Junk Food Makeover: Lasagna
Lasagna is always a good option for dinner. (Photo: Stocksy)
Ah, lasagna: so delicious with layers of cheese, pasta, and sauce — but not so good for the waistline. Full of gluten and dairy and not a whole lot of healthy fiber, lasagna can be hard to digest and can often leave you feeling sluggish and bloated. We created a feel-good vegan lasagna that makes you great on the inside and out. This recipe uses zucchini as the pasta and cashew cream for the cheese.
5 medium zucchinis
2 teaspoons of avocado pil
Sea salt and pepper to taste
2 cups of cashews
2/3 cups of water
½ cups of basil, blanched and shocked
3 cups of homemade tomato sauce
Yields: 6 servings
Preheat oven to 350°F. Cut tops and bottoms off zucchini and discard. Using a mandolin, slice zucchini lengthwise, about 1/16 of an inch thick. Place on parchment- or silpat-lined baking sheet. Lightly brush with avocado oil. Season with sea salt and pepper. Bake for 10 minutes or until soft. Remove from oven and let cool. In a Vitamix blender, puree cashews, water, basil, and a pinch of sea salt until smooth. Set aside. In a nine-inch loaf pan, start constructing the lasagna with zucchini. Line the bottom of the pan with one layer of zucchini, spoon in tomato sauce and then add a few small spoonfuls of basil cashew cream. Cover with another layer of zucchini and repeat until loaf pan is full. Top with tomato sauce. Bake in the oven for 45 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. May be enjoyed hot or cold.
Tricia Williams is a chef and nutrition educator and founder of Food Matters NYC, a customized meal delivery service in Manhattan.
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