Homemade Granola Bars

Ingredients:
2 cups raw oats
2 cups puffed rice
1/2 cup flax seed meal
1/2 cup wheat germ
2 cups of "add ins"*
(dried fruit; carob chips; pretzels; nuts; seeds; etc)
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup raw honey

Directions:
Put a thin coating of coconut oil in a 9x12 baking dish or pan of your choice.  Cut a 9x12 piece of parchment paper to press the mixture in the pan.

Place raw honey and coconut oil in a pan on the stove.  Heat on low until the two are melted together.  Stir well. Do not boil. Turn the stove off and let mixture sit while you are combining your other ingredients.

Place all the dry ingredients above in a large mixing bowl. Stir well.  Pour the honey/coconut oil mixture over the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly until the ingredients are coated with the liquid.


Then spoon the mixture into the 9x12 pan and press it down with the parchment paper.  You can even use a rolling pan to press more evenly.  Place the pan in the refrigerator to allow it to chill.  Then cut and serve!  Store in the refrigerator.



Take time to EXPERIMENT with ingredients you have or prefer.  Replace the puffed rice with more oats or with barley oats.  You can even add a few tablespoons of cocoa or carob powder for a chocolate taste.  The more granola bars you make, the better you will become at developing the taste and consistency that is your preference!

Spinach Salad

Salad
Ingredients:
4 cups raw spinach
1/2 cup shredded purple cabbage
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
2 hearts of palm - sliced
2 T feta
6 grape tomatoes - chopped
4 baby portobello mushrooms

Wash and dry spinach. Place all ingredients in a mixing bowl. Pour dressing on top, toss, and serve!  This made 2 servings.

Dressing:
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 T balsamic vinegar
2 cloves of garlic - minced
Dash of celtic sea salt

After a morning of juicing, my friend, Katie Anderson, and I fixed this salad for lunch. It was light but filling. It was great as a meal but could also make a side dish.

Pear Pie

Last summer, our neighbor gave us pears from their farm. I canned them to use throughout the year. Tonight, Clayton made a pie with them.

Crust:
4 cups soft white wheat four- freshly ground
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup coconut oil
10-14 T cold water
(I used a deep dish pie pan that was my grandmother's.)


Filling:
4 cups of canned pears from last summer!
2 T arrowroot flour (or regular flour)

Grind soft white wheat berries into flour.  Place 4 cups of flour in the food processor with the salt.  Add the coconut oil (it will be solidified, so it will be thick and white in color).  Pulse the food processor until the coconut oil is combined.  Then add the water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and pulse the food processor.  Add water until the flour mixture begins to turn into a ball.  You want your dough to stick together but not be too wet.  If it gets too wet, just add a little more flour.  When it is the right consistency, remove it from the processor and divide it into 2 balls.  One will be for the crust and the other for the top.


Put flour on the surface you are going to roll the dough out onto.  Place the ball in the center and put flour on top of it.  Roll out the dough into a circle.  It will be about 1/4 inch thick.  Then place the piece of dough into a pie pan and smooth the bottom.  Tuck the edges of the crust under and pinch them all around the edge of the pan.

Now it is time to put your pears into the pie pan.  Before I did this, I poured them from my canning jar into a bowl and added 2 T arrowroot flour to the juice, so it would thicken as the pie cooked.  Otherwise the pie would have lots of liquid in it after it cooked.  You could also just add some of your freshly ground flour.





Then you can use your other ball of dough and roll it out as well.  I usually roll mine thicker than my crust.  Cut the dough into strips and arrange them on the pie in a basketweave formation.

 

Hot Lemon Tea

Ingredients
8 oz hot water
1/2 fresh squeezed lemon
1 T raw honey

Combine ingredients in your favorite mug. Enjoy!

Benefits of Lemon Juice
Powerful antibacterial
Can help relieve digestion problems
Acts as a blood purifier
Helps relieve constipation
Decreases the amount of phlegm produced by the body
The potassium in it helps control high blood pressure
Helps flush bacteria and toxins out of the body
Just to name a few.........

