Veggie Lasagna

We all crave a little Italian in our lives... Right? Well tonight I did. But duh- I'm not going to eat the pasta, so I figured out another way to make a layered pie with all veggies. It's actually simple. And this recipe is so great for the working mom (& dad) because you can put it all together the night before and, when you get home, just pop it in the oven for 25 minutes for dinner! Simple, fast, efficient. All while still getting your kids homework done for the night. Sounds like a recipe I can bake with!

Ingredients 

- 2 zucchinis

- 2 yellow squash

- 1 red pepper

- mozzarella cheese

- 2 cups of tomato sauce

- *optional: Italian seasoning

- Pam 

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees 

2. Slice up your veggies. Don't make your slices of zucchini and squash too thin. And cube your red pepper. 

3. Make one layer of zucchini at the bottom. 

4. Spray with Pam. 

5. Next, layer with 1/2 cup of tomato sauce, just enough to cover the zucchini slices. 

6. Now layer with some mazarella cheese. I used about a handful. *optional: add some Italian seasoning. 

7. Place squash slices next. Then another 1/2 cup of tomato sauce and another handful of mozzarella cheese. 

8. Place the red pepper cubes now. Then another 1/2 cup of tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese. *

9. Lastly, place another layer of zucchini and squash (yes, I mixed it up this time!) and 1/2 cup of tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese. *

10. Cook at 350 degrees for 20-25 mins and enjoy! 

Now wasn't that an easy recipe?!? I thought so! 

Shout out to all the working Moms & Dads! 

Gigi 

Low-Carb Vegetable Pasta

I've been researching the alternatives for grain pasta for a few weeks now. I tried the shiratake (miracle) noodles and enjoyed them. Then I heard about Zoodles and thought I'd try them too. Simply put, Zoodles are Zucchini Noodles. 

They might be the easiest, quickest pasta I've ever had. After you buy the spiralizer to make them. I bought a Spirooli at Bed, Bath & Beyond (gotta love the 20% coupons!) and immediately went to work.

I will say, the directions in that box were awful, so it was trial and error for me as to which blade cut which way, but I figured it out. I'd also highly recommend this spiralizer. There are many others, like the vegetti that is manual, but the Spirooli is super easy to use! Even my kids helped me! 

As you can see in the photos, you just place a zucchini (peeled or not) into this thingy that spins it around and makes it into noodles. It took like 3 seconds. Falls right on to the plate! 

While you're spiralizing, boil some water. When the water comes to a boil, add the zucchini for 30-60 seconds. The 30-60 seconds is just enough time to get the zucchini warmed, but not soft or mushy! Take it out quickly and place back on the plate. 

At this time, you can top it with whatever you want to, like pasta sauce, pesto, ground beef, whatever! I had mine with pasta sauce. I literally threw my meal together in less than 5 minutes because it was unplanned. Next time, I'll take the time to cook some mushrooms and put them in a sauce with some ground beef. Now that sounds good! 

Since I already had the Spirooli out, I also spiralized an Jicama! Jicama is a root ️fruit and tough, so it was a little more difficult (more man power to crank the knob!) but it still came out great! I used a different blade for it too, just to try it out. 

It was fun to experiment with my newest kitchen gadget! It's always fun to experiment with new (or old) foods and make new creations! Hope you'll take the time to experiment too. Sometimes an experiment in the kitchen is the only experiment we get to do as busy working moms! I know that all too well! 

Happy Spirooling!

Gigi

Low-Carb Zucchini Mini Pizzas

Such a simple recipe, yet so filling and tasty! A whole zucchini for dinner! Yum! And since I am writing this post during the Super Bowl, I have to mention that these mini pizzas would be a great addition to any party/family gathering. They're petite and easy to make, leaving room for plenty of other food to eat as a party goer! 

Ingredients

-one zucchini

-tomato sauce

-shredded cheese. I used a Mexican blend, but use whatever you like. 

-olive oil

-salt, pepper, Italian Seasoning 

-toppings. I used a pepperoni, but you can use olives, mushrooms, sausages, or keep it plain with just cheese. 

Instructions

-preheat oven to 450 degrees 

-slice zucchini into slices and lay on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper

-lightly sprinkle the zucchini with olive oil

-add salt, pepper, and Italian Seasonings

-spoon out some tomato sauce to plop on top

-now sprinkle some cheese on top

-and lastly, put your toppings on top

-bake the zucchini pizzas at 450 for 5 mins then broil on high for another 5 

-take out of the oven, let cool, and enjoy! 

It's just that easy to make a mini pizza with a zucchini! And it's just that tasty too!! 

Bon Apetite!

Gigi