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Pumpkin Zucchini Lasagna I

6 servings

Before you begin, please READ the entire recipe. And remember, the fresher and higher quality the ingredients are, the more delicious and nutritious your Pumpkin Zucchini Lasagna will be! Isn’t that the goal?

PREP & PRO TIPS

1.    Preheat Oven to 375^o F.

2.    Prepare your baking dish (grease it with coconut oil, avocado oil or non-aerosol ghee spray). Stones, like from Pampered Chef, produce the best dishes but if you don’t have a stone, ceramic or glass will work just fine. Whatever baking dish you use, place it on top of a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or foil before placing in oven to catch any spillover.

3.    Make sure the oven rack is just below the middle (for cooking rack should be just below the middle of the oven and for baking the rack should be in the middle).

4.    Pre-measure all your ingredients before getting started (just like you see on cooking shows. This may seem like more work, but it actually saves time overall.

5.    For Best results use:

·       A stone baking dish (like the 9x13 Baker from Pampered Chef)

·       Cookie sheet to place baking dish on in oven (this will help keep your oven   clean).

·      To grease the baking dish, use Coconut oil or a non-aerosol Ghee or Avocado oil spray. If you need to, you can use butter. Avoid Vegetable oil and oils like Wesson, Mazola, Crisco, Canola oil, Grapeseed oil, and Olive oil. Olive oil is best when used in cold or room temperature dishes.

·      EGGS that are cage-free/free-range and pastured, soy-free, and organically fed

·      Raw DAIRY or grass-fed cream or half & half, and/or organic (always avoid Ultra-pasteurized dairy products) *

·      Raw, organic CHEESE or cheese made from grass-fed cows*

·      Organic vegetables & herbs

·      Instead of buying grated cheese which has additives, buy a block of cheese, and grate it yourself

·      Organic herbs and fresh, if possible – Usually the ratio from dry to fresh herbs is 1 Tbsp chopped fresh herbs to 1 tsp dried herbs but in this recipe, you can add more fresh herbs

·     Pink Himalayan salt or Celtic sea salt instead of white table salt

 

*Raw, organic cheese can be purchased at Whole Foods, Martindale’s Natural Market in Springfield, PA, Trader Joe’s, supermarkets like Giant, and sometimes you’ll find it at Lidl’s and Aldi’s. If you really want to go all out, go to DiBruno Brothers on 9^th St. in South Philadelphia. You can also purchase raw cheese (and many other high-quality foods/ingredients) from The Family Cow, a Mennonite family-run organic farm in Chambersburg, PA. Order online and pick up at your local drop-off point.

CONCERNS

Factory farming has become an acceptable form of farming in our culture, though many people are unaware of its negative and harmful effects on humans, animals, the environment, and the atmosphere. This is because it’s not natural. And all those who are so concerned about global warming or climate change should look at factory farming as a main culprit. The phrase, “factory farming,” is actually an oxymoron. The two words alone mean opposite things and together they contradict each other. What is a factory and what is a farm?

Ø    A FACTORY is an industrial facility that not only puts profits over people and animals, but it also produces food products that are laden with pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, hormones, antibiotics and a load of other unnatural chemicals and elements. And many of the animals become sick and unhealthy.

Ø    A FARM is natural land with dirt, grass, trees, bugs, etc., where healthy animals roam the natural earth to eat a species appropriate diet, get fresh air and sunlight, and are not locked up in over-crowded cages inside a factory facility.

    Let’s Get Cooking! 

   Pumpkin Zucchini Lasagna I

      INGREDIENTS

  1.     1 lb. fresh mushrooms, optional

2.     For the Mirepoix Mixture

a.  1 cup of mirepoix – ¼ cup chopped celery, ½ cup chopped onions and ¼ cup chopped carrots 

i.     (French mirepoix is a combination of finely chopped celery, onions, and carrots – ratio is 1:2:1, one-part celery, two parts onions and one-part carrots)

3.     ¾  to 1 tsp pink Himalayan salt, divided, add more or less to taste

4.     For the Pumpkin Mixture

a.     15 oz pumpkin (canned or fresh – if using fresh, be sure to remove as much of the water as possible so that the consistency is more like solid-packed canned pumpkin)

b.     ½ cup half & half (you can also use cream or sour cream)

c.      1 tsp dried sage leaves or 1 to 1 ½ Tbsp fresh chopped sage leaves (fresh is best!)

