Low Carb Vegetarian Lasagna
Noodles
1 Daikon radish (also known as lo-bok) Cut daikon in half. Peel each half like a carrot. Cut each peeled half, again, lengthwise (so, you end up with 4 pieces, each approximately half the length of the whole vegetable) Place in salted boiling water and leave (ensure each piece is submerged - I held the pieces down with a large flat spoon) to boil for 30-50 mins? (I'm afraid I didn't time it, I simply guessed when the pieces felt soft enough to deal with!) Drain, cool with cold running water, and set aside until the pieces are cooled. Daikon seems quite moist, so will retain the heat inside for a good while. You want it cooled well enough to be able to hold it firmly while you slice it into 'noodle' shapes. Once cooled, using a very sharp and preferably thin knife, very carefully slice lengthwise into the daikon, guiding your hand and knife slowly & steadily through the vegetable to create rectangular 'lasagna noodles' - the thinner, the better. Some slices will come out clean and perfect, some will likely be ragged and ripped. It's all usable in the end! Set 'noodles' aside - I left mine on some paper towel on a plate, and some more of the liquid drained from the slices. I think this was a good thing. Sauce (Amounts are... guestimations as best I can recall them. Adjust as needed.) 2-3 tbsp Olive Oil 1 Medium onion, diced 1 Stalk of celery, diced 2 tbsp Garlic, minced 3 cups Roma tomatoes, diced in a can (squished between your fingers to break up the bigger chunks) 1/3 to 2/3 cup Eden Organics pizza sauce (I didn't have tomato paste, and this pizza sauce is surprisingly low in carbs!) 4 to 6 tbsp Tomato juice 1 to 2 cups Tomato sauce 2 tbsp Soy sauce 4 tbsp Italian red wine (I used a Sangiovese) 2 to 4 tbsp Whipping cream 2 Bay leaves 2 to 3 Green onion stalks, finely chopped A few leaves of fresh Basil, finely chopped A few sprinkles of hot chili peppers and dried oregano, to taste Saute onion, celery and garlic in olive oil on medium low heat for a few minutes. Add canned tomato products (juice, tomato pieces, sauce, etc.), soy sauce, red wine and bay leaves, and stir. Add hot chili peppers until you can taste a slight kick, then add whipping cream and the rest of the seasonings (oregano, basil leaves, green onion). Adjust soy sauce, garlic, red wine, seasonings as required. |
Fillings & Layering
1 pkg Ricotta cheese 1 pkg grated Romano cheese 1 large pkg good quality Pizza Mozzarella (I didn't quite use a full block) Fresh baby spinach leaves, whole or roughly torn as preferred 1/3 to 1/2 of a yellow Bell pepper, cut into slices or smallish chunks 1/4 to 1/3 of a green Bell pepper, cut into slices or smallish chunks Sauce Noodles Olive Oil Pepper Brush the bottom and sides of a baking dish with olive oil Spread a thin layer of sauce along the bottom of the dish Cover the bottom of the dish with a good layer of the daikon 'noodles' Spread more sauce over the top of the daikon 'noodles' Drop or spread spoonfuls of ricotta cheese over the sauce Sprinkle with Romano & mozzarella cheeses Spread a good layer of fresh baby spinach leaves on top of the cheeses, covering them Another layer of 'noodles' Another layer of sauce Another layer of ricotta, Romano, mozzarella Sprinkle chopped green and yellow bell peppers over the cheese Sprinkle a few more, roughly torn, pieces of baby spinach over the peppers Sprinkle with fresh ground black pepper One more layer of 'noodles' Finish with the rest of the sauce, and cover the top with a good layer of mozzarella Sprinkle with Romano Cover dish in tin foil, sides scrunched up tightly Bake for 40 minutes in a pre-heated 350 F degree oven After 40 minutes, uncover the lasagna (remove the tin foil completely) and cook for another 15 to 30 minutes, or until cheese is browned and the lasagna is a little more 'firm' when the dish is shaken Once out of the oven, let sit on counter for 5 to 10 minutes Serves 4 to 6, at least 2 meals (served with a side salad and/or garlic bread) Approximately 60 carbs in entire dish, depending on exactly how much of each tomato ingredient and how much Romano you use. This dish severed 4 people, 2 big men, 2 unbig women, for 3 meals. We added salad and garlic bread made low carb flax bread, and wine. Total carbs per meal with wine = 10-12! BACK |