A Very Random Loving Lately

 Here's what I've been making, buying, watching and loving lately...

Crock Pot Baked Potatoes

We have Baked Potato Night a few times a month and sometimes we make them in the crock pot if we won't be home all day. I thought everyone knew you could make them that way but in case you didn't..it's so easy!  Just scrub the potatoes well and wrap them each in foil. You can rub them with olive oil if you like but I don't do that.  Pierce the potatoes with a fork a couple of times. Add the potatoes to the crock pot and bake on low for 8-10 hours for high 4-5 hours.  They come out very soft and creamy this way.

Liquid Vegan Mozzarella

I saw this stuff on TikTok and knew I had to try it once I found it.

I put it on some take out pizza and reheated it. It is pretty amazing! It bubbles up and browns just like dairy mozzarella.

Cauliflower Breadless Crumbs

Remember these from last month's Daily Goodie Box? I made some stuffed mushrooms with them and they are delicious! The flavoring is so good and they are super crispy!

Stress Relief Eucalyptus Tea Lotion

This is an oldie but goodie that I've been rediscovering. 

Slim Fit Joggers

 I've been loving these joggers from Amazon. They are super soft and wash and dry really well.

Raglan Heart T-shirt

I also got this Raglan Heart T-shirt from Amazon and it was perfect for Valentine's Day but I'll wear it other times of the year too.

Succession

We're kind of late to the party on this show but we are loving it. We just finished Season 1. 

What have you been loving lately?

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{Recipe} Slow Cooker "Meaty" Vegan Lasagna

A few  months ago I posted  that I had adapted  Julie's Slow Cooker Lasagna and promised  to  share the recipe.

I made it again and kept track of the ingredients this time.  It was a hit again and  definitely a keeper  for me.   It's so easy to throw the ingredients in the slow  cooker in  the morning and have lasagna for dinner. The pieces come out in  a scoop rather than a neat slice but it tastes just as good!

Ingredients:

1 small onion, diced

2  cloves garlic, minced

1 batch Healthy Homemade Marina Sauce-or 3(15 oz each) cans Italian style tomato  sauce

1 package of  beefless ground  (I used Trader Joe's brand)

1 cup cooked lentils (optional)

1  batch Cauliflower Ricotta  (I used riced cauliflower in recipe to make it even quicker)

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

11 dried lasagna noodles  (I used 1/2 of a box)

16 oz bag frozen  spinach, defrosted and squeezed of excess moisture

1-1 1/2 cups vegan mozzarella (I used Violife)

salt & pepper to  taste

To make:

• Sauté onion on medium high with some water or olive oil. Add beefless crumbles and break up with spoon.  Add cooked lentils if using.
• Add minced garlic and continue to cook until onions are translucent and beefless  ground is warmed through being careful not to brown the garlic. Season with salt & pepper.   Set aside.
• Add nutritional yeast to cauliflower ricotta mixture and stir to combine.
• Make sure spinach is squeezed out really well removing as much liquid as possible and add to ricotta mixture and stir to combine.  
• Assemble lasagna in slow cooker-Layer sauce, 3-4 noodles(break up noodles to fit), ricotta mixture, 1/4 cup mozzarella and 1/3 of "meat" mixture. Repeat layers ending with top layer of noodles and sauce.  
• Cook on low 4-6 hours.  Sprinkle remaining mozzarella on top in the last hour of cooking.

I usually turn it down to Keep Warm if we're not ready to eat yet.  Serve and enjoy when ready!

It might not  be the most beautiful lasagna but it sure is delicious!  It's even better the next day.  

I'll be taking a little blog break to enjoy some down time with my family. I hope you have a safe and peaceful holiday!  

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{Recipe} Slow Cooker Taco Soup {Vegan}

This recipe got devoured so quickly that I only have one photo of it!  

 It's super easy to throw together in the slow cooker and the soup is hearty as is, but add some avocado to the top and you'll be full for hours!  Feel free to sub in ground turkey or beef if vegan isn't your thing.

Ingredients:

1 package of beefless ground crumbles (Gardein or Trader Joe's are my faves), equivalent to one pound of ground meat

1 medium yellow onion, diced

4 cups of vegetable broth

2 14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes

1 14. 5 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed well

2 cups frozen corn

1 14 oz can tomato sauce (I used my homemade sauce)

Jalapeno slices from the jar (about 5-6), chopped

Taco seasonings of your choice: chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper

To make:

• Sauté onion in a pan with some water or oil for about 2 minutes. 
• *EDITED 2025* I no longer sauté the onions and "meat" together-I just throw it all in the slow cooker and it comes out perfectly every time!
• Add beefless ground crumbles, breaking it up and continue to cook for another 5 minutes. (If using meat, cook until the meat has browned, then drain off fat.)
• Add the onion/"beef" mixture to the slow cooker along with all of the other ingredients. Start with about 1 tsp of each spice (except the cayenne pepper, start with 1/4 tsp of that).
• Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6 hours.  Taste and adjust seasonings.
• Serve with diced avocado (my favorite way) or some shredded (vegan) cheese.  I also like to add a little Everything But The Bagel seasoning on top
• Enjoy!

