By Jody Paglia Tanzman, RD,LDN,CLC
I see this dish served in many juice bars and vegan cafes, but never found one with just the right taste. So I thought I’d try my hand at it, and the results were great! The fun thing about this dish is that you can put in different spreads or any fresh, thinly sliced vegetable based on your taste preference or fresh produce availability. I like zucchini here because raw zucchini has a bit of crunch on the outside yet is soft and easily cut. Zucchini also has a very light flavor on its own and picks up other flavors quite easily, letting them shine. A bonus is that zucchini contain 95% water, making them wonderfully hydrating during these hot summer months! The cashew spread mimics the creamy richness of ricotta cheese, and provides a healthy dose of polyunsaturated fats, B vitamins (from the nutritional yeast), and minerals such as iron and magnesium. Sundried tomatoes add a brightness to this dish and a concentrated form of the antioxidant lycopene. Never was eating lasagna so good for you!
2 medium sized zucchinis (courgettes)
For the Cashew Spread:
1 cup (150 g) raw cashew nuts
1/3 cup (90 ml) cold filtered water (plus more for soaking)
1/4 cup (12 g) nutritional yeast flakes
1 large garlic clove, chopped
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1-2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp ground mustard
1/4 tsp kosher or sea salt
2 dashes fresh ground black pepper
2 tbsp fresh chopped parsley
For the Sun Dried Tomato Spread:
1/2 cup (60 g) dry packed sun dried tomatoes
1/4 cup (60 ml) + 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves fresh garlic, smashed
1/2 cup packed basil leaves (about 1 good handful)
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 tbsp lemon juice
1/8 tsp dried oregano
1/8 tsp kosher or sea salt (or more to taste)
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 60 minutes
Servings: 4
Calories: 390
Fat: 34g
Trans Fat: 5g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 100mg
Carbohydrates: 17g
Fiber: 4g
Sugars: 6g
Protein: 10g