Raw Vegan Herbed Cheese Pesto Lasagnette (Lasagna)

Raw Vegan Herbed Cheese Pesto Lasagnette (Lasagna)

Highlights:

• How to satisfy cravings for Italian food on a raw vegan diet
• High-fat or low-fat raw vegan diet, which is best?
• Talking to a vegan-friendly doctor about your health, a good idea
• How to make creamy herbed raw vegan cheeses
• How to make raw vegan lasagna noodles 

Here’s a hearty Italian-style raw food recipe you’re sure to love!

Italian food was a staple of my upbringing. I love the flavors, especially fresh basil. The wonderful thing about raw vegan foods is that all your favorite flavors can be duplicated in creative ways. Plus, you don’t ever have to cook again! Makes kitchen cleanup much easier, let me tell you.

One of my favorite elements of a traditional cooked lasagna was the creaminess of the white sauce and cheeses used. With raw foods, you can use things like soaked cashews and blended macadamia nuts to achieve similar and even more deliciously satisfying flavors and textures. No more dairy!

Think about this: Traditional lasagna noodles are basically just a flavorless combo of refined flour and possibly eggs. The flavor in Italian food comes from all the wonderfully ripe tomatoes, garlic, herbs, and other ingredients that you add to those noodles. With raw vegan recipes, you will find that you can add all those delicious flavors to various raw plants instead of things like flour pasta, and you’ll wind up creating magnificent dishes that satisfy you while being totally delectable and hearty.

So, what’s raw vegan lasagnette and how is it different than raw vegan lasagna? Lasagnette is basically just narrower lasagna noodles. Yup, the secret is out. No biggie. The small zucchini you typically find in grocery stores makes narrower noodles when you slice them on a mandolin slicer, hence the designation of “lasagnette.” And now, you get to sound extra fancy and gourmet when you present this delectable dish at a social gathering and discuss your new raw food diet.

Switching gears a bit here: Let’s talk about the raw vegan lifestyle for a moment, because it’s so important to learn about BOTH lifestyle and diet when learning raw foods.

I want to point out that many years into my personal raw food journey, I rarely eat dishes such as this one anymore. It’s divinely delicious, satisfying, and nutritious, but I don’t gravitate towards raw vegan recipes that are heavier in nut-based fat anymore. That said, please remember that the raw foods lifestyle is an ongoing journey that will continue to evolve for you as you enter different chapters in life.

Sometimes you might find yourself eating lower in fat, sometimes higher. Some raw fooders will eat high volumes of nuts and seeds, some will not. It is important to honor your body’s needs exactly where they are today.

Don’t force yourself to eat the way someone else does and then cause yourself to fall off the wagon while pursuing an unrealistic goal. Transitional “gourmet” high-fat raw vegan foods are very effective for people who are new to this lifestyle. These dishes explode with flavor and mimic the somewhat heavier feeling that cooked foods can often provide. Some long-term raw foodists continue to eat a diet higher in fat because that’s what works for them. As you evolve, you will discover what works for you.

One more point about raw foods and longevity on the diet: If you have a vegan-friendly medical practice in your community with plant-based medical doctors, it might be a good idea to link up with a trusted practitioner to check out how your body is doing every now and then. You’ll often hear people talk about honoring how you feel, but as a science-based individual I also like to see data and have a relationship with a doctor, too.

All that having been said, transitioning to a plant-based diet has the potential to confer massive health benefits. I would personally rather consume a raw vegan lasagnette or lasagna made with raw nuts and fresh zucchini than eat one made with dairy products and cooked grain-based noodles.

A little perspective can go a long way.

Now check out the recipe and instructions below, and enjoy your meal! You’ll love it, I promise. And be sure to subscribe to my newsletter for more recipes and raw vegan inspiration! I love hearing from you, so drop me a line after you subscribe to let me know how you liked this recipe, too!

Yours in delicious heath,

Print

Raw Vegan Herbed Cheese Pesto Lasagnette (Lasagna)

Ingredients:

3 medium zucchini, peeled and sliced lengthwise on mandolin slicer
2 small tomatoes, very thinly sliced by hand or on mandolin slicer
1 cup crimini mushrooms, chopped into small slivers
1 package fresh chives (3/4 oz) diced

1 ½ cups raw cashews
1 pinch pink salt or to taste
1 pinch white pepper
¾-1 cup water, as needed (start slowly!)

1 cup raw macadamia nuts
1 heaping cup raw cauliflower
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 4oz package fresh basil, use leaves, not stems
½ teaspoon garlic powder
1 pinch black pepper
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Directions:

Slice zucchini noodles on mandolin. Set aside.

Blend cashews, salt, white pepper and water in high-powered blender until it’s the consistency of white sauce. Be sure to add water slowly! You don’t want to add too much. Taste and adjust salt if needed. Set aside.

In food processor fitted with “S” blade, process macadamia nuts, cauliflower, pinch of salt, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder until thick cheese spread consistency is achieved. Taste and adjust for salt/garlic if desired. Remove half the cheese and place into bowl. Set aside. To the remainder of the cheese, add most of your basil leaves, keeping a few out to julienne and decorate with later. Then add lemon juice and process until pesto spread is achieved. Taste again and adjust seasonings if desired.

(Above: Spreading filling as dish is assembled.)

In a small lasagna pan, (I used one that is roughly 6 inches wide, 2 inches deep, and 10 inches long), begin layering zucchini noodles, white sauce, mushrooms, the two cheeses sprinkled in small chunks, and tomatoes. Repeat until your pan is full. Top the lasagnette with any remaining sauce, cheeses, mushrooms or tomatoes, then sprinkle chives and remaining basil to decorate.

Serves around 4-6 people, depending on appetite and other foods served with it, such as a big salad.

Enjoy!