Well, another year has come and gone. It is hard to believe that 2019 is here. We are now living in the future of my childhood fantasies. We watched Star Trek and Flash Gordon and never dreamed all that would come true. Traveling and living in space, sending rovers to the moon and Mars. We have pictures of planets millions of miles away from us. These are things we never believed could come true as a child.
Momma Said, “Reality is the result of the dreams and ambition of people who strive to make life better.” If you believe that things can get better then you can achieve anything. You must have faith in yourself and others that somewhere out there are people who have goals that will save our planet. All of us must make a better effort to restore our planet before it is too late.
I watch documentaries all the time about how many of our animal species are going extinct because of people encroaching on their habitat. We are destroying the Rain Forest at an alarming rate and it must stop. We are not only killing whole animal species but we are destroying the very thing that helps us to breath. If the trees continue to be cut down it also cuts down on fresh air.
I wish whole heartedly that this is the year that people wake up and try harder to make this a better place to live. We are expanding our reach to outer space in the hopes of finding another planet we can destroy with pollution and garbage. Momma Said, “We need to start at home if we are going to save ourselves from extinction.”
SLOW COOKER HOMEMADE MINESTRONE SOUP
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 cans (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1/4 cup sun-dried tomato pesto (homemade or store-bought)
- 4 cups vegetable stock
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup carrots, diced
- 1 1/4 cup celery, diced
- 1 1/2 cup white onion, diced
- 4 – 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 sprig rosemary (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
- 2 bay leaves
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 can (15 oz) red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 can (15 oz) great northern beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 1/2 cups zucchini, diced
- 1 1/2 cups tubular (ditalini) pasta
- 1 cup frozen green beans, thawed
- 2 1/2 cups baby spinach, chopped
- Finely shredded Parmesan cheese, for serving (or Romano)
DIRECTIONS:
- Add the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato pesto, vegetable stock, water, carrots, celery, onions, garlic, oregano, rosemary, and bay leaves to a slow cooker. Season with salt and pepper to taste and cook on low heat 6-8 hours or high 3-4 hours.
- Add in red kidney beans, great northern beans, zucchini, and pasta and cook on high heat for an additional 20- 25 minutes until pasta is tender. Stir in the spinach and green beans and cook for an additional 5 minutes until heated through. Serve warm topped with parmesan cheese and garlic toasts.
