I love lasagne but don’t make it much. When you have to omit gluten, dairy and nightshades from your diet, a lasagne isn’t the ideal meal to make. That said, I’m never one to shy away from a challenge and have managed to make one that works well. It uses a nomato sauce instead of tomatoes and a cashew cream to replace the bechamel.
Here, I’m sharing another version of a gluten, dairy and nightshade free lasagne. This one is the easiest lasagne I’ve ever made. At the moment, I’m busy with work and in between I’m trying to write a novel as a participant of National Novel Writing Month. So, I haven’t got a great deal of time to be cooking elaborate meals. I need quick and convenience, but it has to be healthy too.
That’s why I’m relying heavily on my slow cooker this week. I’ve never cooked a lasagne in one before though, so I was keeping everything crossed that it would work. You don’t want to come home from a day at the office thinking that dinner is taken care of only to find out that it’s a disaster do you?
Well, I can categorically say that this was the opposite of disaster. I would even go so far as to say that it reminded me of the lasagne my daughter had last week when we were in Italy! That’s because authentic Italian lasagne is drier than what we might be used to. That doesn’t make it any less tasty though, especially as it had been slow cooking all day long, so it was flavour-packed.
With a little bit of prep the night before, I was able to assemble this lasagne in around five minutes before I left for work and all I needed to do when I got home was steam some veg to go with it. Who says the slow cooker is only good for casseroles?
No pre-cooking required, just assemble and leave the slow cooker to do it's job. This tasty lasagne is a winner all round. This recipe is also gluten, dairy and nightshade free but you'd never know!
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Servings |
Prep Time |
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4 |
10 minutes |
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Servings |
Prep Time |
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4 |
10 minutes |
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No pre-cooking required, just assemble and leave the slow cooker to do it's job. This tasty lasagne is a winner all round. This recipe is also gluten, dairy and nightshade free but you'd never know!
|
Servings |
Prep Time |
|
4 |
10 minutes |
|
Servings |
Prep Time |
|
4 |
10 minutes |
|
|
|
Instructions
Mix the nomato sauce with the water and add the minced beef and dried herbs. Mix thoroughly (I prepared this the night before and stored it in the fridge).
Spoon a little of this mixture on to the bottom of the slow cooker pot, to just cover it.
Add enough lasagne sheets to cover the sauce (you may have to break some up to fit)
Spoon half the remaining meat mixture on to the lasagne sheets.
Cover this layer of mince with another layer of lasagne sheets.
Add the remaining meat mixture and cover once more with lasagne sheets.
Whisk the eggs and add the yoghurt, whisking again until fully incorporated.
Pour this mix on to the top of the lasagne sheets and sprinkle on the parmesan (or alternative).
Put the slow cooker on a low heat and leave for at least 7 hours.
We have a small vegetable patch in our garden and every year, one of our greatest successes is courgettes. With such an abundant crop, it would be easy to become fed up of eating them, which has happened in previous years. So I’ve had to become more inventive in how I use them up.
One of our favourites is a chocolate courgette cake and I also enjoy letting the odd one grow big enough to be marrow size, then baking it in the oven, halving, scooping out the middle and filling with a savoury rice, mince Bolognese or chilli. It’s such a hearty meal.
Then I inherited a recipe for a courgette and carrot loaf that I thought I’d try out. I had to convert it to be gluten free and with the addition of sunflower oil, it’s dairy free too. What I love about this courgette and carrot loaf is that it’s packed with flavour and wholesome goodness.
The ingredients work together so well, with the carrots providing some sweetness, the courgettes moisture and the nuts give just the right amount of crunch. A slice of this loaf will give you a tasty, satisfying mid-morning snack that will keep you going until lunch or an afternoon tea treat to last you until dinner.
Courgette and carrot loaf
A tea time loaf packed with vegetables and nuts for a tasty, satisfying and filling treat.
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Courgette and carrot loaf
A tea time loaf packed with vegetables and nuts for a tasty, satisfying and filling treat.
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Instructions
Weigh out the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and mixed nuts. Stir well
In a separate bowl mixed together the beaten eggs, oil, lemon rind and grated veg.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix together until well incorporated.
Pour in to a greased loaf tin and bake in the oven at 180/gas 4 for 50 mins to 1 hour. Check with a tooth pick to see if it comes out clean. If so, it is done.
Recipe Notes
Leave to cool in the tin before turning out on to a wire rack.
