Raw Zucchini and Tomato Lasagna

I have this weird habit when I eat where I pick through my food and eat the things I dislike first.  A couple of months ago I came up with a theory about this.  I think the way that I eat is similar to the way I live my life: I always put work before pleasure.

Although this has served me well and gotten me to where I am today, this way of life has more flaws than benefits.  When you eat the things you dislike first, you become full by the time you get to the stuff you enjoy.  Same with life.  If you spend all your time putting work before everything else, you have very little time and room in your life to do the things that bring you the most joy.  In a lot of ways I think that kids may have it right... maybe dessert before dinner makes total sense.

For the past couple of months I've been making it a priority to schedule in time for rest, breaks, and things I find pleasurable.  And then today I noticed something new.  I didn't dismantle this lasagna and eat the zucchini first (which I would have done in the past).  Instead, I ate it together.  I think this might be a sign of more-balanced living and good things to come.

If you are wondering what the heck to do with your abundance of summer zucchini, this lasagna is the answer.  This recipe is simple, doesn't require a stove (thank goodness!), and uses the best of summer's bounty: squash, tomatoes, and basil.  I also love this raw nut "cheese" and it adds the perfect bit of fat and flavor to complement these beautiful tomatoes.




Once you have your ingredients, we start with the layers...

Tomatoes.

Basil.

And tomatoes.

I happened to have cherry tomatoes on hand, but you could definitely use large heirloom tomato slices instead. This recipe is very flexible and you can easily substitute other fillings if desired.  If you don't want to use the raw almond cheese, raw pesto also adds a fabulous flavor to this lasagna.

Raw Zucchini and Tomato Lasagna
Serves 2

1 zucchini
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced
2 tablespoons fresh basil chiffonade
Raw almond cheese (see recipe below)
freshly-ground pepper

Chop ends off of zucchini and cut zucchini in half.  Use a mandolin or very sharp knife to slice zucchini into thin slices.  Lay two slices side-by-side and then top with fillings, layering between more zucchini slices. Garnish with pepper and serve.

Raw Almond "Cheese"
1/3 cup raw almonds
1/8 teaspoon sea salt (or more to taste)
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
2 - 3 tablespoons water, or more as needed
1 tablespoon fresh chives, chopped

Soak almonds in water for at least 1 hour, then drain. Add almonds to a food processor with salt, nutritional yeast, and 1 tablespoon of water to start.  Scrape down the sides of the processor and add more water as necessary until it reaches a consistency similar to ricotta.  Add the chives at the last second and pulse until incorporated.

Recipe submitted to Wellness Weekend

Raw Zucchini Pasta with Creamy Tomato Sauce

You can tell a lot about what's going on in my life by what's on my library queue.  I have this weird habit of getting fascinated by one particular subject and then reading everything I can about it until I get bored and find my next interest.  This year alone I've been through a gardening phase, a running phase, a preserving food phase, a cycling phase, a twitter phase (yes, there are books on it!), a vegan nutrition phase, and a writing phase. My newest phase?  Raw food.

With the weather warming up and longer days approaching, my body has been craving more cooling and fresh foods like salads, raw veggies, and raw soups.  The only problem with a lot of raw food recipes that I've seen is that they tend to be a tad labor-intensive and nut-based.  I really enjoy using nuts in recipes, but I wanted a recipe that was a bit on the lighter-side.

This week I set out to create an easy raw entree that is fresh, delicious, and can be prepared quickly.  I ended up with a hearty zucchini pasta dish covered with a light, creamy tomato sauce.  The best part?  This meal can be prepared in under 5 minutes!

We'll start by spiralizing some zucchini to make our zucchini noodles.  To do this, you will need a vegetable slicer that can cut food into spirals. (I use this one by World Cuisine.)  If you don't have a vegetable slicer then you can use a food processor to cut your zucchini into matchsticks for a "penne" pasta.

Then we blend our sauce.  Throw your tomatoes, tahini sauce, garlic, herbs, and salt into a blender.  In under 30 seconds your creamy, flavorful sauce is ready!

I love topping this pasta with fresh cherry tomatoes and extra fresh pepper.  This recipe serves 1, but it can easily be doubled or tripled as needed to serve more.  This pasta is perfect for lunch, a light dinner, or any time that you crave a fresh, delicious meal without having to spend a lot of time in the kitchen.

Raw Zucchini Pasta with Creamy Tomato Sauce

Serves 1

2 medium zucchini

2 medium roma tomatoes

1 medium garlic clove, minced

1 tablespoon tahini

1.5 teaspoon dried basil

.5 teaspoon oregano

Freshly ground sea salt and pepper to taste

Process zucchini into spirals or matchsticks.  Set aside. 

