Being raw at these times is a blessing,I ate the whole Lasagna by myself,still lost a pound this week.I'm not saying this is a good thing,or that I even would do this on a regular basis.Though I made another one tonight lol but one piece filled me,my hunger has quited down till next month-WHEW. Its good to know when it happens,its not the end of the world.Plus I have overweight issues to address,why I feel the need to over eat sometimes.Although in complete honesty I can say that this food transition has cured it about 80%.I think for me it was somewhat mental,but mostly something my body was missing.Like nutrients,that most of us are lacking.Now that my body is starting to heal it doesn't go in panic mode as much,cept for when I get lazy or forget ,to feed myself for several hours until I start to get dizzy.I have my days!!!!
On to the Goodies:
Okay i was pretty Excited by how this came out.Looked and tasted awesome!!
I got this off RawFreedomCommunity(love You Guys)
Carmella broke it down into steps made it soo do-able.I will be serving this to <SAD> folks whenever the chance arises.
Recipe ::
A lasagna is one of those recipes that looks pretty complicated but, trust me, is much easier than it seems. All it is, really, is several simple recipes combined into one. If you'd rather not do it all in one go, feel free to prepare some of the individual recipes a day ahead. The assembled result, however, is much greater than the sum of its parts, and is certain to thrill your taste buds!
Precisely because of the different recipes that make it up, a lasagna just begs for improvisation! There are countless possibilities to play with, so don't be shy to experiment. I don't think I've ever followed one particular lasagna recipe from beginning to end. I just like to look at several and come up with my own. The following Luscious Lasagna was inspired by the creations of Nomi Shannon, Sarma Melngailis and Alissa Cohen.
Luscious Lasagna By Carmella Soleil
Serves 4
All measurements are approximate so feel free to tweak to your liking!
Zucchini noodles
2 med. zucchinis
2 tbs olive oil
2 tbs Braggs or Nama Shoyu
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
Trim both ends of the zucchinis and cut on a mandolin into wide, paper-thin slices. Dip into the marinade then set aside on a plate. As you keep working, you'll notice some of the excess marinade will gather at the bottom of the plate so just drain it back into the marinade bowl.
My notes> I did not take a pic of this step as its pretty self explanatory,but if anyone is a visualist like me. I'd be more then happy to post some :)
Almond Ricotta Cheese
Almond Ricotta
(This recipe was inspired by Fairygirl)
1 cup almonds, soaked overnight
1 garlic clove
1/2 tsp sea salt
Lemon juice, to taste
Water
Combine everything in a food processor and process until smooth. Add water until you reach a ricotta cheese consistency. Set aside.
My Notes> This was sooo darn good,couldn't believe it was from almonds!!
Cheesy Nut Cream
Cheesy Nut Cream
1/2 cup macadamia nuts, soaked
1/2 cup cashews, soaked
2 tbs pine nuts, soaked
2 tsp nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp salt
Lemon juice, to taste
1/2 cup water
Soak nuts for a couple of hours. Blend all ingredients until smooth. Refrigerate to help thicken.
My Notes> This is by far the best the cheese Ive tried yet.Yes its not actual Cheese and does not taste just like it,but it sure fits the bill for ex-cheese lovers.Made some extra tonight will be having on a pizza in coming week Woohoo!!
Spinach Cream Layer
3 cups fresh spinach
3 fresh basil leaves or 1 tsp dried
4 tbs Almond Ricotta or Cheesy Nut Cream (I've tried both and the results are equally delicious!)
Pulse chop spinach and basil in food processor until finely minced. Fold into Ricotta or Cheesy Nut Cream and combine well. Set aside.
My notes>Very tasty ,I could see stuffing some mushrooms or rolled up eggplant or Zucc noodles Yumm!
Tomato Sauce
1 cup sun dried tomatoes, soaked
2 or 3 med. tomatoes
2 tbs olive oil
2 pitted dates, soaked for a couple of hours
1 tsp salt
1 clove garlic or more, to taste
Fresh or dried herbs, to taste
Drain sun dried tomatoes well. Blend everything together until smooth. You may add a little soak water to reach a smooth consistency, but remember that you want the sauce to be fairly thick. Adjust seasonings. Set aside.
My Notes> I used my own sauce ,but I'm sure this is very good.
Marinated Portobello Mushrooms
1 Portobello mushroom
2 tbs Braggs or Nama Shoyu
2 tbs olive oil
1 tsp dried tarragon
Chop Portobello mushroom and let marinate for a few minutes. Drain and set aside.
My Notes> Easy Peazy -Yum Yumm!!
Assembling the Lasagna:
- Line the bottom of a glass lasagna pan with a layer of zucchini slices, each one slightly overlapping another. (Mine filled about 3/4 of a 7 x 11 pan, which was perfect as it allowed me to tip it slightly and scoop out the excess liquid before popping the lasagna in the dehydrator.)
- Spread some Almond Ricotta, followed by a layer of Tomato Sauce.
- Add a layer of zucchini slices. Then the Spinach Cream Layer.
-One more zucchini layer, followed by some Cheesy Nut Cream and topped with Tomato Sauce.
-More zucchini slices. Then another layer of Almond Ricotta.
-A final layer of zucchini, topped with Tomato Sauce.
Let sit for a few minutes on the counter while the dehydrator is warming up.
