Sunday, August 31, 2008

Black Bean Lasagna



Who doesn't drool at the thought, sight, smell or taste of lasagna?:)

My Black Bean Lasagna:

  • 2--16 oz cans black beans, rinsed, drained and slightly mashed (I do the dry bean method)
  • 1 cup of salsa
  • 2 cups of meatless spaghetti sauce
  • 1 tsp garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 15 oz container of ricotta
  • 1/3 cup parmesan or romano cheese
  • 1 egg white
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 6 oven ready lasagna noodles (or use cheese ravioli)
  • 1 cup monterey jack cheese, shredded
  • 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine beans, salsa, sauce, garlic and cumin.
In another bowl, stir together ricotta, parmesan, egg white and milk.

Assemble lasagna in a 9x13 glass dish.
Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for 15 minutes. Broil for another minute at the end to make it look pretty:)






My mama's tangy, thick, yet sweet and savory Italian Sauce! (sorry, I don't have permission to publish this, but, I'm guessing she won't have me arrested:) It took her years to perfect the perfect blend of seasonings and flavors, and HOLY COW is this good!


Mama's Italian Red Sauce
  • 4--3 oz cans of tomato paste
  • 2--15 oz cans tomato sauce
  • one small onion chopped
  • season to taste:
    • fresh basil
    • roasted garlic
    • 1/4 cup brown sugar
    • cracked black pepper
    • oregano or Italian seasoning
    • pinch of salt
  • 4 cups of water in slow cooker
  • 5 cups of water on stovetop








Saturday, August 30, 2008

Mama Mia---Breakfast Pizza!

Our nephew is coming to stay overnight on his way out to Seattle. I made this in advance, so we can wake and throw this in the oven for him tomorrow, (along with some of those super yummy muffins in my freezer) so he can get an early start. This is simple and yummy--a great dish when you have overnight guests (and we also like to have it for dinner, from time to time, since I can throw it together pretty quickly:)

  • 1 can of crescent rolls (we like the garlic ones for dinner)
  • 6 eggs beaten
  • 1 pound of bacon cooked and crumbled (we use Morningstar Vegetarian brand)
  • diced up veggies of choice (e.g. bell peppers, seeded tomatoes, olives, onions, zucchini...)
  • 1 cup of shredded cheddar (or cheese of choice, we like Fontina!)
spread crescent rolls on 12 " pizza pan (we use a 9x13 baking dish). Combine eggs, cheese, veggies, etc. Pour over crust.
Bake 375 degrees for 12-15 minutes

reference, from http://www.cdkitchen.com/

Friday, August 29, 2008

Reflections of Sweet Summer Days



Reflections of Sweet Summer Days:

Says Little Angel to Fairy Fae,

We shall gather our friends

For a picnic today!

Come Butterflies, and Flowers,

And Teddy Bears and Dogs,

Birdies, and Busy Bees, and

Dragon Flies, and Frogs.

Well bring along a basket

To carry our treats,

And lay out a pretty blanket,

To delight in friendship

and sweets!!



Thursday, August 28, 2008

Fruits of Fall


Who doesn't LOVE the taste of tomatoes, fresh out of the garden!! This sauce is an incredible one, savoring the flavors with a hint of garlic, fresh basil, and parmesan (no cook sauce, won't heat up your kitchen!--can be used on many foods, not just pasta---use your imagination)! (Giada's recipe):

Checca Sauce:
  • 12 oz of cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 3 scallions, coarsely chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 1 oz. piece of Parmesan cheese, coarsely chopped
  • 8 fresh basil leaves
  • 3 T. olive oil
  • 4 oz fresh mozzarella, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper.
In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the cherry tomatoes, scallions, garlic, Parmesan, basil and oil, just until the tomatoes are coarsely chopped (do not puree'). Transfer the sauce to a large bowl. Stir in the mozzarella and 1/2 tsp each of salt and pepper. Season the sauce with more salt and pepper to taste. Toss the sauce immediately with your choice of freshly cooked pasta.

Note: top on pasta, option add in roasted vegetables, such as carrots, zucchini, squash, pepper and onion. I will post a wonderful meatless "meat" loaf recipe, next time I make it, that you top with this.

Wake Up and Smell the Black Eyed Susans!


Fairy Fae and Angel Play, make for a glorious day!

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

super yummy muffins!


These are a hit! A family friend gave us this recipe, and I made these last night. The beauty of these (besides being tasty) is they are relatively healthy, make a lot of muffins--and you have the option to keep the batter in your fridge for up to six weeks to have freshly baked muffins on demand! I opted to make them all (about 4-5 dozen) and put them in the freezer--I'll just warm them up in the microwave or better yet the toaster oven as needed. Enjoy, we are:)

p.s. I'm using organic ingredients to make these very healthy.
p.p.s. you need a VERY LARGE bowl to mix the batter!!!
p.p.p.s. (btw, this is proper English, it means, post post post script--your homeschooling lesson for the day:)--a healthier option that I may try next time would be to replace half the butter with apple sauce or possibly yogurt--watch the baking time then, as it would dry it a bit more.

Bran Muffins

Cream: 1 cup butter
3 cups sugar (unrefined organic sugar)
4 eggs

Add: 1 box 17 oz Raisin Bran Cereal (I found an organic version, and I crushed the cereal)
--5 cups of flour (whole wheat pastry flour)
--5 tsp baking soda
--4 tsp salt
--4 tsp cinnamon
--1 qt of buttermilk
--1 medium can of fruit cocktail in juice

Let sit for 24 hours
Bake 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes

This is my first time...





As of two months ago, I did not know what a blog was. Then I saw my niece's and I was hooked:) My goals for having a blog site are as follows:

1. to document our new path into homeschooling. Our family is very excited to be starting this journey!

2. to share some of my wonderful vegetarian recipes!

3. to create a space to reflect the sacred beauty of our lives!