Easy Crock Pot Lasagna

Easy Crockpot Lasagna

Serves 6-8

14 oz extra firm tofu

3 Tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

Fresh ground black pepper

3 cloves garlic, peeled

2 Cups Daiya mozzarella cheese

12 oz Yves veggie ground

1/2 onion, diced 

6 oz can black olives, sliced

32 oz pasta sauce

 9 oz pkg no boil lasagna noodles

Several handfuls spinach

In a food processor, combine tofu, lemon juice, Italian seasoning, black pepper, and garlic until mostly smooth.  Transfer mixture to a bowl and mix in cheese.  In separate bowl, combine veggie ground, onion, and black olives. 

In a crock pot, layer:

1/4 sauce

1/3 of the noodles

1/2 cheese mixture

handful of spinach

1/2 veggie ground mixture

1/4 sauce

1/3 noodles

1/2 cheese mixture

handful of spinach

1/2 veggie ground mixture

1/4 of the sauce

1/3 of the noodles

1/4 of the sauce

Cook on high 4 hours or low 6-8 hours.

Note:  You may want to spray your crock pot with non-stick cooking spray or use a liner.

Jicama Sticks

Jicama is a sweet, crisp root, classified as a legume.  It grows in South America, and is sometimes referred to as a Mexican yam.  It can be eaten raw or cooked.  Jicama is rich in Vitamin C, high in fiber, low in calories, and fat-free. 

Raw Jicama Snack Sticks

1 Large jicama, cut like fries
1/2 Tbl. chilli powder
1/4 tsp cayenne
1 tsp Dried cilantro
1/4 tsp salt

Put all ingredients in a large baggie and toss to coat.  Eat them raw for a quick on-the-go snack!

 

Smiling Moose Deli

The Smiling Moose Deli just opened up in town this week.  And, boy, am I glad it did!  Now, I can add it to the list of restaurants I like to eat at in this town (by the way, that makes 3).  They have Vegan/vegetarian options.  Tonight Alanna and I tried the Veggie Mo, with red pepper hummus instead of mayo and no cheese.  It was very good.  I look forward to trying some more of their Vegan options!

This was my Veggie Mo sandwich...yummy!

Here is their website if you want to check it out:  www.smilingmoosedeli.com

Spinach and Mushroom Calzone

Spinach and Mushroom Calzone

makes 2 large calzones

2 pizza crusts made from a doubled batch of this recipe

Pizza sauce

16 oz mushrooms, sliced

1/2 onion, diced

1-2 Tablespoons water

Black pepper to taste

Crushed red pepper flakes to taste

6 oz can black olives, sliced

Fresh spinach leaves

Daiya cheese

Spread desired amount of pizza sauce on 1/2 of each crust.  Saute mushrooms, onion, and black pepper in water until desired tenderness is reached.  Sprinkle red pepper flakes on pizza sauce.  Then place spinach leaves, mushrooms and onions, and black olives on crust.  Sprinkle with some Daiya cheese and top with a little more pizza sauce.  Fold crust over filling and pinch edges together.  Cut 3 or 4 slits on top of calzone and bake at 425 degrees for 12 minutes. 

Spinach and Rice Casserole

Spinach and Rice Casserole

Serves 6

1/2 Onion, chopped

4 Cloves garlic, minced

4 Tablespoons water

3 Tablespoons flour

2 Cups unsweetened original almond milk

1 Cup reduced sodium vegetable broth

2 Tablespoons cornstarch

1 Tablespoon cold water

3 Sprigs of dillweed, minced

1 teaspoon reduced sodium tamari

1 teaspoon yellow curry powder

Black pepper to taste

1/2 teaspoon celery seed

5 Cups rice, cooked

5 Cups fresh spinach

In a large pan, saute onion and garlic in 4 tablespoons water until tender, then sprinkle with flour and stir to make a paste.  Add milk and broth.  Mix cornstarch with 1 tablespoon cold water and add to pan and stir until it thickens.  Add dillweed, tamari, curry powder, black pepper, and celery seed and stir to combine.  Last add in rice and spinach.  At this point, you can continue to heat through and serve.  Or, mixture can be transferred to an oven safe dish and baked at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until desired temperature is reached.