Scoop out excess liquid and dehydrate for 2 to 3 hours at 105-110 degrees. This will allow some of the moisture to evaporate.
Cut into individual servings, and top with a nice big dollop of Cheesy Nut Cream and a few Portobello mushrooms.
Notes:
Some people like to serve lasagna cold, but I prefer to eat it slightly warm, out of the dehydrator.
If you have left over sauce or cheese that's fine. It would make a wonderful pizza or topping for zucchini angel hair pasta.
You could substitute (or add!) a layer of pesto, marinated veggies or tomato slices. Your imagination is the limit!
My Notes> This seems involved ,sorta is,but like she said make some one day,put together another,I made half of them and finished the rest next day,was cool.I also took all ingr. out of fridge and let them sit till they were room temp. Just so they were not ice cold.I hope to create something for my dehydrator to warm higher foods,but for now I don't wanna chance losing any nutrients by heating in an oven.But if your adventurous ,try opening oven door an heating till slightly warm.
Juices:
Have been trying to Juice more,haven't really got a pattern down with Juicing,working on that.When I juice now I make several jars ,I have some for a few days.I love plain apple Juice no words for how good fresh apple juice is among other things I have tried since using a juicer.By suggestion from My brother ,I also use some of the juices I make, in place of the cup of water in the morning for my smoothies.Pretty dang good!!
Anyhow this week,I juiced a whole Pineapple,that was Delicious .I had watched a video of the renegade health show and they were doing a Tribute to Jack Lalanne,one of his recipes was a pineapple,very good for you.
Also Per suggestion of my brother ,I juiced like 10 kiwi's with the skin on,was good but dense,I wouldn't mind mixed with other juices,not alone.Norman drank all of it,didn't really fit with carrots IMO.
I then juiced my fav's. Straight Carrot and Straight Apple and then one big container of Apple carrot Ginger...YUMMMMMY!!!
I was checkin out some recipes on guess where RFC,and came across Potato Chips,now I tried these once before,but they were not good at all.I have yet to make a cracker I like either :(
They never Dhy like they are suppose to. I decided to soak my sweet potatoes in water over nite after I sliced them. It did the trick,They were softer and I think they tasted much better,maybe potatoes would do the same?. Anyhow they are still in dhy. I have been snagging one here and there,so has Norman.So if there is any left in the morning lol will be cool to see what they end up like ,here's the recipes.Pics of dips an ingredients I used.
When you get serious about health, chips are one of those things that just have to go. When you think of all the trans fats and additives that regular chips contain, your body will thank you for it! With the help of a dehydrator, you can transform a number of veggies into delicious raw chips: zucchini, butternut squash, sweet potato and even kale! You can also use good ol' potatoes, of course, although we've found that they seem to retain a certain 'starchiness' that we don't particularly care for.Sweet Potato Chips2 sweet potatoes, peeled
1 tbs olive oil
1 tsp salt
Seasonings of choiceThinly slice the sweet potatoes with a mandoline or veggie peeler. Prepare a marinade with the rest of the ingredients and toss the potatoes in it.
Spread the slices on a teflex sheet and dehydrate until crisp. You may want to turn them over to help dehydration.For BBQ Chips: Use Chili, cayenne, cumin, paprika, onion powder and a little honey.For Cheezy Chips: Use 2 tbs nutritional yeastCarmella's Notes:
- If you find that your chips don't turn out very crispy, try slicing them thinner or using less oil.
- You can dehydrate the chips directly on the mesh, but in my experience, it's a lot of work cleaning these up afterwards.
1 tbs olive oil
1 tsp salt
Seasonings of choiceThinly slice the sweet potatoes with a mandoline or veggie peeler. Prepare a marinade with the rest of the ingredients and toss the potatoes in it.
Spread the slices on a teflex sheet and dehydrate until crisp. You may want to turn them over to help dehydration.For BBQ Chips: Use Chili, cayenne, cumin, paprika, onion powder and a little honey.For Cheezy Chips: Use 2 tbs nutritional yeastCarmella's Notes:
- If you find that your chips don't turn out very crispy, try slicing them thinner or using less oil.
- You can dehydrate the chips directly on the mesh, but in my experience, it's a lot of work cleaning these up afterwards.
Glad I needed it,It works pretty good.Its by no means built perfect,I have no mandolin experience to compare to.So a few things I think could have been done better,is the Julian blades are plastic ,tougher for denser veggies to pass by,and the swing thing is annoying. i chucked that in a drawer within 5 strokes of the Zucc. Also the slice's on the smallest setting are still kinda thick.
But hey I seen this going for 40 something on amazon,for the money I think I got a good deal.The stand is sturdy and the blade itself is sharp.Took seconds to slice things up.
I think me an the mandolin are going to have a long life together overall even if I curse at it from time to time,I think we are going to be good friends :)
Last but not least Desert:
Was craving Ice cream ,used a little Apple juice,frozen banana's.Half Container of fresh Raspberries,then frozen berrie Mix.Blended until creamy,threw in some fresh Raspberries for garnish and indulged.The Apple juice was so good in this,almost like a sorbet.The sky's the limit with juice's.
Think I have rambled enough,getting pretty sleepy.God bless Everyone!!!!
We need to find God, and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature - trees, flowers, grass- grows in silence; see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence... We need silence to be able to touch souls. Mother Teresa
