How to cook with CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) veggies (week 7): zucchini tofu lasagna (low carb, dairy free) and green goddess salad dressing with carrot top.

  August 8, 2020

This week I received romaine lettuce, radicchio, kale, 3 pieces of summer squash, and whole carrots with stems and leaves. 

CSA week 7 dinner:  carrot top dressing, tomato salsa, and sauteed kale
with grilled summer squash and pork shoulder (pressure cooked)

CSA week 7 veggies: whole carrots, kale, radicchio, tomatoes, squash

How would you cook summer squash (or zucchini) and what would you do with carrot tops?  In this CSA cooking post, I will show you how to make lasagna using zucchini and tofu!  It is simple to make and very delicious!  You won’t miss the pasta or the cheesy gooeyness of the traditional version!  I will also show you how to make a green goddess salad dressing using carrot stems and leaves.  This green dressing works very well as a green sauce for pretty much anything from meats to grilled veggies to fresh greens!

Recipe #1

Easy zucchini lasagna with tofu (vegan, low carbs, dairy free)

Ingredients:  zucchini (about 2 medium size, sliced to 1/4inch thickness), tofu (1 lb.), mustard (2 TB), mayo (2 TB, choose egg free mayo if you prefer dairy free), apple cider vinegar (1 TB), garlic powder (2 tsp), tomato sauce (24 oz), kosher salt (*about ¼ tstp), bread crumb (1 cup, optional), butter (1 TB, optional). 

How:

*Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1.  Cut zucchini in a 2 by 3 inches rectangular shape as shown in the photo

First cut zucchini (summer squash) in thin (1/4 inch thick) rectangular pieces

2. Cook zucchini in oiled pan until golden brown:  it’s almost like grilling the veggie, which serves two purposes.  Cooking zucchini will reduce moisture content and caramelizing process will bring out the nice rich flavor of the veggie. 

Brown zucchini in oil both sides until golden brown

3.  While cooking zucchini, make the “tofu cheese” by food processing tofu, mustard, mayo, vinegar, garlic powder and kosher salt.  *Note: the amount of salt will be dependent on the sodium content of the tomato sauce you’re using.  

Make tofu cheese by food processing tofu, mayo, mustard and garlic powder

Tofu cheese! :)

4.  Heat tomato sauce in a saucepan. 

5.  Assemble all the components in a casserole dish.  First, spread some tomato sauce on the bottom, then a layer of zucchini, followed by a layer of tofu cheese.  Repeat this until the dish is about ¾ full.  Top the dish with bread crumb and small knobs of butter, if desired. 

Zucchini lasagna ready to bake!

6.  Bake lasagna for about 30 min until the sauce bubbles up to the top and bread 

crumb is golden brown. 

Zucchini tofu lasagna! :)

Zucchini tofu lasagna being scooped up! :)

7.  Enjoy the vegan lasagna with some fresh salad and toasted nuts, if desired!!  😊

Recipe 2:

Green goddess salad dressing with carrot stems and leaves

Green goddess dressing made with carrot top (stems and leaves)

Ingredients: carrot stems (smooth part) and leaves (about 1 cup, chopped roughly), mayo (2 TB, may use sour cream), almond milk (1/4 cup, or milk of your choice), extra virgin olive oil (1/4 cup), apple cider vinegar (1/4 cup), garlic powder (1/4 tsp), honey (1/8 tsp, or sweetener of your choice)

How:

Place all the ingredients in a food process or in a high-speed blender until smooth.  Taste to season with sugar or salt.

Hope you try these awesome recipes and like them as much as I do! 

Thanks for visiting msfusionkorea.com and please leave comments to share with the world.  See you in the next post!  Happy cooking!!  😊