Zucchini Lasagne Recipe

This recipe uses slices of zucchini in place of traditional lasagna noodles. You can use this as a main course or as a side dish, what ever suits your needs. It takes a bit of time to put it together but it's really worth it and people love it.

I'm not giving you a measured recipe here but you'll get the idea. If it's too confusing, let me know and I'll refine this and do it again with measured amounts.  

Ingredients:

Zucchini or yellow squash
Onion, garlic
Salt
Pasta sauce (ideas below if you want to make your own or live in Israel)
Vegan Cheeze (you can buy this or make your own, do an online search for "vegan cheese recipe" or vegan mozzarella)
Olive oil

Optional (the more you add the better!): 

• Chopped spinach  
• Olives (pitted of course) 
• Eggplant 
• Fresh tomatoes 
• Mushrooms

Cut and saute the onions and garlic in a bit of the olive oil. You can add this to the sauce or just sprinkle in the layers.

Wash the zucchini and cut off the ends to discard. 

Slice them lenghwise so you have flat "noodles." The thinner you make them, the faster they'll cook. But you can not really make a mistake here.

Oil the bottom of a 9x13 pan (or what ever size you want to make). 

Layer sauce, "noodles," cheeze, veggies, sauce "noodles," cheeze, veggies, etc until you get to the top when you'll end with "noodles" and sauce. The "noodles" are not uniform. I layer them so that they are lengthwise in the pan for one layer, then crosswise for the next, and so on.

Drizzle with olive oil. The more concerned about your family going for this one, the more generous you should be with the olive oil. Salty, oily foods are comfort foods so if you want to make this one a comfort food, add a double drizzle. 

Cover the pan with foil and bake at 350 F or about 170 C for about 45 minutes. Check to see that it's cooked all the way through. Some people like crispy vegetables and that's fine. (I've found that it is eaten up faster if the zucchini is very soft.)

Homemade pasta sauce
Start with tomato paste and add water until it is the consistency of a thick sauce. For this recipe you want your sauce thick because the zucchini has a lot of water and as it cooks, it will release the water. 

To the sauce, add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil, salt, pepper, oregano, basil, a dash of hot pepper, and a small splash of balsamic if you like.

Vegan Cheese ideas
I want to tell you that when I started making this lasagne, I did not use vegan cheese, I just ground up cashews and sprinkled them in like cheese. It was still good. That said, give these a try...

You can try this recipe. Don't be intimidated. If you've never tried making something like this before, give it a go. You can get anything that isn't in your pantry at any health food store. Most vegan cheese recipes are made with nuts, but here's a recipe that is nut and seed free. 

Carrot, Garbanzo, Basmati Rice Salad

2 cups grated carrots
1 cup canned or cooked or sprouted garbanzo beans
1/2 cup cooked basmati rice

toss together with the following for dressing
1-2 T lemon juice
1-2 T olive oil
Parsley, dried or fresh to add a bit of green
Cayenne pepper, pinch or more to taste
Salt to taste

Alternative: if you love fresh garlic add it to this salad!

Toss this all together and serve. This salad will travel well--if I go on a day trip, it's one of my favorites to take. The carrots stay crisp and the garbanzo beans and rice feel very substantial.  I have even frozen leftover salad because I didn't want to throw it away and I was traveling. It was still good thawed a couple of weeks later.

Veggie Salad Slaw

I don't really use so much lettuce but I do love salads and this has become a staple at my house. It is really just a mix of any veggies you love and have redly available and fresh. The dressing is super simple.

White cabbage, chopped or grated

Red, yellow, orange peppers (what ever shape and size you like)

Purple cabbage, chopped or grated

Add any of the following as you like:

Cucumbers, small cubes

Kohlrabi, small cubes

Garbanzo beans

Tomato, chopped OR cherry tomatoes

Olives

Hearts of palm

Pumpkin or sunflower seeds

Fresh frozen peas (they will thaw if you put them in the bowl first and then cut the veggies for the rest of the salad

Dressing:

2-3 T Lemon juice (I use the juice of one average size lemon to a serving bowl of salad)

2-3 T Olive oil, cold pressed is always the best

Grey salt to taste

Toss it all together, no need to make the dressing first.

Tip: The timing of when to dress this salad is something to consider. I usually dress salads at the last possible minute so that they don't wilt. This one needs a bit more time (not much) so that the larger salt crystals have a chance to dissolve.

If you are not used to grey salt, it's a wonderful flavor that is most satisfying. The salt is grey because it still has all the minerals so I'm told it's so much better for you! You can find it easily at the health food store.

Alternative

You can add some prepared tahini to this salad, on the side, drizzle on top of individual servings, or toss right in. YUM!

Aunt Laya's Purple Salad Delight

This is a completely unique salad that I haven't seen anywhere else. It adds color to the presentation of your meal and table. I love a blend of flavors and this one is really delicious.