Notes:  Adjust seasonings as needed.  More milk may need to be added if mixture is too thick.  You want it more creamy than dry, especially if you will be baking it in the oven.

Chilli Pasta Skillet Dinner

Chilli Pasta Skillet Dinner

serves 6-8

16 oz pasta, cooked

1/2 onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

14.5 oz can no salt added diced tomatoes

2 cups frozen corn

2 15 oz cans of beans, drained and rinsed (black, pinto, kidney, or a combo)

2 6 oz cans of olives, sliced

1/2 cup salsa (mild, medium, hot)

1/4 cup V8 juice (or other liquid)

3 Tablespoons chilli powder, or to taste

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste

1 teaspoon Hungarian paprika, or to taste

2 Tablespoons Cholula sauce, or to taste

1 1/2 cups Daiya pepper jack cheese shreds

In a large pan, mix together all ingredients and heat to desired temperature.  May add a little more liquid if needed.

Animal Dissection: Yay or Nay? ***Updated***

picture from www.sheep101.info

I say Nay, for sure!  My 11 year old daughter came home from school today and told me that they had to dissect sheeps' eyes in her 6th grade science class.  She was upset and sad all at the same time.  I do not understand how the school requires a parent to sign a permission slip to allow your son/daughter to take the puberty class and certain surveys at school, but neglects to request permission for dissecting an innocent animal's eyeball. 

It saddens me, that with today's technology, schools still choose to make children participate in this barbaric act.  I understand that when you are in medical school, or something along those lines, the time will come when you need to perform dissection.  However, that dissection can take place on a human cadaver (unless you are in vet school, in which case, dissecting an animal would be acceptable).  I should clarify:  this would be acceptable given that the human/animal died a natural death, in other words, was not murdered for the pure intent to dissect.

Unfortunately, my daughter did not speak up and say anything because she was worried about the consequences of doing so.  Therefore, I took this opportunity to talk with her and encourage her to stand up for her beliefs and told her that she is not any less entitled to her beliefs than anyone else, even if they are different from everyone else around her.  I told her, instead of getting upset and frustrated, that we need to use this as a teachable moment to help those around us understand that there is a way to live more compassionately. 

I see some activism in our future:  no more dissection!

It is time we start teaching our children and the people around us to live compassionately and love deeply for the sake of ourselves, our planet, and the animals.

***UPDATE***

So I feel as though some clarifications need to be made after all the comments I have received regarding this post.  First, let me just reiterate that I do not fundamentally disagree with all dissections, just dissections of murdered innocent, docile animals.  When I was in school I had to participate in dissection.  Dissection of frogs and other animals raised for this sole purpose is what bothers me.  Dissecting a cat, calf, or some other animal brought in by a rancher due to a natural death (not meaning it was necessarily old, but meaning that it had not been killed for the sole purpose of being dissected) does not bother me. 

In no way am I saying that I don't want kids to learn.  I am simply suggesting that there are other ways to learn. 

Also, of course I contacted my daughter's teacher right away, before I even typed this post last night.  We have an agreement now that if she is not comfortable with dissections, she does not need to participate, so no more dissection for her.  And, yes, if she would have known about this dissection prior to yesterday, this entire situation would have been avoided. 

To those of you so quick to make rash comments to me, remember this:  you do not even know me.  If you did, as I believe my friends and family would attest to, I would never force any of my beliefs on anyone.  I am simply trying to raise awareness and educate others about another lifestyle.  You can take it or leave it.  I accept and respect that there are many perspectives and opinions about EVERYTHING.  So the last thing I would ever do is intentionally offend someone.  It is not in my nature to be rude, aggressive, or insulting, and in turn I expect the same from others.

To those of you who love, respect, and support me, even if you don't agree with me on everything, thank you!

I would like to leave you with this quote from Mahatma Gandhi, "To my mind, the life of a lamb is  no less precious than the life of a human being.  I should be unwilling to take the life of a lamb for the sake of the human body.  I hold that, the more helpless the creature, the more entitled it is to protection by man from the cruelty of man."  I realize that this is not a view held by everyone, but it is fitting for me.