Happy Sustainability Sunday!

Two-Hour Hippie Lasagna

With Clean Laundry, Clean Kitchen and Clean Cook on the side.



Wait. Before we start the clock, there's some prep to be done. No, this isn't one of those recipes that requires that you have scoured the kitchen, pre-heated the oven, assembled all your tools and measured your ingredients before you even start. Those suck. This is mostly mental prep work.

On the other hand, if you want slow-simmered sauce, different sauces for each layer or slow-cooked onions and mushrooms and lovingly soaked and simmered beans, you'd better make them ahead, 'cuz there's no way that's happening in this two hours. Also, this is a solo time ... if you have help (particularly of the child kind) all bets are off.

To make the amazing two-hour hippie lasagna with clean laundry, clean kitchen and clean cook on the side, start with a clear idea of what you're going to do and know where everything is so you don't get the prep work done and remember that the pan you wanted to use is still at the neighbour's from last time or that you used all the sauce to de-skunk the dog last week.

First, decide how big your lasagna will be and how many layers. Make sure you have enough noodles and sauce OR figure out how much sauce and how many noodles you have and decide how big your amazing two-hour hippie lasagna with clean laundry, clean kitchen and clean cook on the side will be from that.

This will help decide whether or not to pre-cook your noodles and chunky vegetables, or shred the vegetables (shorter baking time) or not (longer baking time), and when to add cheese if you're going to, etc.

Next, see what you've got for layer fodder and plan your layers OR decide what your layers are going to be and make sure you have those ingredients.

Think about which load of laundry you want washed and gather it if necessary.

Do you have a clean towel?

Is your favourite cup clean?

I made a vegan version ... I had: bottom layer - kidney beans (canned) and corn (frozen), middle layer - tofu, top layer - shredded carrots and sunflower seeds. I'm taking my lasanga on the road and had a few extra noodles, so I made sure I had lots of sauce, planned to grate an extra carrot and rounded up the laundry. Towel, check. Cup, check.

Okay, now we can start:

Two-Hour Hippie Lasagna

With Clean Laundry, Clean Kitchen and Clean Cook on the side.

Put the water for the noodles on to boil ... or don't, if you don't pre-cook your noodles.
I pre-cook noodles, so if you don't, make adjustments as you go - don't add yeast to thicken things up, add liquid to the sauce, whatever voodoo it is you noodle-non-cookers do.

Put your laundry in.

Prepare the layer ingredients (save the peels/ends ... freeze them and we'll make garbage soup with them next week) and sauce, give the pan a wipe, etc. Now's the time to shred, crumble, thaw, sautée and pre-cook things like carrots, beets, yams, tofu, cheese, meat, frozen vegetables, leeks, onions, mushrooms, or just open cans, if that's your preference. Somewhere in the middle of that, put the noodles in when the water boils ... take them out before they're fully cooked (2-5 minutes less than package directions).

If you have a lot of watery ingredients (raw spinach, a particularly juicy sauce, raw mushrooms, less-firm tofu, raw tomatoes), you can add some flake yeast on top of the sauce to thicken things a bit.

Spread some sauce in the bottom of the pan.
Then alternate noodles, layer, sauce, noodles, layer, sauce, 'til you run out of layers.
End with noodles, sauce, and melty-type cheese if you're going to use it.

Turn the oven to 350°F and put the lasagna in (nope, no pre-heating).
Set a timer for 20 minutes.
Wash the dishes.
If the dog/cat/toddler hasn't licked up the escaped shredded carrots and crumbled tofu, give the floor a quick sweep.
Put the kettle on.
Hang the laundry.
Make tea.
Turn the oven off when the timer goes, but leave the lasagna in.
Have a shower.
Take the lasagna out now if you plan to take it on the road, otherwise, leave it in.
Now is the time to put bread in to warm if you're going to serve it.
Toss the tea grounds/teabag in the compost.
Drink your tea while you build a salad or sit down to write out a recipe for a friend or e-mail your MLA again about allowing grey water recycling in your area.

The amazing two-hour hippie lasagna with clean laundry, clean kitchen and clean cook on the side is ready to serve.