Raw Vegetable Lasagne
Thin zucchini slices marinated in oil and balsamic, layered on the plate with macadamia nut cheese, a tomato paste sauce, avocado and pine nut pesto, spinach and sliced tomato. Built cold, no pasta and no oven.
Ingredients
Zucchini Layer
- 2½ zucchini, thinly sliced lengthwise
- 3¾ teaspoon olive oil
- 5 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
- ⅝ teaspoon sea salt
Nut Cheese Layer
- 1⅔ cup macadamia nuts, shelled
- 1¼ yellow bell pepper, small, diced
- 2½ tablespoon nutritional yeast, flakes
- 3¾ tablespoon lemon juice
- ⅝ teaspoon sea salt
Tomato Sauce
- 5 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1¼ teaspoon garlic paste
- ⅝ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1¼ teaspoon sea salt (optional)
Avocado Pesto
- ⅚ cup pine nuts
- 2½ avocado, large, ripe, coarsely chopped
- 7½ tablespoon basil, fresh leaves
- 2½ clove garlic, small, crushed
- 2½ tablespoon lime juice, from about 1 1/4 limes
- ⅝ teaspoon sea salt
Tomato and Spinach
- 5 tomatoes, large, sliced
- 2½ cup baby spinach, trimmed
- 5 teaspoon pine nuts, toasted, to garnish
- 5 teaspoon basil, leaves, to garnish
Method
- To make the zucchini layer, place the zucchini in a dish that will hold the slices in one layer. Cover the slices with the oil, vinegar, and salt, making sure that each slice is well covered, then set aside for up to 1 hour to soften and absorb the flavors.
- To make the cheese layer, pulse all the ingredients in a blender until you have a smooth, light paste.
- To make the tomato sauce, combine all the ingredients in a small bowl, then add about 2 tablespoons of cold water and mix thoroughly. Add a little more water until you have a pouring consistency. Add salt, if using.
- To make the avocado pesto layer, put the pine nuts into an electric mini chopper or blender and process for a few seconds, or until chopped but not pureed. Add the avocado chunks, basil leaves, garlic, lime juice, and salt and pulse until you have a lightly textured mixture. Slice the tomatoes so that you have six inside slices from each. Discard the outer slices.
- Layer the five lasagne servings directly onto plates. Arrange a tenth of the zucchini slices in a rectangle on the center of each plate. For each plate, top with a tenth of the spinach leaves, then spoon a tenth of the nut cheese over them. Add a tenth of the tomato slices and top them with a tenth of the avocado pesto. For each plate, add another tenth of the tomato slices, a tenth of the cheese, a tenth of the spinach, and a tenth of the avocado pesto. Finish by placing the remaining zucchini slices on top of each lasagne.
- Drizzle the sauce over the five lasagne and garnish with toasted pine nuts and basil leaves.
Notes
The zucchini needs an hour in the marinade, which is most of the stated time. Everything else is assembly.Adapted from The Eat Raw Kitchen (Love Food). Ingredients and method only — the description and any notes above were written for VegBatch.