Green Lasagna – Raw or Raw Fusion Dinner

Vegan or Vegetarian Options – Completely Grain and Gluten-Free

With the cold weather all over the country — even here in Tampa – I have been desiring warmer dishes.  This is when my dehydrator really comes in handy.

I have made this Green Lasagna in many variations:  Fully raw with a “raw-cotta” cheese made with macadamias, lemon and pinenuts; Same vegan version, but baked in a low temperature oven; and vegetarian-style with store-bought ricotta and tomato sauce.  The most important element is the zucchini, which is used INSTEAD of any kind of grain noodle, making this a much easier dish to digest and with superior food combining

Also make sure to chop up your favorite greens, like spinach, parsley, basil, arugula, kale or chard and add a few layers of these to get a fabulous servings of nutrient-rich greens!

Step 1 – Peel 2-3 medium to large zucchini and slice thinly with a knife or mandolin.

Step 2 -Drizzle some grapeseed or olive oil on the bottom of a baking dish.

Step 3 – Spread a thin layer of Sweet Tomato Marinara (recipe below)

Step 4 – Sprinkle some of chopped greens (spinach, parsley, arugula) over the sauce

Step 5 – Place a layer of the zucchini noodles on top

Step 6 – Spoon on a layer of the Raw-cotta (vegan) cheese or ricotta for vegetarian

Step 7 – (Optional)  Drizzle some pesto sauce or more oil on top – then

REPEAT all of the steps until you run out of sauce, cheese and noodles.

Place in dehydrator at 105 degrees for 4-5 hours.  If you have to leave it longer and don’t want to dry it out, cover with a glass top or plastic wrap/aluminum foil.  Top with Nutritional Yeast or Raw-Mezan for a cheezy finish.

Whether you serve this Green Lasagna full raw, raw fusion, vegan or vegetarian, the taste is going to make it a family favorite!

Sweet Tomato Marinara

Ingredients:
2 med. tomatoes or 4 roma tomatoes
10 sundried tomatoes – soaked 20 minutes
5 pitted dates soaked
½ cup soak water
1 garlic clove
Optional:  3-4 kalamata olives or 2 tsp. caper berries or small shallot chopped
1 ½ TB. extra virgin olive oil
1-2 tsp. dried Italian herbs or fresh basil

Directions:  Pulse all of the ingredients and add more water if needed.  Consistency should be thick, yet spreadable.

RAW-COTTA AND RAW-MEZAN CHEESE

Ingredients:
1 cup raw macadamias
½ cup pine nuts
1 lemon, juiced
½ cup water
dash Celtic sea salt
OPTIONAL: add Italian herbs

Prep: Soak nuts for 6 hours.

Directions: In food processor or blender, pulse ingredients together- start with juice from ½ lemon and add more to taste. Blend until smooth but a little chunky, consistency similar to ricotta cheese if you prefer. Salt to taste.

RAW-MEZAN CHEEZE

 Directions: Mix ingredients as above.  If you want more flavor, add some garlic powder, chopped parsley or Italian herbs.  Using spatula, spread mixture over 2-3 paraflex sheets no thicker than ¼ inch. Dehydrate at 116 degrees for 8 hours. Turn onto screens and dehydrate further until quite dry. Crumble and store in an airtight container.   Will keep longer if refrigerated.

 If you enjoyed this recipe, check out my Portobello Pesto Pizza.

For Daily Tips, Tools and Techniques please fan us on Facebook @Raw Fusion Living.