Ingredients
5 cups shredded or chopped purple cabbage
2 small red apples, cored and cut into bite sized pieces, I think Gala are best but any kind is fine
1/8 cup dried cranberries
1/8 cup almonds OR pecan pieces (or chopped)

Dressing
2 T cold pressed oil of choice (sesame, olive, or even coconut)
1 T apple cider vinegar
1T lemon juice
2 T honey
pinch of salt

All in one bowl and toss so the ingredients of the salad and dressing are a nice blend.

Substitutions: of course you know you can play with this. If you really like sweet you can try candied pecans.  I have also used selon (date honey) in place of the bee honey--a great alternative if you want it vegan (it will make the salad darker).

Asian Salad Recipe

This is my version of an Asian salad and what makes it unique is the combination of sweet and salty dressing. It's a somewhat healthy version using no sugar, no msg, and good oils. Play with the veggies and amounts of things you add to make it the way you like it or follow my ingredients for a no brainer.

The base (this does not have to be exact):
1 cup purple cabbage
4 cups white cabbage
     the cabbage can be from a bag or  you can chop or grate it to your desired look

Add any combination of the following as you like depending on what you have and like:
1/3 cup frozen peas
1/4 cup raw (or roasted) cashews (or peanuts)
1/3 cup thinly sliced red (or yellow or orange) peppers

The dressing:
2 T of cold pressed sesame oil (you can also used roasted sesame oil or olive oil)
2-3 T balsamic vinegar
3-4 T selon (date honey, be sure it is pure without added sugar if that matters to you)
salt to taste
   (this is an important part of the taste of this dressing. You can use tamari or soy sauce if you use it)

Toss it all together and serve!

Here's a photo from my friend Sarah Leah who had the salad at my house and wanted the recipe (which is why you're reading it here now!). She prepared it in advance with the "Salad in a Jar" method. That means you put the dressing in first, then layer the ingredients (start with the crunchiest so the softer veggies don't get soggy). She said it was a hit at her table. I hope you love it too!

Easiest, Yummiest, Healthiest Bar-b-que Sauce Recipe

This is so fast and always a hit at my house. I don't think there's an easier recipe for BBQ sauce than this one! Plus, no white sugar if you're careful with the tomato paste you buy (I make sure the tomato paste I buy is 100% tomato, you really have to check the ingredients).

Sooooooo simple:

1/3 part tomato paste
1/3 part tamari (or soy sauce)
1/3 part selon (date honey) or other sweetener (like maple syrup or agave)

Stir it together well and brush or drizzle over your meat or fish.  This will keep well in your fridge for days. If you're not going to use the whole batch you make remember to be careful about keeping any sauce "clean." By that I mean don't re-dip your brush or spoon into the sauce once it's been used on raw meat, chicken, or fish.

You can make this in a small quantity of 1/3 cup each. Or, if you're having a big bash or want to have some ready in the freezer by making portions, you can just up the measure to a cup or more, what ever will serve  your needs.

<3
Laya

Breakfast!

There is nothing as refreshing and enlivening as a living breakfast. This is one of my current favorites. Skip the corn flakes and give this a try for a while.

Change this according to the season. As it is it's delicious and so yummy.
2 apples
1 banana
3 dates
2-3 tablespoons of raw (shelled, unsalted) sunflower seeds
dash of cinnamon
diluted apple juice (optional) or water (or even yoghurt)

cut up the fruits, add the rest

It is great to add other healthy ingredients like chia seeds as well. Nuts are a bit heavier but also a delicious and healthy addition. If you add water, the dates will very quickly turn the water sweet when you stir it up some.

To your health!
Love,
Aunt Laya

Veggie Soufflé

Veggie Soufflé 

is another of my easy, healthy comfort food recipes. 

I couldn't even wait to take a bite, I had to start during the photo session! 

You'll need a food processor to whip this one up in a hurry. It will take longer if you chop by hand but you certainly can do it that way too. 

I never measure on this one. Choose the veggies you love. Here's what's in this version:

1 large carrot

2 medium zucchini

1 red bell pepper

~1/2 cup broccoli florets 

1 medium onion

7 eggs (you could put more)

1/4 cup vegetable oil of your choice

salt to taste (1/2 tsp)

pepper few shakes

cayenne pepper to taste (optional of course)

parsley

oregano (OR dill)

tumeric (just a shake will do)

All the veggies in the food processor, the hard ones first, then the soft ones.

Veggies into a big mixing bowl.

Add the eggs, oil, seasoning and pour into a greased 10" quiche pan (or what ever you have!)

Bake in a medium oven for about 25 minutes until you have some golden color on the top. 

Variations:

You could add cheese to this, or melt cheese on it later.

Choose your veggies according to a color theme.

Here are some ideas or other combinations I've used (onion in them all):

spinich, broccoli, corn

tomato, zucchini, olive

yellow pepper, red pepper, zucchini
mushroom, corn, broccoli

Did I say YUM? Yum!

Love,

Aunt Laya