Sunday, June 8, 2008

vegan raw lasagna



Here is my version of a vegan raw lasagna. It's got a cashew and pine nut cheese, a fresh basil pesto, a sundried tomato sauce, zucchini, crook neck squash and fresh organic heirloom tomatoes.

And here it is in all of it's uncut beauty. The recipe is a doozy.


Cashew Cheez:

1 cup soaked cashews
1 cup soaked pine nuts
1 small handful of onion
1 clove of garlic
2 tbsp lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

Process all together in a good blender until creamy. You will have to stop and start it and push down the edges a lot because the cheese is so thick but that's how you want it.

Tomato sauce:

1 cup soaked Sun-dried tomatoes
1 small tomato
1 small handful chopped onion
1 small sprig rosemary
1 clove garlic
1 tbsp lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

Process this in the same way as the cheese. Again, this should be very thick.

Pesto:

2 large handfuls of basil
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup pine-nuts
2 tbsp. olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Process in a blender or a food processor

Thin slices of fresh zucchini and heirloom tomatoes.

If you don't have a good mandolin, use a potato peeler to get extra thin zucchini slices and then use a couple of layers in each layer (if that makes sense). Cut the tomatoes by hand.

Line a plastic container with plastic wrap.

Sprinkle the bottom layer with a little pesto and a little cheez. This will end up being the top so this is for garnish. Arrange the prettiest tomatoes you have on the next level. Next, layer the zucchini and then the tomato sauce, then more tomatoes, then pesto, then zucchini, then cheez, then pesto, then more zucchini, then tomato sauce, then more zucchini, then more pesto and finish with a layer of tomatoes.

Cover with the plastic wrap and refrigerate until cool. When cooled place a plate over the whole thing and invert. Remove the wrap. Cut with a serrated knife.

28 comments:

Vegan_Noodle said...

Looks delicious!! I've always wanted to make a raw lasagna... so I'll be looking for the recipe :-)

Afro said...

This is insanely good. I just made some and this is almost better then the real thing. I wish it was real.

Anonymous said...

Afro... it IS real!!!!

Anonymous said...

Just made it, and got to say it tasted absolutely delicious far superior to a cooked version. Mmm thanks for posting this recipe.!
Lesley in Scotland UK

Anonymous said...

How long do you soak the cashews/pine nuts for the cheese?

Lea Marie said...

I saw your post on Facebook :) Looks delish. I'm going to try this recipe.

Greenconsciousness said...

You should make a facebook page -- it is easier than cooking!

Unknown said...

Looks delicious!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

I would dehydrate the zucchini it is a very watery fruit and makes the dish runny. Season and marinate the zuchini, dehydrate and then...I sawsomeone said they wish it was real do this and BAM! chef akili

UrbanAngel said...

Great idea to dehydrate the Zucchini!

Anonymous said...

Where is the crook neck squash mentioned in the description?

MaevesAngels said...

Ditto anonymous on Aug 4th re: crook neck squash. Also I don't know how you dehydrate foods BUt I figure zucchini-or courgette- is not so watery as tomato?? x

hgreen216 said...

This is THE BEST vegan meal I have made to date! We have been trying to eat healthier for a while but I'm having trouble finding any great recipes. This is far superior to anything I have made so far! I even like it better than traditional lasagna. Thank you for sharing this awesome recipe!

Sharron Denice said...

This is one of the best MEALS...never mind Vegan...I have ever eaten. OM freaking G!!! I had been delaying making it for awhile now just made sure I had the ingredients on hand and my goodness gracious it is sooooo delicious! It shouldn't even be compared to lasagna its so much better!! I am a huge fan of Ani Phyo but now I have to follow this blog faithfully, I am curious to see what else you have to share! Thank you!!!!

Cindy said...

Thank you for this recipe. It is incredible. I dehydrated the zucchini and tomatoes for a few hours first to make them a bit chewier and not as watery. I used soaked sunflower seeds with the cashews for the cheez - and just used the pine nuts for the pesto and topping as a more cost effective option. I also added a bit of kale to the pesto. Next time I'm going to add eggplant!

Anonymous said...

Hi, I was wondering how to best "store" this...ie how long will it keep in the fridge etc...

Anonymous said...

I made this recipe today for the first time at my raw food class and it was a huge success! All my students loved it. The cashew/pine nut cheez was outrageous! I will be making that again for my flax crackers! The pesto was yummy too.
Thanks for sharing.

Menkit said...

I made this recipe today for the first time at my raw food class and it was a huge success! All my students loved it. The cashew/pine nut cheez was outrageous! I will be making that again for my flax crackers! The pesto was yummy too.
Thanks for sharing.

Anonymous said...

A frind of mine made this for me. Was absolutely heavenly!!

Unknown said...

Can I use walnuts in place of the pine nuts? My husband is allergic. Thanks!

Anonymous said...

Could this be cooked after layered?

Anonymous said...

Just made this tonight. It was delicious!

Anonymous said...

How many servings does this make?

Anonymous said...

I'm not sure if this has been asked, however, I was wondering how many servings this recipe makes total. Also, I understand that the recipe is raw, however, could this be cooked and if so, how long would you cook it?

Anonymous said...

It's meant to be healthy, right?Well it's way outof date for healthg. Garlic and onion are alkalyting agents, and nutrients for the fasciolopsis buskii parasite,all in the cancer complex pathways. Calrk H R PhD NR 2007.

Olive oil has 3 allergens,phloridzin, chlorogenic acid and gallic acid, that respectively inflame the pituatry, hypothalamus and pancreas. Degraded parts join up to form the cancer nucleus, esential to start and fuel all malignancies. Clark. H R PhD ND 2007.

If you want to experiment with a silly vegan diet, at least get up to date with what is and what isn't healthy. The Big Food and Big Pharma funded dieticians won't tell a thing.

Unknown said...

This is great! Thanks for the recipe. I agree with the zucchini getting a bit watery in the fridge overnight, but drain it away and it's fine. BTW the comment before me is quoting research from a known quack and scam artist that passed away in 2009. Onions and garlic bad for you? pssst.

OK said...

you have killed me with that picture last night, i HAD to prepare something similar today. now I am good again, after 24 h of despair. awesome, thanks a lot, miammiammiam!

Anonymous said...

I made this 2x and love it! I used a 6x8x2 plastic storage container lined with plastic wrap. It turned out to be the ideal size. I also put it in the dehydrator on very low (about 100) for just 15-20 minutes to take the chill off.