Thank you to Molly Mogridge for bringing me the ingredients and
for sharing your amazing raw honey.  What a kind gift!

Whole Grain Biscuits

This morning we had biscuits with Jim Mogridge's Mom's homemade blackberry jelly. YUM!

Ingredients:
5 cups freshly ground hard red wheat
2 T baking powder
1 t. salt
2 cups almond milk
1/2 cup canola oil
3 t. Xanthan Gum

Mix dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Combine almond milk and oil in an enclosed container and shake. Pour liquid mixture into the dry ingredients. Stir just until combined. Fold onto a floured surface and roll to a 1/2 inch thickness. Cut with a round glass or cookie cutter.

Place biscuits (touching each other) on a greased pan or on a pan lined with baking paper. Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes. Makes about 2 dozen 2 1/2 inch biscuits.

*Xanthan gum is made from the outer layer of a tiny inactive bacterium called xanthomonas campestris. It is a great all purpose thickener. It holds small particles of food together. It is an ideal substitute for gluten.

Whole grain flour has a much lower content of gluten. It actually contains all the nutrient rich parts of the grain whereas white flour is basically the gluten left after the "good stuff" is sifted out.

PS- White flour (and white sugar) depresses the immune system.  It actually sends out a trigger that your body has something in it that needs to be fought.  I cannot stress enough to make the things you eat with white flour an occasional treat (and one your REALLY enjoy) and not a daily or weekly occurrence.  70% of your immune system is locate in your "gut", so you want the things you eat to promote life and health in your body and not trigger your immune system to fight.  When this happens your body has less energy to fight the real invaders that come.

Arugula & Baby Portobella Salad

Arugula is a leafy green herb from the mustard family. It can have a somewhat peppery, hot taste to it. It makes a unique addition to a salad.

Salad Ingredients:
Arugula
Spinach
Avocado
Baby Portobello Mushrooms
Red Onion
Bragg Nutritional Yeast
Kelp Sprinkle

Chop lettuce and vegetables as you like them. Add nutritional yeast, kelp, and dressing on the top. Toss and serve!

Balsamic Vinegar Dressing

Ingredients:
1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar
3/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 T fresh minced garlic
1/2 t. Celtic Sea Salt
1/2 t. Ground Pepper

Combine all ingredients in a jar and shake well. Refrigerate.

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookies

Ingredients:
2 cups freshly ground soft white wheat grain
1 cup oats
1/2 cup wheat germ or flax seed meal
1 cup turbinado
1 1/2 sticks butter softened
1/3 cup peanut butter (or almond butter)
2 eggs
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds or other seed or nut of your choice
1/2 cup chocolate or carob chips

In a mixer, blend the butter and sugar. Add eggs and peanut butter and beat well. Add all the other ingredients and mix just slightly until everything is moist.

Spoon onto a well-greased pan or onto a pan lined with baking paper.

Bake at 325 degrees for 12 minutes.

Basic Muffin Recipe

Ingredients:
2 cups almond milk
2 1/2 cups freshly ground soft white wheat grain
1/2 cup flax seed meal
1/2 cup oatmeal
1 tsp. baking soda
3 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/4 cup sucanat
2-3 mashed ripe bananas
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Place all dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl and stir well. Add the milk, nuts, and bananas. Stir just until moistened.

**You can add dried fruit, fresh blueberries, or even carob chips! We have served them with homemade chocolate icing as dessert. Get creative and come up with your own combination!

Pour into a muffin tin that has been well greased with oil. I use safflower which is a high heat oil. Makes about 18 muffins.

Bake at 350 for 15-18 minutes.

This recipe has no oil, eggs, or dairy. I keep boxed almond milk in the cabinet to always have on hand. This recipe works great for days when we are low on refrigerated items. You can freeze your bananas that are turning brown, and you will always have them on hand. Just put them in the fridge to thaw over night. These muffins freeze well.

