Interview with Eric Weltman from Food and Water Watch – 12.24.15

Eric Weltman is Senior Organizer for Food & Water Watch in New York. He has over 20 years of experience leading social justice campaigns and building progressive power. Eric has helped direct ground-breaking coalitions, organize high-visibility media events, write influential publications, and manage successful initiatives to pass legislation, fund programs, and elect candidates. Eric also has extensive experience conducting trainings on media outreach, advocacy, organizing, and public speaking. He has taught urban politics at Suffolk University, and written for such publications as The American Prospect, In These Times, and Dollars & Sense. A native of New Jersey, Eric graduated from the University of Michigan and earned an M.A. in Urban & Environmental Policy from Tufts University. When he’s not changing the world, Eric enjoys being with his wife, Sarah, and son, Zach, reading history books, taking walks around New York City, watching “Burn Notice” and “House,” juggling, and eating Thai food.

Gluten Free Vegetable Cheese Lasagna

Preheat oven to 350°

Tomato Sauce

3 Tbs. Olive Oil

1 onion, chopped

6 garlic cloves, minced

2 cups canned tomatoes

1 jar org tomato sauce

1/2 cup dry white wine

½ cup fresh basil (or 2 Tbs. dried basil)

1 bell pepper, diced

8 oz. mushrooms, sliced

1 bay leaf

1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley

Filling

1 cup ½ and ½

2 lb Ricotta Cheese

1 lb shredded Mozzarella Cheese

2 eggs

¼ cup Romano and Parmesan mix

1-5 oz. box of baby arugula

1-box rice lasagna noodles, uncooked

Directions

Sauté the olive oil, onion, garlic and bell pepper until soft. Add the mushrooms. Add the white wine and cook until reduced. Add canned tomatoes, tomato sauce, fresh basil and bay leaf. Let simmer for 30 minutes. Remove bay leaf from sauce.

In the meantime, mix the eggs with the ½ and ½ and Ricotta Cheese and Parmesan Romano mix.

Reserve 2 cups of shredded mozzarella for top.

Layering

Sauce, noodles, ½ of filling, arugula, mozzarella, sauce, noodles, filling, arugula, mozzarella, and top with sauce. Cover and bake for 45 minutes. Remove from oven. Uncover lasagna and with a spatula or fork smooth down the noodles and tuck in to pan. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese and return to oven for 10 more minutes. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley