Vegetarian Recipes: Tricia's Zucchini Lasagna and salad

Vegetarian recipes can closely resemble their meaty counterparts and most of the time people don't even notice that there is no meat in it. Zucchini Lasagna and salad, what a perfect way to enjoy nature's bounty and feel good too!

Ooh dear, my zucchini plants have really exploded over the last few days of gorgeous sunshine. I am spying all those tender flowers bearing forth those beautiful little green gems. Four plants, times five to six zucchini each, hmmm time to make lasagna! Most ingredients are organic (as much as I can get), so I won't say it every time. By using only 6 pasta noodle, the carb content if much lower and the fiber content is much higher because of all the veggies.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

2 lbs young (7-9") zucchini, bigger ones are good too but not as tender. Select about two pounds of organic zucchini, wash it well and slice it into "noodles" about 1/3" thick. Lay on a coconut or olive oiled baking sheet and roast in 350 degree oven until tender.Set aside.

2 jars of marinara or chunky pasta sauce,whatever your preference1 cup of pasta cooking water added to rinse out jars after emptying.

You can saute these together:2 large onions diced diced and sauteed until golden brown3 stalk of celery diced and sauteed until golden brown1 large carrot diced and sauteed until soft6 cloves of garlic diced and sauteed until golden brown

1 lb portabella mushrooms diced and sauteed until golden brown

1 pound of shredded cheese (soy mozzarella woks great, real mozzarella or a mix of fontina, ricotta and mozzarella).

8 oz grated Parmesan, get the good stuff it really tastes better.

6 whole wheat lasagna noodles cooked according to package directions. Reserve a cup of the water, see above.

1 Cup tvp (textured vegetable protein) soaked in 2 C hot water and drained.

2T dried oregano (run between your palms) or Italian seasoning to taste.

After you finish sauteing the onion, mushroom, celery, carrot and garlic, pour the pasta sauce into the pan over all the veggies. Add in the water, oregano, TVP and stir.

After 10 minutes of a mild simmer, ladle a good cup of sauce onto the bottom of a glass baking dish 11X15 Pyrex works good.

Lay a layer of noodles down then sprinkle cheese, lay on some sauce then a layer of your zucchini noodles, really overlap them and don't be skimpy. Continue layering more sauce, cheese and noodles until you are done. I like the two layers of the pasta noodles to be on the bottom and the middle (on the top they can get dry). Top it all off with a good layer of sauce and cheese and put on some parchment paper then a sheet of foil.

Bake this in a 325 oven for 45 minutes to an hour.

Green leafy salads provide chlorophyll and fiber. Be sure to inspect organic head lettuce closely, as I often find little "friends" (bugs). I like to use the prepackaged baby salad mix and a lot of finely diced veggies in my salads. A light dressing of olive oil and balsamic vinegar with some pepper and kosher salt is simple and satisfying without all the chemicals found in bottled dressings.Sprinkle on some raw Pepita (pumpkin seeds) and a little shaving of Parmesan if you like.

Serve with a big beautiful salad, a glass of wine and a smile!

Serving healthy, vegetarian recipes on a regular basis helps you and your family recognize how eating good and feeling good are interrelated.

Return from Vegetarian Recipes of the Week July 15 to Daily Dose

Return from Vegetarian Recipes of the week to yoga poses and beyond