Let’s Eat: Hearty Vegan Lasagna, with a Twist
We had a big craving for some comfort food, so we made a lasagna packed with protein and unique flavors. We’ve included a video demonstration on how to make this rich and creamy dish that’s packed with flavor and interesting twists. The tofu does require some advance prep to get a nice texture, so it’s great to add it to your meal prep rotation for a delicious weeknight meal craving crusher. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
Tofu Ricotta Ingredients:
300 g Firm Tofu
150 g Silken Tofu
3 tbsp Miso Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
Lasagna Ingredients:
300 g Vegan Shredded Cheese
8 Lasagna Sheets
2 Tbsp Vegan Butter
1 Tbsp Chili Oil
50 g Diced Onion
50 g Mixed Vegetables
50 g Spinach
40 g Sun-dried Tomato
450 g Soy Crumbles
2 tbsp Minced Garlic
85 g Tomato Paste
235 g Crushed Tomatoes
700 g Tomato Sauce
100 g Pesto
2 Tbsp Miso Powder
Salt, pepper, and hot sauce to taste
Instructions
Ricotta
1. The day before, drain and freeze the firm tofu for at least 3 hours. Thaw in the fridge overnight.*
2. Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook tofu for about 5 minutes. Save the water for the noodles.
3. Press and drain the firm tofu to remove extra water. In a bowl, mash the firm tofu and silken tofu together.
4. Season with miso powder and salt and stir to mix them thoroughly. Set aside.
Meat Sauce
1. In a large pan, melt the vegan butter and chili oil over medium heat, then add the onion, mixed vegetables, and spinach. Cook until the veggies have softened.
2. Add the minced garlic, sun-dried tomato, and tomato paste. Stir and cook for 1 minute, then add the soy crumbles. Break it up and cook until browned.
3. Tomato sauce and pesto, and stir to incorporate. Cook for about 3 minutes, then add the crushed tomatoes and miso powder, hot sauce, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine.
4. Taste and adjust the seasoning for the sauce to your liking. Bring to a simmer and reduce the sauce until it’s at the desired consistency.
Lasagna
1. While the sauce simmers, cook the pasta to al dente according to package instructions.
2. After the pasta is cooked, drain and separate to ensure they don't stick together.
3. Preheat oven to 180° c.
4. Add a thin layer of sauce to the bottom of a 9x9 baking pan. Add 2 lasagna noodles. Add another layer of sauce over the noodles, making sure to completely cover the noodles so they don’t dry out.
5. Spread about 1/3 of the tofu ricotta on the sauce as evenly as possible. Then add a layer of shredded cheese
6. Repeat layering the noodles, sauce, ricotta, and mozzarella until all noodles are used. Top with a thicker layer of sauce and cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 10 minutes. Keep an eye on it so it doesn’t burn 😅
7. Remove from the oven and let the lasagna cool and rest for at least 30 minutes before eating.
*First step for the ricotta is optional for a firmer texture.
Full recipe video
Eat Well: Vegan Izakaya Masaka - Ikebukuro, Tokyo
All vegan
Japanese Izakaya
Lunch: 12-15
Dinner: 15-22
Shibuya Parco B1, Shibuya, Tokyo
Photos from left to right: Izakaya entrance, menu, plates for sharing, lemon-onion karaage, tartar sauce karaage, both karaage, deep fried maitake mushrooms, mapo tofu with rice
Eat Well: Vegan Gyoza Yu - Taito
Tucked away on a back street about 7 minutes from Uguisudani Station is one of the most delicious vegan gyoza restaurants you’ll ever visit in Tokyo. Vegan Gyoza Yu. They specialize in rainbow gyoza with 11 unique flavors to enjoy steamed or fried. Their claim to fame is that their gyoza is so good you don’t need dipping sauce or condiments to go with them, and we agree. In addition to gyoza, they also have a variety of alcoholic, caffeinated, and decaf drinks to enjoy with your meal. And with indoor and outdoor seating, that’s heated in the winter, you can enjoy this restaurant year-round.
Let’s talk flavor. As mentioned above, there are 11 flavors to choose from to build your perfect plate, but we recommend trying the full set on your first visit to see which ones you’ll like best. Your options are two types of shiitake, celery, green pepper, Chinese chives, coriander, kimchi, eggplant miso, ginger miso, garlic miso, and green onion miso. They’re all well seasoned and full of flavor, and each flavor has a naturally dyed dough to tell them apart. Don’t worry about guessing which is which because the set comes with a small guide paper to identify each one. This set is super filling and will leave you feeling happy at the end. Our top five flavors, in no particular order, are Chinese chive, shiitake, kimchi, ginger miso, and garlic miso.
We couldn’t resist getting a drink this time and decided to have the decaf chocolate latte with caramel sauce as our dessert. You’d be surprised at how many cafes and coffee shops in Tokyo don’t have a decaf option, which is a problem for us because we shouldn’t have too much caffeine, but love the taste of coffee. It was a real treat to try this rich, chocolatey drink topped with thick whipped cream, chocolate sauce, and caramel sauce. It’s smooth, easy to drink, and our go-to beverage choice.
After you’ve indulged in this delicious gyoza, you can get a customized frozen set to enjoy at home too. We’re very excited to share this restaurant because Vegan Gyoza YU is our favorite place in Tokyo to get gyoza. It’s a good thing we don’t live closer, or we’d be eating out a lot more. The menu at Vegan Gyoza Yu is pretty consistent, so there probably won’t be a need to update this one, but if anything changes, we’ll let you know!
