I'm a Veggie at Heart!

I like my meat as much as the next man (or woman!) but over the last year or so I've been making more vegetarian recipes. It's not so much as a conscious decision to do so either more like it's the day before i go food shopping and i set myself a challenge to make something with the ingredients left in the fridge! Not always a success though I might add!

I realised that I haven't been missing meat that much, infact I'm finding more and more exciting vegetarian recipes that have now become my favourites. This is one of my top five and I have the glorious Nigella to thank for it's comforting goodness! Yummy.

I love lasagne but this had a fresher, spicier and more Mediterranean flavour and you definitely will not miss the meat.

Nigella's Mexican Lasagne.
Ingredients: (for the sauce):1 tbp Garlic oil
                                         1 onion peeled and chopped
                                         1 Red Pepper de-seeded and chopped
                                         1 Green Chilli with/without seeds chopped
                                         1/2 tsp salt
                                         2 tbsp chopped corriander stalks
                                         1 can chopped tomatoes
                                         1 tbsp tomato ketchup

                  (for the filling): 1 can black beans ( I have also used mixed beans)(400g)
                                         1 can sweetcorn (250g)
                                        250g goats cheddar cheese
                                         4 - 6 flour tortillas.

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
2. To make the sauce, heat the garlic oil in a pan on the stove and add the onion, pepper and chillies. Add the salt and cook gently for 15 minutes. Once soft, add the chopped coriander stalks.
3. Add the canned tomatoes, then swill the cans out with water and add this too. Spoon in the ketchup and let things come to a simmer for about 10 minutes, leaving the sauce to cook while you get on with preparing the filling.
4. To make the filling, mix the drained beans and sweetcorn in a bowl. Add most of the grated cheese, reserving some to sprinkle on the top of the lasagne at the end, and mix together.
5. Start to assemble the lasagne by spooning about a third of the sauce into the bottom of your ovenproof dish and smearing it about. Layer on two tortillas, overlapping them slightly, so that they cover the sauce.
6. Add one-third of the beans and cheese mixture, covering the tortillas, and then about one-quarter of the remaining sauce and cover with another two tortillas.
7. Repeat the process with another one-third of beans and cheese, and some more sauce, before layering on another two tortillas.
8. Finally, add the last layer of beans and cheese, nearly all of the remaining sauce and cover with the last two tortillas. Spread the very last bit of sauce over the tortillas and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
9. Bake in the oven on a baking tray for 30 minutes, then let the lasagne rest for a good 10–15 minutes.
10. To serve, slice the lasagne like a pizza and eat with guacamole or avocado salsa.
    
    
    
    
    * I made an amazing avacado salsa with just one avacado a handful of chopped corriander leaves some lime juice, salt and pepper. Its fresh and cold and contrasts really well with the hot and spicy lasagne.
    
    
    
    
    
    Thanks Nigella.