Earth-friendly food choices

Adopting Simple Lifestyles

By focusing on ingredients with minimal environmental impact, farmed/fished responsibly, and embracing a wider variety of crops to improve soil health, including different grains, produce, and nuts are ways to align your eating habits with conservation values in making conscious choices about the food you consume, considering its environmental impact. 

Below are recipes that promote the LSAP values.

Spinach & Lentil Lasagna 

Filling:

• 1 T olive olive oil 
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 6 cups spinach, chopped
• 1 cup basil or parsley, chopped
• 2 cups cooked lentils
• 1 cup Sour Cream
• 1 cup shredded vegan cheese
• ½ teaspoon sea salt

Sauce:

• 1 ½ cups milk 
• ¼ cup flour
• 1/4 cup Sour Cream
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon sea salt

Remaining Components: 

• 9 sheets gluten-free lasagna noodles (no-boil)
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella
• Basil or parsley, for garnish

Prep: Preheat oven to 350ºF. 

1. Heat oil; add minced garlic; sauté until golden brown. Add spinach & parsley; reduce heat to simmer.  Cover/cook until spinach is wilted, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. 

2. In medium bowl, add spinach mixture, cooked lentils, sour cream, shredded cheese, & salt. Mix; set aside. 

3. In saucepan, heat the milk & flour on medium heat, stirring until most clumps are  dissolved. Add sour cream, butter, nutmeg, & salt. Stir, cover and bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer and stir until sauce thickens. Remove from heat. 

4. In 9x13 dish, add ¼ cup of sauce to coat the bottom of the dish. Place 3 lasagna sheets down, spoon ⅓ cup of sauce evenly to coat, spoon ⅓ of the spinach lentil mixture to cover noodles. Repeat, creating two more layers. Then top with the mozzarella. 

5. Cover dish & bake 55-60 minutes. Remove foil, turn oven to broil for an additional 5 minutes so cheese is browned, not burned. Cool for 10 minutes. 

For vegan recipe  visit: https://www.foragerproject.com/recipes/spinach-andlentil-lasagna-recipe/ 

Making your own Yogurt 

1 tbsp plain yogurt (no additives, sugars, preservatives, or fruit) in a small bowl 

½ gal milk, 2% or whole. Skim works but makes runnier yogurt 

Heavy pan with tight lid 

Colander with handles & a bowl large enough to hold it 

Cheese cloth or a clean, thin dish cloth set aside for this purpose 

Pour milk into pan. Heat on medium for approximately 18 minutes. 

Milk should be bubbling at the edges but not boiling. You may notice a thin film on top. When it reaches this stage, turn off stove, let milk sit undisturbed for 15 -17 minutes. 

When you are able to hold a clean finger in the milk for a second or two, the milk is at the right temperature. Spoon some of the warm milk from the pan into bowl holding the yogurt. Stir together to temper the yogurt culture, 

then pour all of it back into the pan and give a gentle stir. Put the lid on the pan, in the oven, with oven light on. Leave overnight. The next day when you remove the pan from the oven, the yogurt should be firm, with a layer of milk whey on the top of it. 

Put the colander in the bowl, resting the handles on the rim. Cover the colander with the cheese cloth or clean, unused thin dish cloth. Pour the yogurt into the cloth and put the container in the refrigerator to let the whey filter out from the yogurt into the bowl. The consistency of the yogurt will be determined by the length of time you allow it to drain. Choose a length of time that is to your taste. 

Store your yogurt in a clean glass jar with a tight-fitting lid. Keep the final tablespoon of your delicious homemade yogurt to make your next batch. If at some point, you find that your culture fails and the yogurt doesn’t thicken, it is time to start over with a new culture. Use any good quality plain yogurt from the store, as long as it has no added preservatives, sugars, or fruit. 

Golden Squash Soup ( One of Sister M. Karla’s favorites )

• 3 leeks (white portion only) sliced 
• 4 medium carrots, chopped 
• 5 T butter or margarine 
• 3 lbs butternut squash, peeled & cubed 
• 6 cups chicken or vegetable broth 
• 3 medium zucchinni, peeled & sliced 
• 2 tsp salt 
• ½ tsp dried thyme 
• ¼ tsp white pepper 
• 1 cup half-and-half cream 
• ½ cup milk (can use all milk instead of cream) 

1. In soup kettle over medium heat, sauté leeks & carrots in butter for 5 min, stirring occasionally. 

2. Add squash, broth, zucchini, salt, thyme and pepper 

3. Bring to boil; reduce heat; cover & simmer until vegetables are tender (about 30 min) 

4. Cool until lukewarm. In blender, puree soup in small batches until smooth 

5. Return to kettle; add cream and/or milk
6. Mix well and heat through (do not boil)
7. Garnish with grated Parmesan cheese & chives if desired 

8. Yield 12-14 servings (3 ½ quarts)

 

Chunky Tomato Zucchini Soup 

Ingredients 

• 2 tbsp olive oil 1 large onion, chopped 
• 3 cloves garlic, minced 2 medium carrots, peeled, diced 
• 2 celery stalks, diced 4 cups zucchini, chopped 
• 4 cups fresh tomatoes (or 2 cans diced, undrained) 
• 4 cups vegetable broth 1 tsp dried oregano 
• 1 tsp dried basil ½ tsp dried thyme 
• Salt & pepper to taste 2 tbsp tomato paste 
• ¼ cup chopped parsley 

Directions: 

1. In large pot, sauté onion, garlic in olive oil, about 5 minutes
2. Add carrots, celery, cook another 5 minutes, stir occasionally
3. Stir in zucchini, cook another 5 minutes
4. Add tomatoes & veg broth; stir in oregano, basil, thyme, salt and pepper
5. Bring to boil, reduce heat, simmer 20-25 minutes or until vegetables tender
6. Stir in tomato paste, simmer another 5 minutes
7. Remove from heat, garnish with parsley (optional)

Six Servings 

 

Tallarines Verdes Peruvian Pasta 

Ingredients

• 2 cups packed spinach leaves 
• 1 cup packed basil leaves 
• 5 oz cubed white cheese (queso blanca) 
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled 
• ½ shallot, peeled (or onion) 
• ¼ cup walnuts 
• ¼ olive oil 
• ¼ cup evaporated milk (or reg milk) 
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste 
• 1 lb pasta (your choice) 

Instructions 

1. In a blender, combine all ingredients (except the pasta) 
2. Blend until smooth and creamy.
3. Taste and adjust salt as needed
4. Mix green sauce with cooked pasta.

 

 

Comprehensive Salad 

Let your imagination and taste buds guide you! Choose a variety of your favorite salad greens and make a full meal by adding:

Raw veggies:

• celery, carrots, radishes, cucumbers, peppers, onions, zucchini slices, jicama ....... 

Dried Fruits:

• raisins, cranberries, cherries, apricots ...... 

Fresh Fruits:

• grapes, citrus sections, apples, pineapple, berries ...... 

Protein:

• nuts, chick peas, cheese, sliced hard boiled eggs, black beans & corn ...... 

Top it with your favorite dressing and savor every bite!!