The past year has been a tough one for all of us, to say the least. All the ups and downs of restrictions kept us at home, isolated, and physically away from many of our friends. In the past couple of months, however, Irene and I got to meet up in person to prepare and enjoy a meal together.
To keep it simple: we chatted about some of our favourite foods, searched online for a recipe we both liked and agreed to try something new: a vegetarian style lasagna (original recipe here). If you haven’t already heard a dietitian or nutritionist shout this, here’s your PSA: vegetables are an important part of a healthy eating pattern! Including a variety of veggies (and fruits) have important nutrients that our bodies need to stay healthy and lower the risk of disease (e.g. heart disease and stroke).
This lasagna recipe is packed with some superstar veggies. Acorn squash is brightly orange (on the inside) and contains vitamin C (important for your immune system and your body’s healing process), potassium (helps to regulate body fluids) and folate (key for healthy cell growth and function). Spinach (frozen by the way) is a dark leafy green that is a good source of nutrients (e.g. Vitamin A, folate, iron, magnesium) and antioxidants. Previous iterations of our national food guide always recommended to eat at least 1 orange and 1 dark green veggie a day.. for good reason!
What we learned: cooking with someone rather than cooking alone is always so much more fun! Aside from sharing the workload of food prep, we share stories, laughs, and our own opinions of what we think is best for the final recipe.
What we liked: we enjoyed all the cheesy goodness from the ricotta, feta and cheddar cheese on top - this is similar to the typical red sauce & meat lasagna that we’re used to. We also liked sharing the experience of never cooking with acorn squash! We’ve had other types of squash like butternut, spaghetti or buttercup squash, but have never really eaten or cooked with this type before.
What we would change for next time: We found that the finished product was a tad bitter. We packed this one with a ton of spinach – two full packages of frozen spinach. We also took a lot of time draining out the water. When we make this again, we may spend less time draining out so much liquid so it’s not as dry and may even lessen the amount of spinach so its taste is not so overpowering.
Thank you so much for reading to the end! We are so grateful and excited to share more cook along videos with you all.
Love,
Your Peaches