Recipe: Vegetarian Lasagna (gluten free)

Before I share this incredible recipe, here is an update on my gout. As I discussed in a previous post, I was diagnosed several weeks ago. I'm happy to report that my recent(first) big flair up in my foot and big toe joint is considerably better. It's still not completely back to normal, but it's getting there. I attribute my healing totally to the considerable changes I've made to my diet. There is a huge long list of foods that I can't eat and because of this I've had to get really creative when it comes to meal time. Fruits, veggies, gluten free, yeast free bread and pasta, sunflower seed butter, rice protein fruit smoothies and non fat dairy products make up what I eat including lots and lots of water. I'm limiting chicken and fish to no more than twice a week and then only 4 oz. once that day. The hardest thing for me to give up has been sugar and chocolate. The first few days was horrible, which made me realize that I was eating WAY too much sugar to feel as if I was detoxing to get off of it! Now I only use sweet leaf stevia sweetener which is the only approved sweetener for gout patients. It is completely natural and you can find it in all the grocery stores now. A brand name you may recognize is "Truvia". My "sugar fix" now consists of the stevia that I put into my smoothies and sprinkle on my rice cereal. The other day I had someone offer me individually wrapped Dove dark chocolates. I thought to myself "too little pieces won't hurt, right?" WRONG! Like when I ate the tomatoes, the next morning my toe joint was flaming red, with the swelling considerably increased again. My body is apparently super sensitive to any and all sugar and chocolate so I guess I'm done eating it. (sad face!) As I said before, I am turning this health problem into an opportunity for myself to get healthier and loose weight. I'm happy to say I have lost 3 pounds per week since I had to change my way of eating to rid myself of the gout attack I've been in to hopefully prevent or lesson future attacks. This almost makes up for the fact that I can no longer eat chocolate!!

I'm really excited to share this recipe with you, which I developed from two recipes I found on line. It turned out absolutely perfect and Kevin, Kyle and I all loved it. I've totally modified it to be completely safe for gout patients,  however you would never know if you tasted it that it is completely gluten free and made with all non fat/low fat dairy products. It is rich, creamy and very satisfying. Of course if you don't have the dietary restrictions that I do, you can certainly replace the gluten free lasagna noodles for regular lasagna noodles and use regular cheese instead of non fat and whole milk instead of 1%. If you are at all concerned about watching your calories however, I say use the non-fat/low-fat dairy products, you will never miss their higher fat counterparts. Because tomatoes are a problem food for me, I made this with a white sauce.

Here is what you will need:

2 c. non fat ricotta cheese
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp. dried basil leaves
1/2 t. dried oregano leaves
1/4 t. pepper
6-8 lasagna noodles (regular or gluten free)
1 cup grated low-fat mozzarella cheese
6 cups diced veggies (I used carrots, butternut squash, summer squash, zucchini and broccoli) use the veggies you like!
2 tsp. olive oil
2 garlic cloves, pressed or crushed
1 medium onion, finely chopped (I buy it pre-diced and use a 1/2 c)

There are basically three separate components of lasagna. The noodles, the filling and the sauce. I like to start with:

THE NOODLES
Most all stores carry gluten free noodles now. I found Pasta JOY organic brown rice noodles at Sprouts Market. I've also seen them at Albertsons. In general I've been really pleased with any brand's brown rice pasta. It is almost identical in texture and taste to regular pasta. Following the directions on the side of the box, boil the noodles and drain. With brown rice pasta it is important to rinse the pasta after it is drained to the large amount of starch that accumulates in the water. Inevitably one or two of the noodles will break, which is why I suggest making a few extra. I did not, and ended up piecing together noodles!

 After rinsing the noodles, lay them out on wax paper that has been lightly sprayed with non stick spray. (let them sit there until ready to assemble lasagna)



FILLING
 
The filling consists of a layer of veggies and ricotta cheese. To prepare the cheese layer, mix ricotta cheese, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, basil, oregano and pepper. Set aside.
 

 I was thrilled to find this packaged collection of veggies at Trader Joes. I forgot to take a pic of it before I chopped up the veggies, but here is what the package looks like for your reference below. It came with larger pieces of zucchini, butternut squash, summer squash, and carrots. It even came with 3 whole cloves of garlic. Two of these packages provided about 4 cups of diced veggies. I also cut up approximately 1 cup of brocolli into very small florets.Not pictured is the bag of organic cut up broccoli florets that I also purchased at Trader Joes. Additionally I like to use pre-diced onions (pictured above) I measured out 1/2 cup for this recipe and put the bag in the freezer for future use. Pictured above is 1/2 of the diced veggies.

 Heat oil in a large saucepan. Saute garlic for 1 minute, followed by the onions, and the rest of the veggies. Gently saute on low-medium heat  for 10-13 minutes or until the vegetables are softened.
When veggies are softened (not mushy), remove from heat a set aside.

WHITE SAUCE

This white sauce is not only easy to make, but it is delicious. Here is what you will need to make it:

1/3 c, butter
1/3 c. brown rice flour (or all purpose flour if you are not gluten free)
1 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
3 c. 1 % milk (or 2% or whole if you wish)

 To prepare the white sauce, heat butter in one quart saucepan over LOW heat, until melted. Whisk in flour, salt and nutmeg.  Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until bubbly; remove from heat.

Whisk in milk, heat until boiling, stirring constantly until bubbly. Boil and stir on minute. Be sure to keep heat on low this entire time to prevent scalding. The sauce should be thickening up. It should be slightly thick, if it gets TOO thick, add in a small amount of milk. Cover and keep warm.

ASSEMBLY

With non stick cooking spray, spray the bottom of a 9x 13 casserole pan.

Place three of the cooled lasagna noodles in the bottom of the pan. If you have broken lasagna noodles, just piece them together like I did above!

Next spread out 1/2 of the ricotta cheese mixture.

Followed by 1/2 of the veggies.

 next, spoon or pour 1/2 of the white sauce over the lasagna, being sure to cover all the veggies.

 Complete layer one with sprinkling 1/2 cup of the mozzarella over top. (add more cheese if you want to!)

 Repeat all the layers, ending with the remainder of the white sauce covering all the veggies and the other 1/2 cup of the cheese sprinkled over top. Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 35-40 minutes or until the cheese is slightly browned and lasagna is bubbling.

Your final result will look something like this!!! This recipe proves to me that comfort food can be gluten free, vegetarian and low fat! I will be making this often.

ENJOY!