Nuts for Heather Crosby's Mushroom Lasagna

When I was asked to share a recipe from Heather Crosby's book  YumUniverse: Pantry to Plate: Improvise Meals You Love—from What You Have!—Plant-Packed, Gluten-Free, Your Way, I asked for the Mushroom Sage Lasagna recipe.  I was a little overwhelmed when I read the steps, but the process wasn't as involved as I thought.  It had lots of nuts and lots of flavor.  Even my husbands' coworkers loved the final product.  Above is the food as I made it.  Below is Heather's recipe:

Mushroom & Sage Lasagna

Folks of all dietary inclinations love this comforting recipe.

8+ servings

Ingredients

·         ½ cup (70 g) raw, unsalted almonds

·         ¼ cup (25 g) raw, unsalted pecans

·         1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons unre ned coconut oil

·         1¼ teaspoons sea salt, plus more to taste

·         Fresh-cracked black pepper

·         Pinch of fresh-ground nutmeg

·         3 large leaves kale, chopped into small pieces

·         One 9-ounce (255 g) package gluten-free lasagna noodles

·         2½ cups (340 g) cashews, soaked 4 to 6 hours, drained, and rinsed

·         1½ cups (360 ml) water

·         ½ cup (65 g) pine nuts, toasted

·         3 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

·         5 to 6 sage leaves

·         1½ pounds (680 g) cremini mushrooms, sliced

·         2 large shallots, sliced or diced (about 1 cup/80 g)

·         1 tablespoon Sucanat or coconut palm sugar

·         2 to 3 tablespoons dry white wine (optional)

·         1 batch Maudie’s Tomato Sauce (page x), or two 24-ounce (680 g) jars pasta sauce

Instructions

1.       Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). In a food processor, pulse together the almonds, pecans, 1 teaspoon of the oil, ¼ teaspoon of the salt, a few grinds of pepper, and the nutmeg until dusty. Add the kale and pulse 3 times.

2.       Prepare the noodles according to the box instructions—layer them in rows on sheets of parchment to keep the noodles from sticking to each other.

3.       Make a cashew cream sauce by blending the cashews, water, pine nuts, lemon juice, 2 teaspoons of the oil, 1 teaspoon of the salt, and the sage until smooth; set aside.

4.       Place the remaining 2 teaspoons oil, the mushrooms, shallots, Sucanat, and a pinch of salt in a skillet heated to medium. Stir occasionally for 7 to 10 minutes, until they caramelize and brown. Add the wine (if using), stir for 2 more minutes or until it cooks off, and remove from the heat.

5.       Add 3 spoonfuls of tomato sauce into a lasagna pan; spread it around and top with noodles side by side. Spread a few spoonfuls of tomato sauce and cashew cream sauce over the noodles. Sprinkle with the mushrooms, season the layer with a pinch of salt and fresh pepper, then top with another layer of noodles. Repeat these steps, seasoning each layer with a pinch of salt and pepper, until all the noodles, sauces, and mushrooms are used. Sprinkle with the almond-pecan-kale topping, cover with parchment, and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the parchment and bake 20 more minutes until bubbling.

Credit line: Recipe from YumUniverse Pantry to Plate  © Heather Crosby, 2017. Photographs copyright © Heather Crosby, 2017. Reprinted by permission of the publisher, The Experiment. Available wherever books are sold. theexperimentpublishing.com

The book is forthcoming:  
YumUniverse Pantry to Plate

Improvise Meals You Love—from What You Have!—Plant-Packed, Gluten-Free, Your Way!

by Heather Crosby

ISBN: 9781615193400

Publishing: May 16, 2017

Price: $24.95 US

Paperback: 320 pages