Saturday, September 24, 2016

Eggplant Zucchini Lasagna

My neighbours own a Cabane à Sucre (sugar shack). My husband and I actually got married there. We got married at Canadian Thanksgiving so the meal was turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pies, the whole nine yards, and of course, wedding cake. That was many years ago before fibromyalgia had grasped a hold of me, when I could still tolerate all the carbs!
We still go to the Cabane à Sucre but I bring my own food for the most part. This past Christmas we held our company party there and there was also a bigger group in the main dinning room. I knew I would have to bring my own food because I eat Keto and my daughter-in-law eats vegetarian. A few of the guests from the other group were vegetarian and one lady Gluten free so Helen, the owner's wife asked me if there was any way I could make something that would cover all the bases. She was swamped with enough work prepping for all the parties of the season. I make the desserts for my group so I was sure to bake my Low Carb Lemon Ricotta Cake (see my first post on this blog) but I also baked a Gluten Free Carrot Cake to give the GF lady a choice that didn't contain artificial sweeteners (the employee didn't know the difference and helped devour all of it!), I also made a huge platter of various Christmas treats (that I can't eat anymore, but it isn't all about me).
I had made a wonderful Roasted Vegetable Lasagna, pre-Keto, that I was fairly certain I could modify to accommodate the entire "special diet" gang.
It is still quite high in carbs having about 11 net carbs per serving but it was a special occasion so I planned ahead and made sure that I had room for it in my macros. It is also very filling and I am never able to eat an entire piece.
Eggplant Zucchini Lasagna
Eggplant Zucchini Lasagna
Recipe

Roasted Vegetables
2 pounds of eggplant sliced on the long side into thick slices 
600 grams zucchini sliced on the long side into thick slices
1/4 Cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Parmesan Béchamel
2 tablespoons butter
1 tsp psyllium husks
5 ounces of heavy cream plus enough water to fill to 1 1/4 cups
1/4 cup grated Parmigiana-Reggiano cheese
1 pinch nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste

Additional Ingredients
200 grams frozen spinach thawed and drained of excess water.
3 cups passata (strained tomatoes)
200 grams raw zucchini sliced on the long side into thin sliced 
3 cups mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmigiana-Reggiano cheese

Prepare roasted vegetables. Cut into lengths, brush with the oil, salt and pepper and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Roast at 425 for 20 minutes. Set aside to cool.
These will be your "noodles".

Prepare Béchamel. Melt the butter in a medium sauce pan. Add the psyllium husks and cook for 1 minute. Add the cream mixture and bring to a small boil then reduce to simmer. Simmer for 3-5 minutes until thickened. Remove from heat and stir in Parmigiana-Reggiano cheese and the nutmeg. Stir until the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth. Set aside.

Assemble the Lasagna. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray. Place a layer of roasted eggplant, 1/2 of the spinach and then 1 cup of the strained tomatoes and 1/2 of the béchamel sauce. Cover with 3/4 cup of mozzarella cheese. Place the roasted zucchini to cover, add another cup of the strained tomatoes, the other half of the spinach and the remainder of the béchamel. Cover with another layer of the roasted eggplant, the last cup of strained tomatoes and the rest of the mozzarella cheese. Cover the entire lasagna surface with the raw zucchini ribbons in a woven crisscross pattern. Sprinkle the top with the 1/4 cup of  Parmigiana-Reggiano cheese.
Bake at 375 for 45 minutes then brown under broiler for a few minutes. Let rest 15 minutes before serving.

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do. This one is going to my mother-in-law. She is almost 86 years old and diabetic so we try to encourage her to eat lower carb. She can be a tad stubborn!

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