Thanks Anna Kathryn for asking for this recipe!

Whole Grain Dough Recipe

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups hot water
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup honey or sucanat
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. gluten (optional)
1 T lecithin
4 - 4 1/2 cups freshly milled flour
1 T yeast

In a mixer with a dough hook, combine water, oil, honey/sucanat, and salt. Add yeast and 4 cups of flour. Mix until smooth. Add flour 1/4 cup at a time until dough is only slightly sticky. Allow mixer to knead the dough until smooth and elastic- about 5-6 minutes.

This will make 2 one pound loaves. Roll dough out on a slightly floured surface and roll up into a loaf and place in a greased loaf pan. Allow dough to rise until double in size.

Bake at 350 degrees for 22-25 minutes. Remove from the oven. Allow to cool for 10 minutes in the pan. Place loaf on a cooling rack to cool completely. Or you can eat it hot with fresh butter and honey!

This recipe is easily doubled or tripled, and the bread freezes well!

Live Active Nutrition Instead of Coffee

Try starting your morning with live active nutrition. This morning we made Carrot Spinach Apple Juice in the juicer. It will give your body energy and feeds your cells living nutrition to get you started right! It helps to turn your body alkaline.

We think coffee gives us the boost we need to get our body and mind going but actually it has a negative affect on the body. It turns the body acidic which produces an environment that disease thrives in. It also acts as a diuretic contributing to dehydrating your body. It can contain caffeine which is NOT a nutrient. It is a stimulant which actually triggers your body's stress response.

Your body adapts to the stress by stealing nutrients and energy from a system that does not have to have it for immediate survival. Essentially you are robbing one system to pay another which is not a longterm strategy to keep your body healthy.

For true sustainable energy you want to give your body excellent nutrition on a daily basis. This will decrease your need for outside stimulants to give you a boost.

Apple Beet Morning Treat!

Apple Beet Juice

Ingredients:
4 Gala Apples (large)
2 Beets

We have a Hurom Juicer and enjoy making fresh juice in the mornings.  It is a great way to get power packed nutrition to start your day.  It is nutritious as well as cleansing for your body.  Apples and beets are filled with antioxidants which prevent disease and feed your cells live active nutrition.

This made enough for our family of 5 to have 4 ounces each!  Yes, it does taste different from store bought.  But there is NO COMPARISON.  Store bought juice is mostly sugar, often with additives and dye, and contains limited fiber and no living nutrition - not to mention you have no idea from where that juice originated!! We do not buy juice in our home. Period.  This is the option for our kids.  It did take a little while for them to adjust to fresh juices, but after they adapted, they love it and ask for it!

Our kids are allowed to take different days to choose their own fruit and vegetable combination.  When they are involved in the process, they take ownership and begin to enjoy it.  As we make the juice, we talk about what is actually in the fruits and vegetables and what it is doing in their bodies when they drink it.  Kids minds are sharp enough to realize the benefits.  When given the good options to choose and the proper education, they begin to make these excellent choices on their own!

Is it always easy to get them to adapt to the healthier option?  NO!  Do we have some difficult conversations?  YES!  But I NEVER regret the investment and time it takes them to learn to enjoy the healthier option.

Carob Banana Walnut Smoothie

Ingredients:
2 cups almond milk
4 T carob powder
3 frozen bananas
1 cup ice cubes
1/4 cup agave nectar
1/4 cup flax seed meal

Topping:
Carob Chips
Bananas
Walnuts

Place all ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth and creamy. I had a cup of pulp left from juicing that morning that I added as well. It contained apple, spinach, and carrot. Top with carob chips, bananas, and walnuts.  This made enough for 6 servings that were about 6 ounces each for our family.  You can adjust the recipe for the serving size you need!  You can also add more almond milk if you like a thinner smoothie.

