With the arrival of spring this weekend, I decided to celebrate with this raw lasagna dish. I’m sure many of you have heard of raw food. Raw food is food that has not been cooked in the traditional sense – nothing is heated above 118 degrees Fahrenheit and ingredients are not chemically processed, pasteurized, genetically modified or compromised in any other way. Cooking and processing foods generally decrease their digestibility and vitamin and mineral density as well as their overall health-promoting qualities.
Personally, I love eating raw food dishes in the summer but with our cold Canadian winters, my body needs and craves warm foods. There are many health benefits that come by integrating raw foods into the diet, and for the most part, individuals are not consuming sufficient amount. So why not get started by trying out this great “lasagna” recipe from Sam Melngaillis’s book "Living Raw Food”. I must say it was truly delicious.
There are a couple of steps, but don't be intimidated. It's a really easy recipe. One tip is to use good quality sun-dried tomatoes and avoid using the ones already soaked in oil as the oil tends not to be high-quality. And please note, I must hone my photography skills. This image (taken with a phone camera) does not do this meal justice.
“Ricotta”
- 2 cups of pine nuts (soaked for 1 hour or more)
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp salt
- 6 tbsp water
Place all ingredients in a food processor and process until texture becomes fluffy like ricotta.
Tomato sauce
- 2 cups sun died tomatoes (soaked for 2 hours or more)
- 1 medium tomato diced
- ½ small onion chopped
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 tbsp of agave nectar
- 2 tsp sea salt
- pinch of hot pepper flakes
Squeeze and drain as much water of the water out of the soaked sun-dried tomatoes. Place all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth.
Basil-pistachio pesto
- 2 cups packed basil leaves
- ½ cup pistachios
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 tsp sea salt
- Pinch of ground black pepper
Place ingredients in food processor and blend until well combinedbut still slightly chunky.
For assembly:
- 3 medium zucchinis, ends trimmed
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp of chopped fresh oregano (or ½ tbsp of dried oregano)
- 1 tbsp of fresh thyme (or ½ tbsp of dried thyme)
- Pinch of sea salt
- Pinch of ground black pepper
- 3 medium tomatoes (heirloom tomatoes or any kind), cut in half and then sliced
- Whole basil leaves for garnish
1. Cut zucchinis crosswise in half or into 3-inch lengths. Using a mandoline or vegetable peeler, cut zucchinis lengthwise into very thing slices. In medium bowl, toss zucchini slices with olive oil, oregano, thyme, salt and pepper.
2. Line bottom of 9” x 13” baking dish with layer of zucchini slices, each one slightly overlapping another. Spread about 1/3 of the tomato sauce over it and top with small dollops of “ricotta” and pesto, using 1/3 of each. Layer about 1/3 of tomato slices. Add another layer of zucchini slices and repeat twice more with tomato sauce, “ricotta”, pesto and tomato slices. Serve immediately or cover and let sit at room temperature for a few hours. Garnish with basil leaves.
3. Alternatively, to make individual servings, place about 3 zucchini slices, slightly overlapping, in the centre of each plate to make a square shape. Spread tomato sauce over the zucchini, top with small dollops of “ricotta” and pesto and a few small tomato slices. Repeat twice more. Garnish with basil leaves. Any leftover lasagna, whether made in a tray or individually, will taste great if kept in the refrigerator for at least a day or more, but it may not look as good.
CLEANnutrition.ca Toronto Weight Loss and Nutrition
Friday, May 27, 2011 at 08:04PM 