What’s on your family’s menu for dinner this week? As your Nevada cancer specialists, we hope you’re eating a healthy diet that features some cancer-fighting foods. Maintain your health, and prepare a meal the whole family will love and benefit from. This vegetable and cashew lasagna is a cancer-fighting recipe that features some not-so-traditional lasagna ingredients, but is surprisingly delicious.
Vegetable and Cashew Lasagna: Cancer-fighting Recipe
In this vegetarian cancer-fighting recipe, we replace a lot of traditional lasagna ingredients with more healthy options. Instead of noodles, this recipe calls for layers of nutrient-rich eggplant and zucchini vegetables. Not only are these veggies fat-free and low calorie, but they also serve up some brain and heart healthy benefits.
Eggplant contains a healthy, natural plant chemical that’s known to promote brain health. Its phytonutrients and antioxidants also make it great for your cardiovascular health. Zucchini contains potassium, folate, and Vitamin A, which are all great for your overall health.
Try this recipe this week, or prepare it, freeze it, and eat it later on a busy day when you don’t have time to cook!
Food allergy warning: This recipe does contain tree nut products.
Ingredients
To make this cancer-fighting recipe, start by gathering your ingredients.
For the faux ricotta cheese, you’ll need:
- 2 cups of raw unsalted cashews
- ¼ cup of warm water
- 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
- 4 teaspoons of freshly-squeezed lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon of salt
For the lasagna, you’ll need:
- 1 small eggplant that you’ve sliced thinly lengthwise
- 1 zucchini, also thinly sliced
- 1 yellow squash, sliced lengthwise
- 1 bell pepper of any color, with the seeds removed and cut into large squares
- ¼ cup of extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 2 cups of your faux Ricotta cheese
- 1 large egg, beaten
- ½ teaspoon of dried oregano
- A pinch of ground black pepper
- 1 15-ounce can of crushed tomatoes
Directions
Start by making the faux ricotta cheese. Soak your cashews in hot water for at least an hour at room temperature. You can also soak them in your refrigerator for up to 24 hours.
Drain your cashews. Add them to your food processor along with the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and the warm water. Process your mixture until you get a smooth paste. Add more water if needed. The ease of processing will depend on how long you soak the cashews.
Next, preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Grab a large bowl. Combine the eggplant, zucchini, squash, and bell pepper with the olive oil and salt. Toss to incorporate. Then, spread the veggies in a single layer on two baking sheets. Roast them for about 20-25 minutes until they start to caramelize. To make sure the vegetables get cooked evenly, rotate the sheet halfway through the cooking time.
Take out the baking sheet and let it cool. Then, lower the temperature on your oven to 350 degrees. While the vegetables cool, whisk together your faux cheese mixture with the egg, black pepper, and oregano. Spread a fourth of the mixture on the bottom of a 9-inch baking dish. Then, spoon half of the crushed tomatoes on top.
Cover your first layer of tomatoes with a layer of one type of vegetable. Keep layering the faux ricotta cheese, tomatoes, and veggies until you use all your ingredients. Top off your lasagna with some more tomatoes.
Bake your lasagna for 30 minutes. Let it cool for five minutes before serving to you family and friends. Got leftovers? Store your lasagna in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.
Comprehensive Cancer Centers is a multi-specialty practice specializing in medical oncology, radiation oncology, breast surgery, and lung diseases. It is our goal to make sure you receive the best care and education on reducing your cancer risk through cancer prevention. For more information, visit our website, or give us a call at (702) 952-3350.