If Food Products Were Honestly Labeled

I ran across this cartoon from Natural News.  I have learned so much from reading food labels, mainly that I need to stay away from many products that have a list of ingredients!  This is what has spurred our family on to eat more whole foods, grind our own grain, and come up with ways to make the prepackaged items that we like from scratch.

Start reading food labels and google the words that you are not sure what they mean.  I think you will be inspired as well!

A great resource for examining food additives is a book by Dr. Russell Blaylock called Excitotoxins: The Taste that Kills.

Wholegrain Tortillas

Recently, we decided to make our own tortillas instead of buying them at the store.  Even though we can get a couple of brands locally that are not loaded with as many preservatives and fillers, it still would be healthier and more cost effective to just make them.

Whole Grain Tortillas

3 cups organic whole wheat or spelt flour

1 cup warm water

4 T organic olive oil

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

Combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Add olive oil, and stir until well combined. Put 1/2 cup warm tap water in and stir then add water 1 T at a time until dough can be gathered into a ball. Knead on floured surface 15-20 times. Let dough rest for 15 minutes.  Remove a ball of dough about the size of a golf ball. On floured surface roll out ball from center into a circle.  I greased my pan with olive oil, but I have also read you can cook them on ungreased skillet.  Cook over medium-high heat on each side about 30 seconds or until puffy. You can cook them longer until they are crisp like a big chip or toast them in the oven to get them crispy.  Wrap them in a towel to keep them warm. 

It was a more simple process than I had imagined, which is often times the case!  The recipe makes about 15 tortillas.  We had them for dinner and stuffed them with black beans and rice with tomatoes and green onions!

Kids & Sleep

Some kids hate to go to bed - maybe they think they will miss something.

Some parents hate to deal with the fuss that can occur when trying to get their kids in bed, so they don't address the problems.

How do we as parents face this issue?  Head on with the proper knowledge!!


FIRST we must know: What is SLEEP designed to do in our bodies?

1. Repair the immune system (help them as their body fights viruses and bacteria they have encountered during the day)
2. Prepare the brain for the next days activity
3. Increase their capacity to be mentally ready for their tasks (ie - reduce their whiny fussy meltdowns)

Most parents, when they stop and think, realize quickly that when their kids get enough rest on a consistent basis they are healthier and HAPPIER.  The problem really comes down to us as parents being willing to create consistent routines and discipline OURSELVES to make sure that the right bedtime happens.  Sure there will be times when our kids will not get as much sleep one night as others, but consistency is the key.

God has placed us in charge of taking care of our children, and their health certainly is a huge part of that task.  I am doing myself and my kids a HUGE favor when I help them get their sleep consistently.  They are mentally and emotionally more sound the next day.  Their energy level is more consistent.  Their mind is more ready to take on the days tasks.

The earlier that we teach our kids in a positive manner the REASONS for sleep and put in their minds and hearts that it is a GOOD THING and not something to avoid and delay, they will come to appreciate what it provides.  And EVERYONE around them will appreciate what it will produce in them.

SECOND we must create a bedtime routine that is engaging where kids may pick from our list of evening choices.  This will give them some control within our guidelines!
*Tell your kids how your body fights germs they encountered that day as they sleep
*Create fun bedtime routines that make them look forward to settling down
*Praise them for the things they are doing right related to bedtime when they complete it in a timely manner: putting on their pajamas, brushing their teeth, getting their things ready for school the next day, etc.

THIRD we as parents must follow up and be consistent!  I will guarantee you that it will be a huge blessing to your family.  Do an excellent job of teaching your child the skills they need to get to be on time. Follow up to make sure they accomplish this goal with your supervision.  Praise them for the good choices they are making and remind them what it is doing in their bodies.

Making Homemade Yogurt

In an effort to get a healthier cleaner more probiotic filled product, we make our own yogurt.  It is a great way to get the kids involved in understanding they can make their own food instead of having to always depend on the final product coming from the grocery store.

