Nuts and on a roll....

Got some mundane stuff to do in the morning tomorrow, but then the day will pick up as off down to Sussex to see my brother and new family and my parents. It'll also be a great chance to catch up with a friend en route. I'm going on my onesome, even though we should be in the clear with chicken pox now, can't risk us all going and passing it on to newborn nephew.

Been cooking for tomorrow. Its 'nutty lasagne', a dish the boys have (mostly) liked since they were babies, probably because it contains parsnips so has a sweet taste to it. I make this every so often as its got good stuff in especially ground walnuts on top, good source of omega oils. Big plus, its one easy lasagne recipe, because it doesn't require a bechamel sauce, so not fiddly at all.

Can't find the Sainsburys' vegetarian recipe book its in (still in an unpacked box) but I had the recipe on my computer, it's as below. Have veganised it by using toffuti garlic and herb 'cream cheese' instead of cottage cheese, and Marigold 'Engevita' flakes on the top. Though I did put some cheese on part of the top, as Mit and the boys are veggie, and eat some cheese.

Nutty Lasagne

750g parnips, diced

25g butter

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

6 sheets of no pre-cook lasagne

340g carton cottage cheese

500g chopped frozen spinach, thawed and drained

¼ teaspoon of nutmeg

50g cheddar cheese, thinly sliced

25g walnuts, roughly chopped

1 large tomato, halved

Cook the parsnips in boiling water for 12-15 mins or until tender. Drain and mash in the dish with half the butter and the parsley.

Cover with half the lasagne, then the cottage cheese, then the remaining lasagne. Cover with the spinach and season with the nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste. Arrange the cheese slices along 2 sides of the dish.

Cook in a preheated moderate oven, 180c fas mark 4, for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with the walnuts down the centre and dot with the remaining butter. Arrange the tomato on either side of the walnuts.

Serves 4

Made some vegan sausage rolls (packet of puff pastry) with Granose meat free sausage mix, these are for a fireworks gathering we're possibly going to tomorrow eve.

Mit took most of the afternoon off work, it being half term. We strolled into town and had coffee and cake at M&S. Lovely cafe, they do lovely soya capuccinos. And they don't charge you for having soya milk unlike some of the coffee chains- I think its quite off that some charge 30 or 40p for soya milk, when so many people request it now instead of cow's milk and for a range of dietary reasons. It shouldn't be the case that they have to buy it in for a tiny minority any more.

Rohan had a 'gingerbread man' and Luca a 'gingerbread lady'- funny, they usually ask for exactly the same thing!