Tuesday, July 19, 2011

zucchini and quinoa lasagna

Last night's dinner was Zucchini and Quinoa Lasagna from Vegetarian Times and it was wonderful; a fresh and flavorful dish providing much fiber and protein.  I made a few changes to the recipe, however.  I sauteed the onions and 2 cloves of garlic in oil before cooking the quinoa as directed.  Also, I added shredded mozzarella cheese after the dish was cooked and melted the cheese on the lasagna for about 5 minutes. (The link poststhe same recipe on Peas and Thank You. 
Ingredients
•2 large zucchini, cut into 12 thin, 1/4 in. thick slices
•salt
•1 c. quinoa, rinsed
•2 c. vegetable broth
•1/2 c. tomato sauce
•1/4 c. minced onion
•1 t. dried oregano
•1/4 c. fresh basil, chopped
•1/4 c. fresh parsley, chopped
•2 T. organic or non-dairy cream cheese, i.e. Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese (optional)
•salt and pepper to taste
•1 jar organic marinara sauce
•1/2 c. organic or non-dairy cheese, i.e. Daiya (optional)

Instructions
•Preheat oven to 400.
•To prepare zucchini, cut a strip off of one side to make a flat base. Then, thinly slice zucchini into “noodles.” You’ll want 12 noodles in total.
•Place noodles in a colander and sprinkle with salt, layering between paper towels.
•Let this sit and absorb moisture while preparing the quinoa.
•Combine quinoa, vegetable broth, tomato sauce, onion and oregano in a large saucepan and bring to a boil.
•Cover and lower heat, simmering for 20 minutes.
•When quinoa has absorbed all the liquid, fold in cream cheese and herbs.
•Add salt and pepper to taste, and try not to eat the whole pot.
•Pour enough of marinara in the bottom of an 8×8 baking dish to cover the bottom.
•Using a clean dry towel, blot remaining moisture and salt from zucchini and layer 4 noodles across the sauce.
•Put a layer of quinoa across the zucchini, and cover with another 1/3 c. of marinara sauce.
•Repeat with another layer of quinoa, sauce and zucchini.
•Top the final layer of zucchini with remaining sauce and 1/2 c. of cheese, if using.
•Bake lasagna for 30 minutes, until heated through and zucchini is tender.

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