Homemade Yogurt Recipe

Organic Milk

Probiotic Live Culture

The recipe does not contain specific amounts because you choose the amount of milk depending on the size of your yogurt container(s) and what the directions on the probiotic culture you choose tell you to use. 

I have a YoLife Yogurt Maker.  There are other methods to make yogurt.  I just chose the method that worked the best for my busy life with lots of kids.  With the electric yogurt maker, you can prepare the milk, fill your containers, and put them in the maker for 8-15 hours without having to worry about making sure the temperature stays consistent.

 

Gather your supplies: Organic milk, probiotic culture, pot to heat milk on the stove, food thermometer, yogurt maker, spoon, and jars. In a pot, heat milk on low heat while stirring. Turn off heat before milk reaches boiling point (at about 176˚F-185˚F).  Watch the thermometer as the temperature decreases. Allow the milk to cool until it is lukewarm (105˚F).  This process kills any bad bacteria that might be present.

Remove a small amount (about 1/2 cup) of milk from the pot.  Add the amount of probiotic culture that is on the directions of the culture package and stir well.  Then add the 1/2 cup of milk back to the rest of the milk and stir well.  The milk will now be activated.

Make sure your jars are sterile/clean, and place them in the yogurt maker.  The YoLife Yogurt Maker has two sizes of lids that cover the maker.  The maker comes with 7 small jars and a short lid.  It comes with a taller lid as well, so you can use your own jars of any size if you want to make more.  I often use quart jars with the taller lid. 

Pour the milk evenly into each of the jars in the yogurt maker.  Making yogurt is an easy process.  It does not take as much time as I would have thought!  It saves money and provides a more nutritional product than yogurt you buy commercially. My kids usually take part or do the whole process by themselves.

Place the lid on the yogurt maker and plug it in.  There is no temperature adjustment gage.  It will heat the milk to the correct temperature and keep it at that temperature until you unplug it.  

Leave it in the maker for 8-12 hours if you have used smaller jars and 12-15 hours if you used larger jars. 

*If you choose to add fruit to your cultured milk in the jars, be sure you have cooked the fruit thoroughly to a boiling point before adding it to the milk in your jars.  This is to make sure there is no bad bacteria developing as the beneficial probiotics are culturing. 

Canning Vegetable Soup

I have always wanted to learn how to can foods but had made it more difficult in my mind than it really is, so I put it off (for years actually I am sad to say).  Last weekend I was inspired.  I saw Patty Tatum at the Saturday morning Oxford Farmer's Market.  She was picking out lots of okra, so I asked her what she was doing.  She said, "Today is vegetable soup day."  She explained that every summer she picks a day at the market to get what she needs to make homemade vegetable soup, makes a large quantity, and then freezes it for the winter.  

I figured if I went ahead and bought everything there would be no turning back..........  I do not have enough freezer space, so I knew canning would be my best option.  I welcomed the challenge and made my purchases - tomatoes, corn, okra, peas, green beans, lima beans, onion, red bell peppers, garlic, and new potatoes.

 

I pureed my tomatoes in the food processor and poured them into a large stock pot.  I chopped my onion, garlic, and bell peppers in the food processor as well and added them.  I let this simmer while I was washing and chopping the rest of the vegetables.  I added them to the tomatoes and added filtered water and seasonings as well.

Then I cooked the vegetable soup until the vegetables were all tender.  It looked to beautiful in the pot and smelled and tasted wonderful.

Thanks to Jo Ruth Pruett in Tula, I was able to borrow a pressure canner that would hold 7 quarts at a time.  The manual that came with the pressure canner explained how to can different kinds of food.  This was very helpful.  I knew I needed to can in quarts to allow more for my family of 5!  I had always been intimidated by a pressure canner and yes, I read the instructions at least 5 times before I started.  But as usual, once I did it, it did not turn out being as hard as it seemed beforehand!

