Friday, January 24, 2014

Cheeseless, allergy friendly lasagna and our amazing family!

Who knew cheeseless lasagna could be this delicious?!

The idea came from my mother-in-law, Claudia. And she's part Italian, so she knows good lasagna! I'm really happy she came up with this because I plan on making it a lot! It's really good and so much better for you than regular lasagna recipes. You don't have to feel guilty about eating it.

While we were visiting her last month she made every effort to cook foods that were safe for Cody. I can't fully express how grateful I am for this. It's not easy to do, but just the knowledge that the food around Cody was safe made for a much more relaxing and enjoyable vacation.

We also stayed with my brother-in-law and sister-in-law for a few days and they also went above and beyond to accommodate us and make sure Cody was in a safe environment.

For holiday dinners the whole family was very understanding about the food changes that were made. It was all still really delicious thanks to my mother-in-law's awesome culinary skills which probably helped! :) She has a bed and breakfast in Michigan City, IN. If you are ever going to be in the area and want a nice, relaxing getaway visit Tryon Farm Guest House.

I am so very grateful, probably more than they know, and feel so lucky that both of our families are incredibly supportive and understanding. I know some others are not so lucky.

Ok. Back to the lasagna. We tried some cheese replacement options that were just not working, so Claudia decided to make it cheeseless and that was a really good decision. I'm a big fan of the dairy-free cheeses, but in something like lasagna, these options just don't quite work. Believe me, try this, it works!

Enjoy!

This recipe is free of the top 8 allergens (egg-free, dairy-free, wheat-free, peanut-free, tree nut-free, soy-free, fish-free and shellfish-free) and vegan (if you omit the ground meat).

Lasagna

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 zucchini, sliced and quartered
1 yellow squash, sliced and quartered
1 small eggplant, sliced and quartered
1 bunch kale, stalks removed and chopped
1 package spinach, chopped
1 8 oz. package plain hummus (or see my sesame free-hummus recipe here)
1/2 cup basil, chopped 
1 lb. ground beef or bison (optional)
3 cups Tomato Sauce, or use 1 jar of your favorite tomato sauce
1 package oven ready rice lasagna or other gluten free, allergy friendly lasagna noodles.
Salt and pepper

In a large skillet heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. 
Sauté the zucchini, eggplant, kale and spinach until tender, about 5 -7 minutes. 
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Remove from heat, transfer to a bowl and stir in the hummus and basil.
If using the ground meat, return the skillet to medium heat and add the meat.
Cook, breaking up meat into small pieces, until browned.
Season with salt and pepper.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Spoon 3/4 cup of the sauce into a baking pan or dish. 
Place a layer of uncooked lasagna noodles over the sauce. Do not overlap noodles. 
Spread half of the vegetable mixture and half of the ground meat over the noodles. Top with 3/4 cup of sauce.
Repeat noodles, vegetables, meat and sauce.
Add the final layer of noodles and cover with the remaining sauce.

Cover and bake for 1 hour. 
Remove from oven and let stand 5 - 10 minutes before serving.



Here is a picture of my little assistant helping me out. :)


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