Another culinary experiment...veggie lasagna in a slow cooker?

So, I've officially been at my new job for over a month now! Having read my blog and hearing me discuss how much I enjoy trying out new recipes when I have time, my boss mentioned to me the other day that I could feel free to bring my cooking/baking experiments into the office anytime. Hint hint! Hehe :)  So, last Tuesday, I brought in a batch of homemade peanut butter balls (which I chose mostly b/c they are usually a hit when I bring them to parties/events and they don't take very long to make)...turned out to be a bad idea, as half of our office seems to be on a diet. Most of my coworkers were good sports and "splurged" by eating just one, but my fellow JMU alums ended up being the beneficiaries of the leftover PB balls when I brought them to our RVA Dukes chapter meeting that evening. So, note to self...avoid bringing in baked goods until everyone is finished with dieting...although I guess bringing them in after the fact would counteract the progress they already made...hmmm.

Anyway, I decided to embrace my veggie-ness and introduce them to my vegetarian cuisine. The first idea that came to mind was veggie lasagna, so I conducted an office poll to see which veggies were favorites or dealbreakers. After compiling that imperative information, I started making my grocery list, then realized I couldn't exactly bake the lasagna at the office (no oven, obviously), and baking it ahead of time then reheating it in the microwave would be totally unacceptable, as that method would detract from the quality of the finished dish. Thus, I figured I should plan to make something that I could assemble the night before and then cook in a crock pot at work so it would be ready in time for lunch. Having never tried to make lasagna in a slow cooker, I wasn't entirely sure it would work, but a quick google search convinced me that it would. Thus, here's the recipe that I concocted (as well as I remember it, at least :P)

Veggie Crock-Pot Lasagna

Ingredients:

• 1 box whole wheat lasagna noodles (uncooked)
• 1 large jar of tomato sauce (I use Prego Light Smart and doctor it up with some additional spices)
• 1 small jar light alfredo sauce (or make your own)
• 2 cups part-skim mozzarella cheese (or Italian blend), shredded
• 1/4 cup, plus 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 2 - 15 oz. containers low-fat ricotta
• 1/4 cup egg substitute
• Chopped veggies of choice (I used carrots, zucchini, yellow squash, fresh spinach, & onions based on my co-workers' likes/dislikes, but other veggies that I like to add include bell peppers, mushrooms, broccoli, & tomatoes
• Black peppercorns, parsley, oregano, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, and garlic (adjust amounts to your liking)

Directions:

1. Coat slow cooker with non-stick spray to save yourself some scrubbing later ;)
2. Chop veggies and season with your favorite spices. Set aside.
3. Cover bottom of crock-pot with tomato sauce.
4. Place a layer of dried lasagna noodles over the sauce (break noodles until they fit.
5. In a small bowl, mix together the ricotta, 1/4 cup of parmesan, egg substitute, black pepper, parsley, and garlic.
6. Spread one layer of ricotta mixture over the noodles.
   
   



7. Layer 1/3 of veggies over the ricotta layer.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
8. Cover veggies with alfredo sauce.
   
   



9. Then, sprinkle some shredded mozzarella cheese over the alfredo sauce, followed by another layer of tomato sauce.
10. Continue layering noodles, ricotta, veggies, alfredo sauce, mozzarella, and tomato sauce until the crock pot is full (or until you run out of ingredients), ending with a final layer of noodles, topped with tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese.
    





I ran out of alfredo sauce for my last layer, but no worries! This recipe is totally flexible, so I just topped the last veggie layer with mozzarella, followed by tomato sauce, noodles, ricotta, tomato sauce, and more mozzarella.

11. If prepping ahead, remove interior crock, cover, and place in the refrigerator. Remove 30 minutes prior to cooking, in order to allow the crock to return to room temperature.
12. Cook on low setting for 4-5 hours, or until noodles are soft and veggies are tender. Feel free to add extra mozzarella 30 minutes prior to serving.

Bon appetit! :)

Another fave restaurant to add to the list...Stella's!

Oh, brunch...that amazing dining option that combines two meals into one, is usually only served on weekends, and allows you to sleep-in or otherwise go about your morning and still be able to enjoy scrumptious breakfast food late into the afternoon.

Anyone who knows me very well (or who has read almost any of my blog posts), is probably well aware that brunch is my absolute fave meal, hands down! I just love going out for brunch with family and/or friends on the weekend!  Especially in the spring and summertime!  As if I didn't already have enough fave brunch places in Richmond (Selba, Can Can, Bonvenu, and Mimi's Cafe, just to name a few :), one more was added to my list this weekend! This morning, I had plans to meet one of my best friends and fellow foodies (who just so happens to write a fantastic food blog, appropriately named The Richmond Foodie), for brunch at Stella's.  She had been there for dinner, but not for brunch, and I hadn't been there at all, but I was eager to try it out after hearing rave reviews from several friends.  We met there at 10:00 am, right when the restaurant opened, and were immediately seated at a table by the front window, which provided a lovely view of Lafayette Street for our dining pleasure. As usual, I did my homework and perused Stella's Sunday brunch menu ahead of time, so I was already pretty sure that I was going to order the Tsoureki Vyssino. (No worries, I didn't even attempt to butcher the pronunciation). What is that? You may ask. Well, it's a ridiculously delicious and extravagant version of french toast....but calling it french toast doesn't even begin to do it justice. The menu description reads "Greek Easter bread french toast with almond, topped with sour cherries, toasted pistachio, & whipped Greek yogurt."  It was also served with a side of maple syrup, but the abundance of toppings basically rendered the syrup unnecessary (and this is coming from someone who tends to drown her waffles/pancakes/french toast with syrup!). Okay, if your mouth isn't watering yet, I must not be doing an effective job of describing this delectable brunch creation...and since a picture is worth a thousand words, take a look for yourself! :)

Stella's Tsoureki Vyssino

Amy ordered the Stella's Crab Benedict - jumbo lump crabmeat, Artisan rolls, asparagus, and topped with sundried tomato hollandaise. I didn't get a picture of her meal, but she said it was excellent. 

So, take it from two, mid-twenty something, Richmond foodie blogger friends - Stella's Sunday brunch is fantastic! The food is high quality, the atmosphere is charming, and the servers are friendly and attentive without being overbearing. Also, Amy and I had A LOT of catching up to do, as we hadn't seen each other since her wedding 2 weeks ago. So we ended up sitting there gabbing for nearly two and a half hours! (no worries, there were a few empty tables available or else we definitely wouldn't have taken up a table for that long). Yet, our server never once tried to rush us out or make us feel like we had overstayed our welcome. 

In short, if you haven't yet been to Stella's, you are missing out and need to make it happen ASAP! (And if you need someone to go with, give me a call and I'll be happy to accompany you! :)

Oh, and in case any fellow vegetarians out there were wondering, Stella's brunch and dinner menus are both definitely veg-friendly! Can't wait to go back for dinner!

Have a great week, y'all! :)