The most challenging part was investing the time to wash and cut up all the vegetables.  But when I think about how much time in the fall I invest in just one smaller pot of soup it makes perfect sense to go ahead and make a large quantity one time and then have it available to just open up and serve.

The main reason I wanted to can vegetable soup was that I wanted the advantage of having all ingredients that were vine ripened and grown locally to maximize the nutrition for my family.  They are in glass jars which will not leach anything into the final product and there are absolutely NO additives or preservatives.

It was so much easier than I expected, and I value being able to do large quantities at a time in order to maximize my efforts.  No doubt I am looking for my next canning project.........

What's Wrong With Our Food System - A Smart Kid's Perspective

Thank you Millie for sharing this story with me!  I just learned about Birke Baehr - a kid who started transforming his mind to a different way of thinking about food than most American kids. Check out his YouTube Tedx Talk.
Okay Families!  Let's don't give in to the Marketing Strategies of companies that care nothing about your family's longterm health.  If an 11 year old is that reasonable and motivated, we can be too!!

"While traveling with his family and being 'roadschooled', Birke at the age of 9 began studying sustainable and organic farming practices. Birke has visited and worked at Full Moon Farms Co-op, Athens, GA; Sequatchie Cove Farm, Sequatchie ,TN; Sapelo Farms, Brunswick, GA; and the organic gardens of The Hostel in the Forest in Brunswick, GA. He also attended a full day seminar with renowned farmer and author, Joel Salatin at The Farm in Summertown, TN. Mr. Salatin has continued to mentor Birke in his pursuit of new thinking about food and agriculture. Birke has also participated in The Sequatchie Valley Institute's annual 'Food for Life' gathering for the past two years. At these workshops he’s studied composting, vermiculture, canning and food preservation methods, sprouting and tea. This year Birke has enjoyed tending a garden with his Granddaddy, growing tomatoes, beans, okra, potatoes, cukes and more. 


Birke has attended the Barefoot Farmer's Biodynamic Conference where he spent time learning from farmer, Jeff Poppen on his farm. Birke intends to continue his education in this genre and expects to be a sustainable organic agriculturist in the future. He also has a passion for educating others, especially his peers, about the destructiveness of the industrialized food system and the enlightening alternatives of sustainable and organic farming, food and practices. Birke has also volunteered at the Humane Society and loves working with animals. 


Birke was the youngest presenter at the TEDx Next Generation Asheville event where he gave a talk about. "What's Wrong With Our Food 'System'" which has become the most viewed TEDx Talk on YouTube of all time. He recently attended a two-day workshop called, "Deepening Roots" which focuses on health/wellness, community, empowerment, sustainable agriculture and meditation. He continues to find learning and teaching opportunities for his message."

Mixed Messages

I found this billboard and just had to post it.  Our society is sending so many mixed messages to families and kids.  I was reading a message referencing someone making a trip to eat fast food that day.  A friend  commented "get ready....you will be taking your kids there all the time."  Really?  Do we have to make that the norm for us personally?

If we do, we will certainly pay the price at some point in time and our family will as well.  The way you can get serious about obesity and the health crisis our nation is entrenched in is by considering everything you choose to put in your mouth and allow your kids to eat.  Will it bring life and health to your cells or are your feeding a disease just waiting to come forth in your body?

What brings health?  Real fruits and vegetables and whole grains; water; exercise; and proper sleep.

I am certainly not talking about the occasional run through a fast food dive or ice cream after a movie.  I am talking about what you are CONSISTENTLY doing to take care of your cells.

I started to say, "Shame on the company for producing food that is slowly killing people."  But really it is shame on us for being poor consumers.  If we did not eat the food, they would not stay in business. WE DO HAVE A CHOICE!

What is your "kinda shoppin' spree"?

