Welcome back Yummy Yogini readers! I had a wonderful getaway to Big Sur last week and I’m back reenergized and rejuvenated. While we were camping it rained, which was magical, and so nice to lay in the tent with the Big Sur River and the rain as our background music. Andy fed us like champs as usual, serving us lobster, a rack of lamb… you know, normal food that people normally eat while camping! HA! This is why I call it G-lamping! With our Christmas tree lights strung throughout the Redwoods, we had lovely “candlelight” dinners by the fire and two fur babies to keep us warm at night. We are a family that loves to snuggle!
While we were camping I read The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlow, as part of the reading challenge I’m currently in with my friend Katie. This fell under the category “a book written the year you were born” which for me was 1980 and I am so glad because I don’t know if I would have picked up this HUGE novel if it hadn’t been for the challenge. I’m not a big movie person but I absolutely want to see the movie now and not just because my love Matt Damon stars as Jason Bourne!
And this past week I finished Whistling Past the Graveyard by Susan Crandall, an excellent novel about race relations and relationships in the 1940s. She is a wonderful storyteller and although parts of the book seem farfetched, it only makes the ending of the book that more interesting. I think every kid can relate to this story because at it’s heart, the book is about a stubborn girl who runs away while grounded in her house on the Fourth of July. The twists and turns of her path home are unbelievable, horrible and mind-blowing all at once!
Okay, let’s get to food… it’s due time. The weather here feels like fall so I’m embracing it with recipes in my crockpot. I heart my crockpot! What’s not to love about cooking dinner while you’re not even in your house?! It’s multitasking at it’s finest if you ask me. Yesterday while I was off teaching yoga, I made this delicious Lasagna dish… in my crockpot. Believe it. The smells wafting from my kitchen when I returned home put a huge smile on my face. And this stuff is husband-approved, Andy was raving about it all night. Wife done good!
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Crockpot Veggie Lasagna- serves 2-4 people
Ingredients:
-8 lasagna noodles, cooked
-4 cups red sauce (I used a garlic blend from Trader Joe’s)
-3 cups cheese (I used a parmigiana and mozzarella blend)
-4 cups spinach
-1 bell pepper, chopped
-1 red onion, chopped
-2 cups mushroom, chopped
-6 cloves of garlic
-basil
-thyme (from my garden!)
-red chilli flakes
Directions:
1. First, boil the lasagna noodles just until they are soft. Try not to fully cook them since the slow-cooker will do the rest.
2. Chop up all your veggies and get your crock pot out!
3. Begin to layer all the ingredients in, one by one. Start with a thin layer of red sauce, then add the pasta. I had to cut my noodles in half in order to fit them in.
4. Next add your cheese, spinach, garlic, veggies and spices.
5. Repeat until your crockpot is filled to the brim.
6. Cook on high for 2 hours unless you need to be somewhere then cook on low for 4 hours.
7. You’ll notice the crockpot won’t look as full after an hour or so of cooking so I added more veggies and red sauce to the top!
8. Slice and enjoy! Mangia!
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I’ll be back before Thanksgiving with my favorite side dishes… all VEGAN! Even if you’re planning on eating turkey, or you’re not Vegan, you’ll appreciate these recipes for not making you as full and bloated this holiday. Why add heavy creams, butters and fillers to your side dishes when you can have pie instead?!