5.     Zucchini**

a.   About 5-6 small zucchini sliced thin (about 1/8” thick) lengthwise OR about 12 lasagna noodles (cook noodles to al dente or you can use no-cook noodles). Before slicing, it helps to cut the zucchinis to fit the width of the pan but use all of the zucchini.  Small zucchinis have less water content. If using large zucchini, see ** on page 4 or proceed with the recipe and be aware that you’ll have some water on the bottom of the pan after, which is fine.

6.     For the Ricotta Mixture

a.   1 ½ cups ricotta cheese

b.   1 egg

c.   1 nice size garlic clove finely chopped but not pressed (pressing garlic with a      garlic press produces an oil which can go rancid when heated and cause free    radicals inside the body so only used pressed garlic in cold or room

      temperature recipes).

d.   ½ tsp dried parsley or 1 ½ Tbsp fresh chopped parsley

7.     2 cups (8 oz) shredded mozzarella

8.     1 to 1 ¼ cups grated parmesan cheese, divided

 DIRECTIONS

• Preheat oven to 375^oF.
• Use a little coconut oil, avocado oil or non-aerosol ghee spray to coat the bottom of small skillet. Allow the skillet to get hot, then add mushrooms if using, and then add the mirepoix (finely chopped celery, onions, and carrots) and ¼ tsp of salt until soft; set aside.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, half and half, sage and ¼ tsp salt.
• In a separate small bowl, whisk together ricotta cheese, ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese, ¼ tsp salt, and chopped garlic clove,
• Grease a 9-in. x 13-in. baking dish with coconut oil or non-aerosol ghee spray.
• For the Layers: On the bottom of the baking dish
• Spread ½ cup of the pumpkin sauce
• Place zucchini slices or noodles on top, overlapping them a bit
• Spread 1/3 of the remaining pumpkin sauce (be sure to cover the noodles’ edges)
• Add half of the mirepoix/mushroom mixture
• Spread half the ricotta mixture on top
• Sprinkle ½ cup mozzarella and ¼ cup Parmesan cheese.
• Repeat layers.
• The top layer should end with the remaining zucchini slices and sauce on top.
• Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella.
• Add the remaining Parmesan cheese during the last 10-15 minutes of baking.
• Once you have all the layers of the lasagna constructed and before placing them in the oven, cover with parchment paper and then aluminum foil (don’t let the foil touch the lasagna; the parchment paper goes on top of the lasagna and foil on top of that).
• Place baking dish on top of parchment-lined cookie sheet in preheated oven and bake for 45 minutes.
• After 45 minutes, remove cover and sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan cheese.
• Place back in oven uncovered and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes or until cheese has melted and lightly browned. You can also place it under the broiler for a few minutes until melted and lightly browned.
• The lasagna is done when the edges are bubbling.
• Remove from oven and allow it to sit for 10 minutes to allow it to set. You may see some water on the bottom but that’s ok.
• Cut, plate, and ENJOY! This lasagna goes down so easy.

** If you’re using larger zucchini or if you prefer to, you can prepare the zucchini this way: Slice zucchini about ¼ “thick lengthwise or into rings. Preheat the outdoor grill or a large skillet (medium/high heat). Lightly coat the slices with avocado oil and sprinkle both sides with salt (use about 2 tsp salt). Grill each side for about 2 minutes until tender and crisp.

TIPS

• Refrigerate any leftovers if there are any.
• This freezes well though I suggest freezing individual portions. Once cooled, cut the lasagna into serving sizes and freeze them on a tray or cookie sheet without any cover. Once frozen, place them in a freezer bag.
• To reheat, defrost individual portions in refrigerator for at least 24 hours. Place on a lightly greased or parchment lined baking stone, baking dish or cookie sheet. Bake at 400^oF for about 15-20 minutes until heated through.

 This recipe was adapted from a recipe originally published as Pumpkin Lasagna in Healthy Cooking October/November 2009, p59