Ever get the feeling that it’s calling your name?
Pssssttttttttt
‘Matt, eat me…EAATTT MEEEE’
^^^^ Referring to the foods you just LOVE!
And it’s exactly why I DO NOT recommend that you ‘ban’ or ‘give up’ any foods you like for good without good reason
^^^ Just as we spoke about yesterday with Mijan’s body transformation
But maybe you have an allergy? An intolerance?
^^^ You get uncontrollable bowels, bloating, flatulence, headaches, tiredness…
Or maybe you just don’t like the food
^^^ In that case, ‘ban it’ all you want (as the guru’s would say…)
Now, I’ve talked (extensively and probably bored you to sleep) about my wheat allergy
But…
Despite my Italian heritage
and the fact I was spoilt with the best pizza’s, pasta’s, and lasagna’s on earth by my Nonna growing up
^^^ this statement has not been verified by the Food and Drink Association
I rarely get cravings for wheat based foods
^^^ Probably because of the horrendous stomach pains (and farts), deflated energy, and headaches I get when I eat it
BUT…
Recently, I got a craving
Not for that layer upon layer of buttery pasta sheets
But for the inside:
The seasoned tomatoes, softened onions, juicy beef AND Nonna’s secret ingredient (which I reveal below)
And you might think that this secret ingredient is a bit weird.
Maybe it’s not what you’re used to in a lasagna
BUT…
‘don’t knock it until you’ve tried it’, Nonna, once said (she didn’t actually say that by the way)
Ingredients for lasagna / moussaka (serves 6 humans and 8 pigeons):
* 250g ricotta cheese
* 70g parmesan, mozzarella or cheddar cheese
* 1 can of chopped tomatoes
* salt, pepper, mixed herbs, garlic and chilli pepper (optional)
* 1 aubergine
* 5 eggs <<< THE secret ingredient
*450g of beef mince (I used 10% fat)
Method:
1) Slice the aubergines length ways into 8-10 pieces and cook at 200C for about 8 mins (basically to dry them out)
2) Fry off the mince with onion, herbs, garlic, salt and pepper
3) Add in the chopped tomatoes and 4 CHOPPED BOILED EGGS
4) Leave to simmer
5) Meanwhile, mix the ricotta cheese with one egg, herbs and salt
6) Layer the bottom of an oven tray with the sauce, then 4-5 aubergine slices (cover it), then 1/2 the ricotta mixture, more sauce, more aubergines, the rest of the ricotta and top with parmesan, cheddar or mozzarella cheese!
7) Cook for 40-50mins at 180C
8) I nearly forgot this bit…ENJOY!
Rough nutrition per serving:
Fat: 20g
Carbs: 5.5g
Protein: 28g
And if you want to make it go further…
Use low fat ricotta, low fat cheddar / mozzarella, take a smaller portion, or don’t eat it…
I’ll be honest, it was BETTER than my Nonna’s lasagna <<< My nose just got bigger...Pinocchio style ;-)
Ok, I lied
But it was gluten-free, filling (so I wasn’t starving 2 hours later when ‘cleaning out the treat cupboards’…), didn’t upset my stomach, and was a well-balanced nutritious meal which made me feel good!
It may not have looked the best…but looks aren’t everything 😉
But – that said – I did do it AGAIN
Using Mozzarella instead of cheddar
And – wow – move over Nonna…
Here it is:
The beauty of this is that you can make a batch up.
So you spend less time worrying about what and when to eat and more time with family, doing the things YOU want to do
^^^ which I’m big on…after all, life is for living. And if you haven’t got the energy then you can’t really do much, right?
Anyway, give it a try and let me know how you get on!
Matt ‘eat meeeeee’ Fruci