Here is a secret: I really love food. Some might call it an obsession. Others might call it a problem. I call it a life-long love affair. Whatever label you want to put on me, I am undeniably a foodie. I am just a sucker for a really delicious meal designed to make me feel better eating it. Because I love eating. And am not trying to sacrifice anything in life by eating healthy.
So the recipes that I create are designed to make you feel better... mind, body, and arguably spirit too. This serious comfort food of a recipe is a great example. It is made with some chewy, flavorful Garlic Chive gluten free noodles from Pastamore. (By the way, we tried their Sweet Potato Fettuccine which was also delicious!) Seriously.... I have eaten primarily gluten free for well over a decade now and seldom talk about a gluten-free pasta being delicious. Because not many of them really taste all that great to me. If I am being honest.
This plant-based, gluten-free lasagna was created for one of my most favorite family members when he fell ill with this year's especially bad flu virus. So it is really heavy on the mushrooms. Many scientists have presented evidence that certain types of edible mushrooms can support the immune system. Some research even suggests that mushrooms can help to fight cancer! Even Dr. Oz touts the benefits of mushrooms. Just to be clear, we are talking about magic mushrooms, but not that kind of magic.
Sometimes, you can find some place like Mycopia who seems to be in California and Michigan (!) that has a wide variety of fresh mushrooms. Or there is my favorite LAFunghi who has an even wider selection of fresh mushrooms. If you can't find some more interesting mushrooms like maitake, shiitake, cordeceps, or trumpet in the fresh form, you have a couple of options. First, you can get dried mushrooms and rehydrate them. Or, you might try ordering on-line from one of a company like Mycopia or LAFunghi. They both do home deliveries.
This soul-nourishing, belly-warming, immune-supporting lasagna also has a little extra garlic, thyme, and rosemary to also help out your body just a bit. It's kind of like chicken noodle soup only in lasagna form! Mmmmmm....mmmmmm.....
Eating healthy doesn't have to be boring and it sure as heck doesn't have to be a sacrifice. It is possible to make delicious comfort food that is healthy too. If you aren't feeling well, then please talk to you doctor about other suggestions to support your body.
One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.
-- Virginia Woolf
Soul-Nourishing, Immune-Supporting, Gluten-Free Vegan Lasagna
prep time: 30 minutes
Bake time: 60 minutes
Makes: 12-16 servings
Ingredients:
Mushroom Layer:
3T vegan butter
3 garlic cloves (chopped)
1 1/2 pounds (18 oz) of various fresh mushrooms cut into large bite-sized pieces
3/4c dry white wine
4T fresh thyme leaves (chopped)
Pinch salt
Cream Sauce:
1 1/2c white beans (like cannellini)
1 1/2c raw cashews (soaked at least 2 hours)
2 garlic cloves
1/2c almond milk
2T lemon juice
Pinch of salt
Ricotta Cheez
1 1/2c raw cashews (soaked at least 2 hours)
1/4c almond milk (use more if needd)
2T apple cider vinegar
1 garlic clove
1T thyme
1T rosemary
Pinch of salt
Other Ingredients:
3c greens (baby chard, kale, spinach, etc.) like Super Greens from Organic Girl
Lasagna noodles (gluten free, if sensitive)
Instructions:
Soak 2 1/2c raw cashews in a covered glass bowl with filtered water for at least 2 hours, ideally over night.
Preheat oven to 350F.
Prepare the mushroom layer:
Heat vegan butter in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add garlic and saute lightly.
Beginning with the largest and most dense, add mushrooms to butter & garlic. Reduce heat to low-medium. Cover and saute for 10-15 minutes.
Add white wine. Remove the cover and sautee until most of the liquid has evaporated.
Add thyme and pinch of salt. Turn off heat. Replace cover. Allow mushroom layer to sit covered, until the remaining layers are prepped.
Prepare the cream sauce:
Combine all ingredients in a high power food processor.
Blend until smooth. Add more almond milk as needed for a consistency similar to an alfredo sauce.
Prepare the ricotta cheese:
Combine all ingredients in a high power food processor.
Process until a consistency similar to ricotta cheese, adding more milk as necessary.
Build the lasagna:
Lightly oil a large (13X9) baking dish with olive oil.
Pour 1/4 of cream sauce in the bottom of the pan. Place a layer of uncooked lasagna noodles. Top with half of mushroom mix. Add half of ricotta cheez. Cover with half of raw greens.
Starting with another 1/4 of the cream sauce, repeat layers (cream sauce, noodles, mushrooms, ricotta cheez, greens).
Top with 1/4 of cream sauce and layer of lasagna noodles.
Add remaining cream sauce to the top layer of noodles.
Cover lasagna with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for additional 30 minutes or until lightly bubbling.
Allow to cool, then feed your soul with this immunity-supporting comfort food!