Eggplant Parmesan Lasagna

I wanted the taste of Eggplant Parmesan, but it was just not the right dish to cook tonight, so I decided to turn it into a lasagna.  My neighbor JoAnna gave me some eggplant from their garden, and Ed & Renae Morgan shared amazing tomatoes from their garden. They inspired me to create something I had never fixed before.

After I had the taste for this meal in my mind, I realized I did not have canned tomatoes or bread crumbs.  I decided I would just have to try to make homemade breadcrumbs and make a fresh tomato sauce both of which really surprised me! (See the next postings for making your own breadcrumbs and tomato sauce.)  It was more labor intensive than most dishes I make but worth every minute!  Since I wrote the recipe just as I created the dish, I highlighted all the ingredients in red, so you could make a list.

Eggplant Parmesan Lasagna

Sauce Ingredients:

4 large homegrown tomatoes

1-2 cloves garlic
1 medium white onion

1 T olive oil

5 fresh basil leaves

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

Directions: Place all ingredients in the food processor (you could use a blender as well), and puree into a sauce the consistency your desire.  I left some small chunks in mine.  Keep in mind, you are using fresh tomatoes and the sauce will have more liquid than a canned or jar of sauce that has been stewed.

Eggplant Parmesan Ingredients:

3 medium eggplant

4 eggs

2 cups breadcrumbs

1/2 cup parmesan cheese freshly grated

12 T extra virgin olive oil (using 3 T at a time)

Directions: Slice eggplant lengthwise into 1/4 inch pieces.  Place them in a colander and sprinkle a small amount of Kosher salt onto them and place a plate on top to press them down.  Leave them in the colander for a couple of hours.  This will allow some of the excess water to drain out of the eggplant.  Mix eggs in a bowl large enough to dredge your eggplant it.  Divide breadcrumbs & parmesan cheese in 1/2.  (When you place your eggplant on your breadcrumbs they will get soggy after a while.  When you divide them in half, you will have a fresh set of breadcrumbs halfway through the process.) Place your breadcrumb/parmesan mixture on a medium sized plate.  Heat a large skillet to medium heat with 3 T olive oil. Dredge eggplant on both sides through the eggs.  Place the eggplant on each side in the breadcrumb mixture.  Place in the skillet and saute until eggplant starts to turn clear and breadcrumbs are lightly browned.  Flip and repeat the process on the other side.  Place on newspaper or paper towel until you are ready to place it in layers in the lasagna.  Repeat until all eggplant are lightly sauteed adding fresh olive oil as needed.

Cheese Filling Ingredients:

12 oz Ricotta Cheese

12 oz Cottage Cheese

2 t. basil

2 t. oregano
1 t. salt

Directions: In a medium bowl, mix the above ingredients.

I also used 2 cups of Monterray Jack cheese; you could certainly use Mozzarelo or another combination to your liking!  Add more cheese if you like it heavy on the cheese side!

Additionally, you will need to cook 12 lasagna noodles.  I used an organic jerusalem artichoke pasta.  Be sure too cook them ONLY 1/2 the time on the directions from the package of noodles.  The reason being, they can absorb the rest of the extra juice the fresh tomatoes produce.

Then just layer your lasagna in a 9 x 13 dish or whatever dish you want to use:

A little sauce on the bottom to keep your noodles from sticking

3 Lasagna Noodles

1 cup Ricotta mixture - spread over the noodles 

Eggplant Parmesan

1 cup tomato sauce

1/2 cup cheese

Repeat!  

On the top of the last layer of noodles, add one cup of tomato sauce.  I went ahead and added the last 1/2 cup of cheese.  I should have waited until the end of the cooking time to add it because I cooked the dish at 425 degrees for 40 minutes without covering it to allow more juice to cook away.  Because I did not cover it, my cheese was a little more brown than I would have liked.  I let the dish sit for 15 minutes on the counter before serving to allow it to set.  It was a big hit with everyone!

Oh and thank you to Brad and Mandy Sartor for delicious garlic from your garden!  You all continue to inspire me press on to have more homegrown food!