Michelle's Vegan Mofo Recipe: Lasagna to Cry For

Ironically as I'm typing this blog post about Michelle's healthy lasagna, I'm also getting ready for Halloween.  Halloween is synonymous with junk food for kids under 12 and I've eaten my fair share of snack bars for trick or treaters who never ventured their way down to the end of our dark street.  However, I've found that a hearty, healthy meal is the best defensive move when trying not to overindulge on the sweets.

Michelle, from Healthier Steps, makes gorgeous vegan soaps but also has a very inspiring story about the importance of a clean diet in our every day lives.  For those of you who need a little kick in the butt to get started on a life of healthier eating, read Michelle's story.  Here's Michelle's step-by-step delicious recipe:)

Michelle's Lasagna to Cry For

This delicious lasagna is guaranteed not to stay in the dish very long.
Sauce:

2 26 oz bottled spaghetti sauce

½ onion diced

2 cloves of garlic minced

½ red bell pepper diced

1 zucchini diced

1 Tbs oil

Filling:

1 lb x-firm tofu drained and mashed

1 cup frozen spinach thawed

½ cup cashew

1 cup water

2 Tbs nutritional yeast flakes

½ cup vegan cream cheese

1 Tbs onion

1 tsp salt

1 clove garlic

1 lb lasagna noodle uncooked

2 cups vegan mozzarella cheese, shredded, optional (I used Daiya vegan cheese)

Dried parsley to garnish

Preheat oven 375 degrees. 

In a skillet on medium heat sauté onion, garlic, red bell pepper, and zucchini until tender. 

Stir the veggies into the spaghetti sauce

In another bowl place mashed tofu and spinach. Place water, cashew, cream cheese, onion, garlic, salt and nutritional yeast flakes in a blender or food processor and blend until creamy. Mix into tofu and spinach.

Place a thin layer of spaghetti sauce in the bottom of a casserole dish. Cover sauce with uncooked noodles about 4 leaving space for noodles to expand. Cover noodles with tofu mixture, then dribble a thin layer of sauce over the tofu mixture. Next cover with noodles, then tofu mixtures then place a layer of sauce, then a layer of noodles, then sauce. 

You may place the mozzarella cheese and sprinkle dried parsley to garnish. Bake for 45 minutes covered with foil, to make sure noodles are cooked then uncover for 10 minutes. 

When Michelle isn't busy making kick-butt lasagna, she is homeschooling (go Michelle, I used to homeschool too!) her two children and creating soap that looks good enough to eat. 

Rose Garden Olive Oil Shea Butter from Healthier Steps

Country Oats Soap - Olive Oil and Shea Butter Unscented Natural and Handmade Vegan by Healthier Steps

EtsyVeg Spooktacular Event! October 24th-31st

Halloween Spooktacular Event Oct 26-Nov 2nd etsyveg event 

The Etsyveg team is offering up some great giveaways in celebration of Halloween! Some great items have been donated by these artists: Palafoxstudio 23 ,  Aktie9 ,  JF Illustrations and Blackbird and Peacock paper things (me & Joe).

Check out these shops for awesome promotions: Silent Lotus , MagglePie , Au Clair de la Lune , Lalu Jewelry , Gardenias Garb , and more!

More details available at the EtsyVeg blog- this link will take you there- etsyveg blog

DIY Gifting: Part 2, Making Soap with Dorothy Wisnewski

There's something tiresome about shopping for presents.  Not because I don't like to give, but basically because a) I hate shopping and b) it's hard to find meaningful gifts at the mall.  Since I've been making cookies every year for family, I have been hooked on the idea that giving presents doesn't have to be a consumerist act.  When you receive something handmade it is precious, there is only one of its' kind.  The birthday card my son made for me is a piece of him- his imagination, talents, and time.  

Since I have this DIY mentality when it comes to holidays and gifts, I was curious to learn what other people craft as gifts.  Knowing that my friend, Dorothy Wisnewski, is a craftsy lady I asked her to add to this thread.  Dorothy is a woman of many talents- she knits, bakes bread, speaks Spanish fluently, and is a full-time mom.  Lately she's been making soap.  Really cool soap- especially the soda bottle molded soaps!  Here's what Dorothy had to say about her adventures in soap making:  

I have been using pre-made blocks of natural vegan soap that I've been getting from a gardening company, and experimenting with different ingredients (mostly what I already have in my kitchen) to add to small batches. I cut off a chunk, melt it in a bowl in the microwave, wait until it's cool enough, add stuff, then pour into molds. Not exactly in the artisan soapmaking tradition of doing it all precisely and from scratch, but I've been having fun with it-- and avoiding the preservatives in other soaps that had been starting to really bother my skin. 

Cocoa and cinnamon seemed like a winning combo, given that I've had them in so many coffee drinks. I like that lots of potential add-ins (e.g. cocoa powder, coffee, etc.) smell fantastic and also are nice exfoliants, or good for your skin in some other way. As for the shape, I was rinsing out bottles to recycle one day when I looked at the bottom of a soda bottle, noticed the wild rose shape, and realized I could cut off the bottom and use it as a mold. And my latest "Frankenstein's soap monster" was born. Actually, I had the thought that it would be fun to make gross soaps for Halloween, like anatomically correct brains, hearts, etc.... but don't have that kind of mold. I may have to learn to make them myself, too!

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