A bookmark a week #8 Raw vegan lasagne

Hiya! Been a few weeks innit?

I got a bit super-stressed at work so I had to have a couple of weeks off blogging, then I had 2 weeks in Amsterdam and, really, it wasn't going to happen then was it...?

But I'm back, refreshed and as culinarily curious as ever.

This isn't exactly a bookmark, more a youtube video that I kept watching and obsessing over.

http://youtu.be/8ixX1Cix7ks

Now my diet isn't fully raw, nor am I vegan or even vegetarian, but I definitely see the merit of eating mainly fresh ripe seasonal fruits and vegetables. I know that when I eat mostly raw food I feel more energetic and my digestion works better (dairy and I are not friends). This may be all in my mind, but that doesn't negate the effects for me. What works for you may be very different. I also still think that there is a valid place in the human diet for meat, just nowhere near as much as we regularly eat in the west. It's also important to me that the majority of meat that I eat is from free range animals. 

Having got the disclaimer out the way, I can tell you honestly that this raw vegan lasagne is bloody delicious. Honestly it is!  

I didn't have exactly the ingredients Kristina does in her video (no chard. I hate chard), also I am nowhere near as perky as she is. Well, maybe a bit perky. Anyhoo, I think I did a fair approximation. I will say that you could probably do this with a standard blender, but the pine nut sauce may not be as smooth and the tomato sauce might be a bit lumpy. I used my nutribullet  *reverential pause for the nutribullet*. Some day I will do a post on how this blender has completely changed the way I eat, but today is not that day. Suffice it to say, it's a bloody good mini-blender with a lot more power than a standard model and it cost about £99 from argos. Utterly worth it.

http://www.argos.co.uk/m/static/Product/partNumber/1463237/searchTerm/Nutribullet.htm

Ideally of course I'd have a vitamix, but given that they cost around the £400 mark, I may have to wait a while to justify that one.

Wait, does it come with the fruit?

The processor I used is just an own brand one from sainsbury and is pretty standard. Any basic processor should work, or use the blender with care.

The recipe is pretty easy, albeit with a few different steps. First, cut your courgette into thin strips. I do have a mandolin, but frankly I'm terrified of it. I've never been able to use it without cutting myself so I thought I'd go for the peeler method for safety.\
 

This is the boring part.

Then I lined the bottom of my dish with about 3 layers of the strips. I used an enamel pie dish that I love but any dish would do.

Not its intended use I think

First complex (ish) bit, the greens mix. I measured none of this. I happened to have a slightly tired little gem lettuce heart which I chopped and stuck in the processor, added a big handful of spinach, same of rocket, coriander and parsley, a spring onion and processed till it was pretty finely chopped.

The smell of this was out of this world. Fresh and green and savoury. Mmmmm.

Next I made the tomato sauce. My tomatoes were cherry plum tomatoes that I'd got at the fruit and veg market in Eastville, it's there every Sunday at least and the prices are pretty good, as is the produce. These had actually been frozen before we went away so blending was a great way to use them up. I added some well rinsed sundried tomatoes, I think 3 in total, 3 medjool dates for sweetness and richness, a tiny piece of chilli pepper and a spring onion. Then I blended it till it was, well, blended.

I then added some coriander and parsley, as it was there, then pulsed that in a bit. I added these late so they weren't utterly pulverised as this would have muddied the colour. This way I got a nice red sauce with flecks of green.

Mmm.... thick and delicious.

Just one more sauce to go, first clean your blender (or, as I did, get your husband to do it).

I was a bit dubious as to whether this would work as I'd never blended anything in the nutribullet without adding fluid unless it was a very watery fruit such as the thawed cherry tomatoes. Nothing ventured though... so I added half a cup of pine nuts, 1 chopped courgette and a little bit of garlic and blended. 

It only bloody worked! Went so smooth and creamy and rich. And delicious. The picture doesn't do it justice honestly, it was mega. 

Then it was all over bar the assembly. I just did this however seemed best at the time, same as I would with regular lasagne. Then I sprinkled it with some more cherry plum tomatoes, these ones had not been frozen so not so sloppy.

I cut half off and managed to get it on a small plate and oh my giddy aunt it was delicious. So good. 

To tell the truth, it got a little sloppy and there was a lot of liquid pooling at the sides of the plate, but this may have been due to the frozen tomatoes. It didn't matter as I just got a spoon and ate it up. Still delicious. 

If anything it was a bit too rich so next time I think I'd make the sauce with half the pine nuts, it was a bit much to finish, but it really was wonderful.

I'd say the while process took me about 40 minutes beginning to end which is pretty good for a gourmet raw meal like this. I normally keep it pretty simple so it was nice to mix it up for a change. I'm having the second half tonight and, having just tasted it, it's still lovely but not quite as good as when it was completely fresh.

For those who care, here's the nutritional info for the recipe. I wouldn't always do that, but I was curious given the nature of the meal.

Most importantly it was lovely for a summers evening, fresh but rich and tasty as hell. I was completely satisfied after and didn't have any digestive discomfort (or much wind, which is more than I can say when I eat cheese!).

If you've got a blender, I would definitely recommend trying this. It's not for everyone, as demonstrated by Ben's face when he tried it (not his thing apparently) but keep an open mind and give it a go.

Until next time, love and kisses,

H.