The owner Yu (on the left) and our friend Zim
Yu, the owner, is one of the sweetest business owners you’ll meet out here. She’s kind, attentive, and friendly. Don’t be afraid to have a chat with her and let her know how great the food is!
Eat Well: Great Lakes - Takadanobaba
It all begins with an idea.
Great Lakes is a 100% vegan burger restaurant about a 10-minute walk from Takadanobaba station. There isn’t a lot of seating, but they have chairs outside to wait until a table is free. And believe us, it’s worth the wait. We love the casual vibe of the restaurant with its open kitchen and the cool mural we saw as soon as we entered. There’s also a television that occasionally plays shows and movies to keep guests entertained if dining alone. It was pretty busy when we visited, so we sat at the counter. It was fun watching the cooks at work preparing our food. No matter where you sit, though, you’ll be sure to have a good time. The staff was so friendly and offered suggestions on their favorite options. The staff and the menu are bilingual so ordering is easy in Japanese and English.
Great Lakes offers three kinds of burgers, two sides, and a milkshake with seasonal flavors. You can get the burgers as doubles or singles with or without cheese. Let’s dig in!
The superior burger, named after Lake Superior, is this restaurant’s top recommendation and after you eat it you’ll understand why. The Superior burger has a great balance and contrast of flavors. It‘s filled with mayo, house-made cheese sauce, grilled red onion, arugula, tomato jam, and their signature burger patty. The bu is soft without being mushy and lends a nice texture to the overall eating experience - and this is coming from someone who doesn’t really enjoy eating bread. We decided to try this burger with tater tots to please our inner child. The tots were crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, just like they should be. This is a great starter burger for your first time dining in because it feels like a classic burger with a little twist.
Next on our burger adventure in the Michigan burger, of course named after Lake Michigan. This is our favorite burger and the one we order most often from Great Lakes. It also comes with the house-made patty, but the difference lies in the toppings. - caramelized onions and cheese sauce. Even though it doesn’t boat a variety of ingredients like the other two burgers, the Michigan packs a lot of flavor. It’s just a pile of savory goodness that warms the heart and fills the stomach. Due to its minimal toppings there isn’t a lot of textural variety but eating it with some french fries on the side helps round it out as a satisfying meal.
We finished of the meal with a Biscoff cookie milkshake, which has definitely changed by the time of posting this review. We like eating this cookie as a snack already, so we knew we had to try it in shake form. It was absolutely delicious. The milkshake was thick, but not so thick that we couldn’t drink it through a straw. The whipped cream on top added an extra layer of creaminess without making this dessert too sweet. Of course, we already loved the flavor because we love the cookie but blending it with vanilla ice cream helped enhance the caramel flavor that this speculoos cookie is so well known for. There was even a Biscoff cookie nestled on top of the whipped cream as a garnish to drive the consistency home. It’s a good thing this milkshake isn’t on the regular menu because we would order it every time.
If you’re looking for a fantastic burger place in Tokyo, we can’t recommend Great Lakes enough. The simple but delicious menu that’s 100% vegan makes it the perfect place to satisfy your craving for this American classic. As we try new menu items we will update this post to help you know what to expect. For now, eat well and travel often.
Eat Well: Tsumugu Cafe - Ikebukuro
Down the street from Rikkyo University and a short 10-minute walk from Ikebukuro station you’ll find Tsumugu cafe. This small restaurant specializes in Taiwanese and oriental vegetarian cuisine with plenty of vegan options. The feeling of this cafe reminds me of a cozy cottage and it’s somewhere you can relax for hours while enjoying traditional and fusion Taiwanese meals. We often come here on dates with our partner.
Many of the items on the menu at Tsumugu Cafe are made with traditional Chinese medicine in mind, so they’re not only filling but also healthy. On this visit, we decided to try the lunch set, which included two soups, salad, and dumplings. Let’s get into it.
The first soup we tried was a small bowl of vegetables in a light, clear broth. Seaweed, small diced pumpkin, and corn all swam happily together in the hot broth, leaving me saying, “That’s good soup.” Though simple, it was surprisingly delicious and satisfying.
Next, we took a stab at the salad. We’re not the type to enjoy salads, but this one was okay. The ingredients tasted super fresh with crisp leaves of lettuce and spinach studded with tomato and corn. It was dressed simply with oil and vinegar to add a pop of flavor. Refreshing, but not exciting.
The plate of dumplings was quite filling and we wish there had been more than four. Gently wrapped in a pleasantly chewy dough was a mix of mock meat, mushrooms, ginger, and minced veggies. They were coated in chili oil and vinegar with the slightest hint of spice that even those with a low tolerance to spicy foods would be able to enjoy. If they sold packs of the dumpling-sauce combo in stores we would definitely work it into our meal prep rotation.
And finally, the main attraction was a larger bowl of herbal soup. In traditional Chinese medicine, black foods should be eaten in winter and that was well represented in this dish. The black vinegar broth was a touch sour, syrupy, and cloying. Which contrasted with the taste of the first soup we tried. There was a bounty of fillings including mushrooms (enoki, wood ear, and shiitake), dates, goji berries, carrot, coriander, ginger, and a slice of soy ham. The rice noodles were perfectly cooked. This was a fruity, sweet, and sour experience we weren’t expecting. Usually, we drink the broth, but after such a filling meal and with such potent flavors, we couldn’t finish it.
As usual when we visit Tsumugu Cafe, we felt full and satisfied at the end of the meal. This lunch set was reasonably priced, our service was good, and there’s always a table at this friendly neighborhood restaurant. Overall, we’ll give our meal a 3/5. We’ll be back in the future to try some more of their vegan friendly options and share the experience with ravenous readers. For now, eat well.
