Paleo Challenge Recipe: Lasagna!

This challenge came in from Facebook, and to be honest, while tasty this is a pretty labor intensive dish (there's a LOT going on), but each step builds your dish, so invest the time.  It's pretty impressive and amazingly delicious when it's done!

Step 1 - Make the bechamel/white sauce:

2 1/2 tbs butter

1 tbs coconut flour

2 cups unsweetened coconut milk

1 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp fresh grated nutmeg

Heat butter until melted, stir in flour and whisk about 5 minutes until it's a golden yellow (This is called a roux).  Heat coconut milk in a separate pot, but do not boil.  Whisk heated milk into flour mixture slowly until incorporated.  Boil for 10 minutes, remove from heat.

Step 2 - Prep the zucchini (these are your 'noodles'):

5 large zucchini

With a mandolin, slice each zucchini length wise into thin strips.  Heat a large bot of boiling water, and fill another large bowl with ice and water.  Blanch zucchini in small batches - you never want the water to stop boiling - for 1 minute.  Transfer to ice bath to stop cooking, then to a colander to drain.  You may also need to try them with a paper towel before assembly. 

Step 3 - Sweet Potatoes (aka, the cheese):

2 large sweet potatoes

1/2 c bechamel 

2 tsp sea salt

2 tsp crushed red pepper

Peel and cube sweet potatoes and boil until soft.  Place in a food processor with bechamel and pulse until smooth.  Stir in salt and crushed red pepper.

Step 4 - The Meat Mixture

1 lb grass fed ground beef

1 large yellow onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp olive oil

2 tsp oregano

1 tsp salt

2 tsp black pepper

1 tbs tomato paste

Place diced onion and garlic in a large saute pan with olive oil and saute until soft.  Add beef and brown.  Add remaining ingredients and stir until beef is cooked.

Step 5  - Assembling this Beast

Spray a large baking dish with olive/canola oil spray.  Spread a single layer of your zucchini, then 1/2 of the meat mixture with a couple tbs of the bechamel.  Add another single layer of zucchini and the sweet potato mixture, then top that with 14 oz of your favorite (good quality) marina.   Getting the hang of it?  Add another single layer zucchini, the other 1/2 of the meat mixture, another zucchini layer, then another 14 oz of marinara.  Put that bad boy in the oven at 400 for about 14 minutes.  Everything is cooked so you just neat to heat it up and let everything mesh.  Add about 4 tbs fresh julienned basil on top before serving.