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{Entertaining} Chili Cook-Off 2016

Good morning and Happy Tuesday to my lovely readers.  I'm back from a little Thanksgiving break which was so nice.   Christmas decorating seems to be in full swing over here so Halloween feels like it was ages ago but it was less than a month ago! We hosted our 2nd Annual Chili Cook Off in the neighborhood for some Halloween fun.

Mr. Click and I dressed up as Axl Rose and Slash from Guns 'n Roses.  I think we got a little too into it. :) My costume was super easy, I only had to buy a black bandana and I borrowed the jacket, plaid shirt, gloves and boots.   He needed the hat, sunglasses and a fake ciggy.  

We set up the cook-off area in our basement since it worked out so well for Miss High School's birthday bash.

We used these voting sheets again and I made some clipboards out of sturdy cardboard and binder clips.

 This year we had two vegetarian chilis and four other chilis to sample.

 Some of the toppings...corn chips and oyster crackers. We also had cheese, salsa and onions.

 Last year I decorated some wooden spoons for the prizes so I kept that tradition alive and did it again..with lots of glitter!

 They are a fun memento from the night if you win one (I didn't).

Here are our winners in order: Most Creative, Spiciest, Best Overall & Good Try.  We had more entries this year so it was even more competitive.
It was another successful cook-off and I hope we continue the tradition!

Last year's Chili Cook Off

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{Tips & Tricks} Crock Pot Brown Rice For a Crowd

I'm always looking for ways to make entertaining a bit easier.   We needed a large amount of rice for College Girl's graduation party (taco bar) and I was worried I'd end up burning it if I was making it close to party time.

It's the kind of thing that needs to be made pretty close to serving so I was hoping to find an easier way to make it.

 Enter my favorite kitchen secret weapon, the trusty crock pot!!   This recipe makes A LOT (16 servings) so if you don't need that much you might want to scale it back and adjust cooking times. Rice freezes well though so you could also batch cook it and freeze smaller servings of it.  We eat a lot of rice around here so after the party I made it again (forgot to take pics of the finished product the first time.) #hostessbrain  I keep it in the fridge and add a little water to it, then microwave for 2 minutes with some wax paper over it and it's perfect.

 Crock Pot Brown Rice

16 servings

Ingredients:

4 cups of brown rice

8 cups of water

1 tsp salt (or more to taste) *optional

Olive oil or cooking spray 

Grease crock pot with olive oil or cooking spray to keep the rice from sticking (I've used both methods).  Add brown rice, water and salt (if using) to the crock pot. Cook on high for 4 hours.  You can check and stir along the way if you like (I did).  Crock pots and cooking times may vary.  I think mine is a 6 quart.

 I was really nervous since I hadn't tested out this method before the party and after 2 1/2 hours it looked like it would never be done in time. I was going to make another pot of rice on the stove but the rice started to absorb the water after about 3 hours (phew!!) and it was perfectly cooked in 4!

You should serve immediately but of course at a party you can't always do that. I turned it to the "keep warm" setting and it did get a little dry sitting in the crock pot for a few hours but I didn't hear any complaints and it was still quite tasty!  I could have added some oil or butter to the rice but I didn't think of it at the time.

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{Recipe} Crock Pot Lentil Sloppy Joe's

I was never a big sloppy joe fan but when I saw Jessica from Barefoot By The Sea's recipe for Lentil Sloppy Joe's, they caught my attention!   I had some lentils in the pantry and needed to start using them up.  I have had mixed luck with cooking my own lentils but this sounded foolproof.  I also wanted to make them in the crock pot.

One reason I didn't like sloppy joe's as a kid was that they were too sweet for me. This recipe is more savory so if you like a sweeter sloppy joe, feel free to add more maple syrup and some catsup.

Crockpot Lentil Sloppy Joe's:

Ingredients:

1 cup dried lentils (red or green-I used some of both)

1 small onion, chopped

1 bell pepper(any color), chopped

1/2 cup-1 cup shredded carrots

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 (16 ounce) can of diced tomatoes

1/4 cup tomato paste

1 TBS Dijon mustard

1-2 TBS maple syrup

1 TBS Worcestershire sauce (vegan if making vegetarian)

1 1/2 cups vegetable broth

1 1/2 tsp paprika

1 TBS chili powder

1 tsp oregano

salt & pepper to taste

 {3/4 cup green & 1/4 cup red)

1) Start by rinsing the lentils.

 2.) Combine all the vegetables and rinsed lentils in the slow cooker.

 3.) Add vegetable broth, tomatoes, tomato paste, maple syrup and seasonings.

4.) Stir to combine all of the ingredients.

 5.) Cook on low for 7-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours.

 6.) Serve on toasted whole wheat buns or bread of your choice (lettuce wraps work too!)

We had ours with homemade sweet potato chips.   So good!

*Inspired by this recipe.

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