly.
Red Sauce:
Blend all ingredients together until very smooth. Set aside for assembly.
Assembly
Preheat oven to 375°F. Spread a small amount of red sauce across the bottom of a rectangular baking dish. Add a layer of noodles. Sprinkle a layer of meat, then a layer of red sauce, then a layer of bechamel. Repeat 2-3 more times (depending on the depth of your baking dish). Bake for 30 mins. Broil on low for 30-60 seconds to brown top if desired. Serve!
Brownie Ingredients:
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 stick unsalted butter
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking pawder
2 tsp salt
3/4 cups aquafaba
1 1/3 cups cane sugar
Instructions:
Sift or whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.
In a larger bowl, whip together aquafaba, cream of tartar with a hand mixer, adding in a quarter of the sugar every few minutes. Whip until soft peaks form, somewhere between 6-8 minutes.
Melt together chocolate chips and butter. You can use a double boiler or just microwave in 30 second increments, then mix after each time, until melted.
With a rubber spatula, fold the melted chocolate into the whipped aquafaba. Add the dry ingredients 1/3 of the time and mix until no dry spots remain.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Transfer batter to a 8x8 baking dish lined with parchment and spread evenly. Bake for 30 minutes.
Do not cut brownies until cooled.
Hummus Ingredients:
1 cup garbanzo beans, cooked
1 cup tahini
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
2/3 cup lemon juice
black pepper
white pepper
2 tbsp smoked (or not) salt
Instructions:
Blend all ingredients together in a food processor or blender until smooth. Add more lemon or tahini if the hummus is too thick.
Enjoy inside of a sandwich, or with veggies, bread, or tortilla chips!
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