Oooey Gooey Lasagne

You may have heard it talked about as it is getting a lot of press, or you may have tried it yourself.  I'm talking about Daiya, a newcomer to the vegan cheese market.  If you haven't tried it I know what you're thinking: "Eeewww, vegan cheese. I'm not trying THAT again."  But you have to trust me that Daiya isn't like other cheese alternatives.  It contains no dairy, soy, eggs, or wheat.  What it DOES contain is gooeyness.  It actually melts like real cheese!  It also has quite a good taste.  So good the Little Man and I have consumed over 8 pounds of it since we ordered it the first week of August.  He loves it raw and gobbles up slices of it.  I am not so fond of it in its raw state, but love it melted on pizza, nachos, quesadillas, grilled cheese sandwiches, and of course -- lasagne.

I modified this recipe from one at Gluten Free Chops.

• 9 Tinkyada lasagne noodles
• 1 14 oz can diced tomatoes
• 1/2 can tomato paste
• fresh oregano, basil, marjoram, parsley all finely diced
• - or - dried herbs to taste (try 1/2 tsp of each)
• dash of agave syrup
• 1/4 tsp salt for sauce plus 1/2 tsp salt for meat
• 1 pound ground bison
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 sweet onion, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 orange bell pepper, diced
• 3 carrots, peeled and sliced
• 1 small zucchini, diced
• 2 cups kale, chopped
• 1/4 pound (or more) Mozzarella-style Daiya 

1. Lay dried noodles in 2 lasagne pans so they are not overlapping.  Pour 1 inch of boiling water in each pan and cover with cookie sheets.  Let sit 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, lightly brown bison over medium heat in a large frypan.  Add garlic, onion, peppers, carrots, zucchini, kale, and 1/2 tsp salt.  Cook over medium-low until veggies are softened.
3. Drain a little liquid from the diced tomatoes, then puree with a hand-blender.  Stir in tomato paste, herbs, agave, and 1/4 tsp salt.
4. Once the 20 minute noodle timer rings, remove the lids and transfer all the noodles into one pan (draining the other pan).  Coat the empty lasagne pan with a little olive oil, then place 3 noodles side-by-side in the bottom of the pan.
5. Spread half of the meat/veggie mixture over the noodles, followed by 1/3 of the tomato sauce and 1/3 of the Daiya.
6. Repeat another layer of 3 noodles, the remaining meat/veggies, 1/2 of the remaining tomato sauce, and 1/2 of the remaining Daiya.
7. Top with last 3 noodles, remaining tomato sauce, and remaining Daiya.
8. Bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes.

Have you tried Daiya?  What do you think of it, and what recipes do you make with it?