Over the Moon(ey): Good Sun Dried Tomatoes Make Everything Better

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

This week I had a bit of a second Christmas. I received a gift basket in the mail from Mooney Farms, a Sonoma County farm that’s known for its healthy Mediterranean-inspired products.

Among the gourmet picks were a few varieties of sun-dried tomatoes, one of the most flavorful, single-ingredient creations on this planet. (And pretty healthy to boot, when you consider tomatoes are a rich source of lycopene, a phytochemical and antioxidant that fights free radicals, and sun-dried ones boast 12 times more of it than raw ones!)

Needless to say, I immediately spooned a few pieces on crackers, and the resulting flavor burst was enough to inspire me to plan dinner around them, too. That night I whipped up my famous raw lasagna (recipe below), and the Bella Sun Luci sun-dried tomatoes gave it the most intense flavor and texture.

I’d highly recommend the sun-dried tomato line to busy food-loving moms. They come in convenient packaging, from jars to pouches, and in a range of cuts and flavors, from julienne cut sun-dried tomatoes with zesty peppers, to whole ones with pine nuts, and more. There are also a few RTG options, like the chunky Tomato and Artichoke Pasta Sauce and even a decadent sun-dried tomato risotto mix. Browse the yummy selection here.

Sexy Raw Lasagna
Serves 6

Ingredients:
  • 3 zucchini
  • 1 cup cashew cheese (details below)
  • 3 cups freshly chopped spinach
  • 1 small jar of Bella Sun Luci sun dried tomatoes in olive oil (if you use bagged sun dried tomatoes, add 1 Tb. olive oil)
  • 1 Roma tomato (or 1/2 regular-sized tomato)
  • 1-2 cloves of garlic
  • 2-4 leaves of fresh basil
Directions:

  1. First level: Slice a green zucchini the lengthwise and place the thin slices on the bottom of a rectangle 8×8″ glass pan.
  2. Second level: Spread raw cashew cheese over entire zucchini “noodles.” (To make the cashew cheese: Soak about half a cup of raw cashews in a glass jar for at least 4 hours
. Then drain and throw in to food processor with 1-2 good squeezes of a lemon
 and 1/2 tsp. sea salt
. Blend until whipped. *Add 1 tsp. water or more if the mixture seems dry.)
  3. Third level: Sprinkle coarsely chopped spinach over entire area of pan (over cheese).
  4. Fourth level: Process sun-dried tomatoes, tomatoes, garlic and basil together until smooth. Gently spread mixture over spinach.
  5. Repeat levels three times, sprinkle oregano on top to taste–and ta da!