Add tomatoes, garlic, tahini, basil, oregano, and salt to blender. Blend until smooth.

Top zucchini with sauce and serve. 

Fresh Corn & Tomato Quinoa Salad

With all of my recent traveling and writing I haven't been spending much time in the kitchen.  In fact, tonight was the first time I've actually made anything substantial in the past week and a half.  I forget how much cooking means to me until I find myself standing over the stove, listening to a podcast, and feeling at peace.  I have more traveling coming up soon so I'm grateful to just be at home in this moment, eating quinoa, and feeling grounded.

Tomato and corn season are ending here.  Our warm weather started much later than usual this year so we've had an extended growing season and it's been wonderful to still have fresh tomatoes these last couple of weeks.  This salad comes together quickly and is perfect for weeknight cooking.  I was being lazy and kept the corn raw (which I actually prefer), but you can boil it for a minute if you'd rather. Enjoy this on a cool fall evening or anytime you need a moment to feel grounded. 

Fresh Corn and Tomato Quinoa Salad

From Vegetarian Times (July/August 2010)

Serves 8

Salad:

1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 1/2 cups fresh (or frozen) corn kernels (from 2 ears)

1 1/2 cups halved cherry or grape tomatoes

1 cup finely chopped red cabbage

1 cup diced cucumber

Dressing:

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

3 Tablespoons maple syrup

1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon sea salt

To make the salad: bring quinoa, salt, and 1 1/2 cups water to a boil in a saucepan.  Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer 20 minutes, or until water is absorbed.  Set aside, covered, for 10 minutes.

To make the dressing: mix all ingredients in a blender until smooth.  

Mix corn, tomatoes, cabbage, and cucumber with quinoa in a bowl.  Mix with dressing and serve.  

Green Bean, Tomato, and Chickpea Salad

Last week I had the opportunity to attend the Access to Healthy Foods Summit organized by the Access to Healthy Foods Coalition.  It was really refreshing to see all of the different ways that organizations, institutuions, and individuals are working together to improve access to healthy foods in Washington State.  In Washington state alone, 15% of our residents do not have consistent access to healthy foods.

It's pretty obvious that I think about food a lot... but I also think about how much access I have to food.  In my neighborhood, I am within walking distance to two different grocery stores and within biking distance to about five.  I have a stable income that allows me to purchase fresh foods and I only work one job so I have the time to prepare the majority of my meals myself.  Additionally, I have access to information about healthy cooking  and have the abilty to prepare healthy foods from scratch, understand what healthy foods are, and read nutritional labels. 

Some of these factors could be said to be my personal choice.  For instance, I choose to purchase healthy foods.  It's true, I do make that choice.  But, there are many factors out of my control that influence my decision.  If I had a limited income, relied solely on public transportation, and my corner "grocery store" did not carry fresh produce, and the next closest store was two bus rides away... how much choice would I have in deciding what I eat?

It's been really exciting to see the ways that more people are becoming aware of "food deserts" (an area where healthy and fresh foods are difficult to find) in our country and working to improve everyone's access to fresh foods.  It's also great to see that EBT cards (food stamps) are now being accepted at various farmer's markets in King County.  Super cool!

How much access do you have to fresh and healthy foods?  What barriers have you seen, for yourself or others, to being able to eat healthfully?  What are some of the ways that you or others could (or may already have) make an impact on these challenges?

I'm not really sure how to transition from talking about food access and scarcity to wowing you with this beautiful salad... So, let's just wow you with this beautiful salad. 

My favorite thing about summer foods are all the colors. It's true that we eat first with our eyes and everything always manages to look more appealing and delicious in summertime. This is a beautiful salad that anyone would be proud to serve up at their next dinner or get-together.  The recipe originally called for red onions and feta cheese, but I switched up the feta for kalamata olives and used green onions instead.  Fresh herbs like parsley are a must on this one, but fresh mint leaves would be good as well. 

Green Bean, Tomato, and Chickpea Salad
Slightly adapted from Everyday Food magazine, June 2011 issue
Serves 4

1.5 pounds green beans, trimmed
3 wide strips lemon zest, cut into thin matchstick, plus 3 Tablespoons lemon juice (from 1 large lemon)
2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
2 green onions, chopped
2 cups cooked chickpeas (or 1 can)
1/4 cup kalamata olives, halved
1/3 cup roughly chopped fresh parsley leaves

In a large pot of boiling water, cook green beans until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes.  Drain and rinse under cool water to stop the cooking process.  Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together lemon juice and oil.  Stir in tomatoes, onions, chickpeas, and lemon zest.  Add olives and parsley and stir to combine.  Season with salt and pepper.  Arrange green beans on a serving platter and top with tomato mixture.