Work Hard and Be Kind

Happy Monday! I hope everyone had a memorable, sunny weekend. Mine wasn't actually anything to write in a diary about, but I got a ton done around my apartment which always feels good. Scratch that - it didn't feel that good since Saturday coincided with a 100-degree Portland heat wave. Having grown up in Houston, I have dealt with much worse weather: three months straight of total face-melting heat and humidity (the real punch in the face), but... we have these wonderful things called air conditioning and swimming pools. Portland for the most part does not. It just doesn't make sense 360 days of the year, but boy do I turn into a total crybaby those few sweltering summer days. I got my mom who's back in Texas to feel so sorry for me that she actually recommended I open the refrigerator door and sit in front of it. I didn't get that desperate, however, because I found some refuge in my beloved A/C blowing car (and equally beloved H&M) as I ran errands during the hottest part of the day. But despite this miserable weather, I worked my butt off and was very productive, so I've given the past two days a "good weekend" stamp of approval.

And, how awesome is that Conan O'Brien quote? The older I get, the more I believe in the value of working hard, but the call for kindness brings this quote to a whole 'nother level in my book. (I am definitely a closeted fan of that "Mean People Suck" bumper sticker that was popular back in the 90s.) I'm going to do my darndest to carry my unusual weekend ambition into the workweek, with continued projects around my apartment and serious trips to the air-conditioned gym. And while we're on the off-topic subject of healthy living, does anyone have any recommendations for nutrition / clean eating blogs? I'd like to start following a few but am starting at zero!

Anyway, I hope you found some bit of inspiration in Conan's wise words and have started your week off on the right foot. If not, it's never too late to start...

How was your weekend and what do you hope to accomplish this week?

Recipe: Healthy Livin' Lasagna!

When I was a kid, Stouffer's lasagna was one of my all-time favorite meals. That, along with popcorn shrimp, fruit roll-ups, and buttered croissants. But now that I'm an adult who's putting in effort to improve my cooking skills and be more conscious of what I put into my body, I thought I'd try to whip up a tasty but healthier version of lasagna. A meatless, dairy-free version. Yes... a vegan version. We're going there.

If you find the idea of a cheese-less and meatless lasagna to be blasphemy against Italian cooking, this probably isn't the recipe for you. (I have an Italian friend who had a mini-meltdown when I admitted to loving pineapple on pizza, so I understand. Kind of.) Otherwise, I really recommend trying it. A flavorful, filling meal that has 15+ grams of protein and 10+ grams of fiber per serving is hard to beat! And I pinky swear I wouldn't post a recipe if it just turned out "eh" - it's gotta be really good. I'm a picky eater and think you should be too.

I used two recipes (here and here) as guidelines, the first from which I got the tomato sauce recipe below. I recommend making the tomato sauce the night before, but if that whole process seems to be a bit much, the jarred stuff will work just fine. I would get 2 jars to be on the safe side.

Tomato Sauce

1 tbsp olive oil
3/4 c chopped onion
1 tbsp + 2 tsp minced garlic
2 cans (14.5 oz) stewed tomatoes
1/3 c tomato paste
2 tbsp dried Italian herbs
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper

1. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and let cook for 5 mins, until soft. Add garlic and cook 5 mins more, turning heat down to medium-low.

2. Add stewed tomatoes, tomato paste and herbs to sauce pan. Stir until heated through and cover. Turn heat to low and let simmer for 1 hr.

3. Allow tomato sauce to cool (I put mine in the fridge over night) and then blend in a blender for about 10 seconds or until the sauce has an even consistency (although the sauce should still be thick).


Lasagna

1 12.3 oz package of firm silken tofu (I like Mori-Nu)
juice of half a medium lemon
2 tsp nutritional yeast
2 tsp dried Italian herbs

1 bag fresh baby spinach, boiled and drained
1 tbsp olive oil
1 c chopped mushrooms
1 c chopped onion
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 small jar of marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 small can of black olives, drained and chopped
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
prepared tomato sauce
12 whole grain lasagna noodles, cooked (less than a box)
2 tsp nutritional yeast
fresh basil (optional)

1.  After opening the tofu, wrap in paper towels and press on all sides to absorb liquid. Rewrap in new paper towels and let sit for 10 minutes as water is absorbed by the towel. (I put something with a little weight on top of the wrapped tofu in order to squeeze out some of the water.)

2. Discard paper towel and place tofu in a small mixing bowl. Add lemon juice, nutritional yeast and herbs. Mix together with a fork, breaking apart tofu until it has a ricotta-like consistency. Cover and place in the refrigerator for at least 20 mins.

3. Preheat oven to 425 degrees

3. Squeeze as much water as possible out of the spinach and then roughly chop. Set aside.

4. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat, add onion and garlic and let cook until onions become soft. Add artichokes, olives and s&p and cook for another few minutes, turning down heat if ingredients start to stick to the pan. Remove from heat.

5. Remove tofu mixture from the fridge and mix in chopped spinach.

6. Pour a thin layer of tomato sauce into a 1.5 qt. round casserole dish so that the bottom is covered. Lay (4) noodles on top of the sauce, add a layer of tofu mixture and a layer of the artichoke mixture . Repeat twice by adding another layer of tomato sauce, noodles, tofu mixture and artichoke mixture. Top with a layer of tomato sauce and the rest of the tofu mixture. Sprinkle nutritional yeast on top.

7. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and if the lasagna still has a lot of liquid, cover and place back in the oven for another 15- 25 minutes.

8. Top with fresh basil, add salt, pepper and red chili pepper flakes to taste. Serve with a green salad and olive ciabatta rolls.

(Serves 4-5)

So.... now that it's all typed out - this recipe looks way more intense than it really is! I'm just way too good at giving instructions, that's all ;)

Enjoy and Happy Friday! The weekend is HERE.