I miss lasagna. I haven’t been eating it because I have issues with dairy. I wish I had never had dairy at times and didn’t know all the ooey gooey loveliness of cheese. The smell the test sometimes haunts me.
I have not taken the leap to try the “fake” cheeses in the stores. I do what I can with goat cheese as I can eat that with no issues. And I love my goat cheese. Actually more so than cow diary to be honest. Which is a reminder I really need to go out to the farmer’s market in New Haven and pick some up.
Well my daughter came home with eggplant parm she had made for her boyfriend and that was it. I had to make a lasagna using eggplant but what the heck could I use for cheese?? Is there really a good dairy free ricotta?
I am happy and thrilled to say that yes there is! So good that if I had not made it myself and knew what it was I would have thought it was ricotta.
Just for the record, I was scared to make this and so I made a seperate eggplant lasagna for my family with real cheesy goodness. I made a little portion for myself with the faux ricotta. I wish I had made more as I could have enjoyed another portion or two of this.
Not to mention it was so freaking easy. I mean blink and your done. I did it in the blender as I didn’t feel like breaking out my food processor. Yeah call me lazy, I’ll answer this week.
Dairy Free Ricotta Cheese Substitute
1 package sprouted extra firm tofu, drained
1/2 t. salt
1 tbsp. water, optional
1/4 C extra virgin olive oil
1 t honey
2 t lemon juice
Place everything in a blender or food processor and blend till you get the consistency you would like. I added a little water to mine to thin it out just a little.
Use this as you would in any recipe that calls for ricotta.
I apologize for not having any pictures to go with this post. I actually was going to take pictures and plated up my portion of the lasagna beautifully to show you how “real” it looked. The smell over took me, my son and I sat down to dinner and well , mindful eating and any idea of blogging about this went out the window after the first bite. I think my son got sick of me saying how happy I was and how good it was.
So give it a try. See what you think. I’d love to hear how you use it in your kitchen!
Blessings,
Shelly
Shelly's Cookery 