Monday, August 31, 2009

A Vegan Lasagna, Off The Cuff





I had a giant 8-ball zucchini (from the garden!), carrots, garlic, collard greens, broccoli and canned tomato products in the house: that spelled lasagna. I've been trying to eat more raw food than not, so all the vegetables went into the lasagna raw, in the hopes that only 45 minutes of baking would leave more nutrients than might otherwise be there with all the cooking that normally precedes lasagna assemblage. More nutrients or not, I discovered a better way to assemble a vegetarian lasagna -- large slices of uncooked vegetables and thick layers of vegetables with minimal sauce makes a nice, moist casserole without any excess water. It holds its shape like a torte.

1/4 inch thick slices of zucchini or squash
head of broccoli, chopped into small pieces
collard green leaves or kale leaves
shiitake mushrooms
marinara of choice
no-boil lasagna noodles
topping of grated carrot and minced garlic

layer: sauce, noodles, sauce, mushrooms, collard leaf, zucchini, noodles, sauce, broccoli, collard leaf, zucchini, noodles, sauce, carrot/garlic topping. Bake 350 for 45 minutes and enjoy layers and layers of lightly-baked vegetables.