Pasta Dinner Minus The Pasta

Zucchini Pasta

"Inside me lives a skinny woman crying to get out. But I can usually shut her up with cookies..."

  Seems  at the start of each year we all try to shed some unwanted weight . In my kitchen I am trying to find healthy substitutes for my family's favorite meals . This recipe is a huge risk in the Miket kitchen, replacing  whole wheat  pasta with Zucchini. I'm sure I can't fool them by covering it in sauce so ......I talk up how healthy and delicious it's going to be.

This is an easy weeknight meal. The most preparation comes when slicing the vegetables. I used a mandolin that  I permanently from my mother! The picture below is what your "pasta" will look like before it is cooked.The recipe goes as follows:

Figure on one medium large zucchini per person. 
Boil some salted water, and add the noodles to the water to cook for about 1 minute.

Take out and immediately blanch in cold water, or cold running water, to prevent over cooking (The hot sauce will heat up the noodles sufficiently)*I did not cool because I did not used marinara sauce.

That's it!
Toss with your favorite tomato sauce, with a garden basil pesto, with a creamy Alfredo sauce, whatever you wish. The noodles are very low calorie, and can be very refreshing on a sultry summer evening.

You could alternatively serve these as a side dish, boiled as above, and then briefly sauteed with melted butter and Parmesan or other hard Italian cheese (freshly grated!!!) and salt to taste. Or try these noodles for a variation on your favorite pasta salad…perfect for a BBQ. Or you could even join the latest food craze and serve these without first boiling them and join the raw food movement (salt the noodles for about 20 minutes, and rinse too soften them).

Perfect for diets, perfect for gluten intolerant people, perfect for low carbers…and perfect for anyone who just has too much zucchini!

The Kitchen Is Where The Heart Is

As the new year rings in I am looking for new foods to spice up my cooking repertoire. This evening my teenage daughter and I are a team in the kitchen! I know what you must be thinking.... teenage daughter, cooking healthy with her mother? This is certainly a recipe, a recipe for disaster? To ease your fears I have removed all sharp objects from the drawer. This idea was actually hers. We are going where no good Italian has gone before, Cauliflower Crust Vegetable Pizza. A classic with a healthy twist.Before we begin music has to be selected. We can't create a vegetarian masterpiece without some musical inspiration. Band Of Horses is our musical compromise. Ben Bidwells voice fills the kitchen & we begin to slice and dice our toppings. Sabrina assures me " a 35 year old white suburban mom like you would not like Earl Sweatshirt " (the other musical choice).Although I am sure I could handle it, I like that she was worried about me. lol The crust enters the oven for 30 minutes and we wait for the timer to tell us dinner is ready. Our pizza is great. After a few moments  of indulging a loud BELCH is let go to my right. Tonight I am a lucky mom lol.  Below is the recipe we followed. If you're feeling healthy give it a try.

      Cauliflower Pizza Crust

Ingredients:
Crust:

1 cup Grated Raw Cauliflower or 100 g (2 Greens)

1/4 cup Egg Beaters (1/8 Lean)
1/2 cup or 2 oz 2% Reduced Fat Three Cheese Mexican Blend (4/8 Lean)
1/8 tsp garlic powder - optional (1/2 Condiment)
1/4 tsp basil - optional (1/4 Condiment)

Toppings:

1/4 cup + 2 tbsp or 1.5 oz 2% reduced fat Mozzarella cheese (3/8 Lean)

1/2 cup Italian diced tomatoes or Rotel tomatoes, canned - less than 5 g of carbs per serving (1 Green)

Directions:
Measure out 1/2 cup diced tomatoes and puree in blended or chopper. I just pulsed for a few seconds in my little chopper. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place parchment paper on a cookie sheet and spray lightly with cooking spray. Combine grated cauliflower, egg beaters, cheese, garlic powder and basil until mixed completely. Spoon mixture on prepared pan. Use the back of a spoon to thin out mixture and form a circle about the size of a dinner plate without the rim. The thinner the crust the less chance of it being soggy. Bake for 30 minutes. Carefully flip the pizza crust over by using a spatula to lift all edges of the crust off the parchment first. Bake an additional 10 to 15 minutes until edges are really brown and crisp. Mine are usually burnt around the edges but it won't taste burnt. Let cool.

Add tomato sauce and cheese on top. Broil until cheese is melted about 5 to 10 minutes. If you are making several cauliflower pizza crusts like I usually do, you can wrap the pizza individually in foil tightly with the cheese and sauce already on top. Stick them in gallon size Ziploc bags. I usually can fit 2 or 3 pizza crusts in a Ziploc bag. When ready to eat, take it out of the freezer as you would a normal store bought frozen pizza. Bake for about 15 minutes at 425 degrees or until cheese has completely melted. I can usually get 4 to 5 pizzas from one head of cauliflower! Enjoy!