Pumpkin and Goat Cheese Low Carb Lasagna
/I wanted to share with you a glorious cooking experiment for my birthday---pumpkin and goat cheese low carb lasagna. It was pronounced delicious and 'best lasagna ever' by the guests. A double batch of this was a time-consuming project and I spent some happy hours listening to New Dimensions Radio and cooking while snow fell outside.
This recipe is based on one in Rose Elliot's Vegetarian Pasta. I substituted zucchini strips for the pasta. I used a mix of different varieties of pumpkin and golden squash for a delicious taste.
Serves 6
(A double batch made enough for a 18"x 9" dish and fed 16 people, with side salads and appetizers as well.)
Ingredients
3 medium zucchinis (courgettes)
Salt to taste
3.5 lb pumpkin, peeled and cubed into half inch cubes
2 large garlic cloves, crushed
Olive oil
Fresh ground black pepper
8 oz goat cheese log, sliced in thin rounds
1 batch vegan bechamel (see below)
Method
Heat oven to 400' F (200'C)
Select a baking tin or glass casserole dish 8" x12" and at least 2.5" deep. Grease with olive oil or ghee.
Slice zucchinis into one eighth inch slices using mandoline, slicer etc. Place in colander and sprinkle with about half a tsp of salt.Toss to coat evenly. Put a bowl under the colander. Water will be drawn out of the zucchini. Toss them again in about 15 minutes. Let them drain for at least an hour, more is better. Meanwhile, prepare the pumpkin and the bechamel.
Heat olive oil in a large pan or wok. When it is hot but not smoking, add the garlic and pumpkin. Mix to coat with the oil and cook slowly for about 20 minutes until soft. Season with salt and pepper.
Pat the zucchini strips dry with paper towel.
Now start assembling your lasagna dish! First cover the base with zucchini strips, add a third of the bechamel and half the pumpkin. Put another layer of zucchini strips. Then put half the goat cheese, the rest of the pumpkin (remove pumpkin with slotted spoon) and some bechamel. Put the rest of the zucchini strips on top. Now layer on the rest of the goat cheese and bechamel.
Bake for at least 40 minutes.
Vegan Bechamel
2.5 cups unsweetened almond milk
1/4 cup tapioca flour (or other flour)
1 bay leaf
A few stalks flat leaf parsley
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper to taste
Nutmeg to taste
Mix the flour in a little of the almond milk. Put the rest of the milk in a pan with the bay leaf and parsley and bring to a boil. Pour the boiling almond milk over the flour mixture, stirring well. Now tip the whole mixture back into the pan. Cook on moderate heat, stirring vigorously, until thickened. Season to taste with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
Alakananda Ma M.B., B.S. (Lond.) is an Ayurvedic Doctor (NAMA) and graduate of a top London medical school. She is co-founder of Alandi Ayurveda Clinic and Alandi Ayurveda Gurukula in Boulder Colorado, as well as a spiritual mother, teacher, flower essence maker and storyteller. Alakananda is a well known and highly respected practitioner in the Ayurveda community both nationally and internationally.
Enliven your holistic health! Visit Alakananda Ma in Alandi Ashram’s ayurvedic clinic to support the overall rejuvenation of your body, mind, and spirit. In-person and virtual appointments available. Book now!
