another crazy idea

Sometimes my crazy ideas work, sometimes they are well received, and sometimes I'm the only one who eats them (and there have been those rare bombs--like unrisen zucchini bread with onion--that linger on the counter for a few hours being pitied before they head to the compost).


Thankfully this one scored a 3 out of 6, though rather weak, as in AJ liked it, but only Maia and I wanted seconds. Now that I'm scrumming up the leftovers while my husband is away, I can get round to posting the recipe.

Nutty Swiss Chard Lasagna

1 box lasagna noodles
12 oz. (1 1/2 cups) tomato or pasta sauce
swiss chard:
2 dozen large swiss chard leaves, washed
1 T. olive oil
2-3 garlic cloves, chopped
1/3 cup pine nuts
filling:
1 1/2 cups plain or raw cashews
1/2 cup pine nuts
1 can (15.5oz) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/4 cup tahini
2 tsp. salt
2 T. lemon juice
2 T. olive oil
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 1/4 cups water

Remove ribs from the
chard leaves. Chop them
coursely. In a large pot over medium heat, saute the swiss chard with the garlic and lemon juice until they begin to wilt, then add the pine nuts and cook until swiss chard has wilted. Allow to cook for a few minutes.

In a food processor, grind
up the cashews & pine
nuts, then add the rest of
the "filling" ingredients
and combine into a puree.

In a 9x13 lasagna pan,
spread half the tomato
sauce on the bottom (to keep noodles from sticking). Then arrange the uncooked lasagna noodles in a layer, covering the bottom of the pan. Add 1/2 the swiss chard leaves, then spread on 1/2 the nut filling. Repeat with lasagna noodles, swiss chard, & filling. End with a final layer of lasagna noodles, then spread the
top with the remaining
tomato sauce.

Cover tightly with foil.
Bake in a 400F oven for
45 minutes. Allow to cool
a bit before cutting.

This lasagna is soy-free, and can easily be made gluten-free using rice lasanga noodles (which I have used in lasagnas before with great results). This is a hearty, heavy dish, great for cooler weather.