Low-Carb Zucchini Lasagna

So after my previous experimentation with Spaghetti Squash (see my Spaghetti Squash recipe here) I was ready to try another attempt at replacing pasta with vegetables. For me, the combination of carbs, tomato sauce, and cheese can do no wrong. There's something comforting and home-y about the beloved combination. Lasagna fits this category perfectly but it is a dish I usually stay away from due to its high calorie content. Therefore when my friends and I decided to cook our annual "Pinterest Dinner" I jumped at the chance to make zucchini lasagna.

This zucchini lasagna is completely pasta-free. The trick is to subsititue your pasta sheets with thinly sliced layers of zucchini. This lasanga is also vegetarian, but feel free to add ground beef or turkey if you prefer.

Ingredients:
1 jar of tomato sauce
3 medium zucchini, sliced 1/8" thick
15 oz fat free ricotta
16 oz low fat mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup Parmegiano Reggiano
1 large egg
1 cup of broccoli
2 cups of spinach

How to:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Using a mandelin, thinly slice your zucchini so that they look like wide, thin noodles. Mix together your cheese, egg, brocoli, and spinach. In a 9x12 pirex dish layer your sheets of zucchini, tomato sauce, and cheese mixture until the pirex is filled.

 

 

Once fully layered, cook the lasagna covered for 30 minutes, then contine to cook it uncovered for about 15 more minutes. The result should be a delicious, healthy lasagna that can satisfy even the worst cravings for comfort food! 



Italian Style Spaghetti Squash

I have been meaning to try spaghetti squash for a while now. The new health craze caught my attention because I am a huge pasta lover and any way to make a healthier "pasta" dish has my attention. Sadly I don't think I will be able to replace my favored angel hair with spaghetti squash in the future. True the strands do look like spaghetti but overall the dish tasted like grated vegetables. I would be inclined to make it as a side dish in the future, for I found the taste to be rather repetitive as a main course.

Spaghetti squash is a great dish to make as a main meal or a side dish if your looking to lose weight. 40 calories a cup compared to the 200 calories in a cup of pasta is hard to beat. Try it and form your own opinion, for you have nothing to lose (but your waistline!)




Ingrediants:
1 (1 1/2 lb) squaghetti squash
olive oil
1/4 onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
tomato sauce
capers (optional)
freshly grated parmesean cheese

How To:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut your spaghetti squash in half lenghtwise. Remove the seeds. Cook the squash on a baking sheet until soft, approvimately 1 hour. Let the squash cool slightly and srape out the inside of the squash with a fork to remove the spaghetti-like strands.

In a pan saute the onion and garlic with the olive oil until lightly browned. Add the spaghetti squash and throughouly mix so the squash absorbs the flavor. Then add your favored tomato sauce and capers. Mix the "pasta" thoughouly. Add fresh parmesean cheese for flavor. Buon appetito!

Split, Croatia

Croatia until recently remained a mystery to me. I had no idea what to expect from the now popular tourist destination. Croatia seemed to be an exotic concept, and I had little background knowledge. This past week has been an excellent education on the country of Croatia and a very relaxing break from all the stress of finals and packing up my apartment in Rome. 

Aly and I decided to brave Croatia on our own. We began our journey with a train to Ancona (a city on the other side of Italy) to an overnight ferry which took us directly to Split. The journey was a lot easier than we were anticipating and the night on the boat was made even more enjoyable from our champagne, chocolate, and Batman Begins film (we try to travel in style). 

Once we arrived in Split we headed straight for the beach. Split's beach was a surprise for us. The water is extremely shallow and only reaches your calf for the first hundred feet before gradually getting deeper. It was a crowded and lively beach filled with locals enjoying the day with their families. After our beach day we met up with friends for our first Croatian meal of fresh seafood along the harbor. (I may have developed a slight addiction to Croatian seabass). 

Croatia is lively at night with performances and street vendors making the evening festivities an entertaining affair.

The next day was even nicer weather and we celebrated by stopping by the local daily market for goods for a beach picnic. The farmers market is an excellent place for buying fresh bread, produce, cheeses, and all sorts of artisanal food products. We stocked up on some homemade bread, fresh strawberries, pears, and cheese. 

The third day was by far my favorite. We decided to do a boat tour of the islands of Croatia. We cruised for an hour before getting to the first island. The pebble beach wasn't the most comfortable for lying out but the views were stunning!

After a few hours of sunbathing we headed back on the boat for some lunch and our next stop. Our next island was a very different experience because we needed to dock the boat and swim there. Most of us jumped off the boat into the sea and swam. It was a crazy and unforgettable experience and one I probably won't repeat anytime soon, but I am glad I did it!

After a few more hours in the sun we headed back to Split for dinner and a night out. 

Over the next few days Aly and I explored the city of Split from the ruins to the harbor. Split is a small town but beautiful and worth seeing. 

Amalfi Coast: Capri, Positano, Sorrento, Pompeii

The Amalfi Coast has always been one of my dream travel destinations. It has been raved about from avid travelers as being one of the perfect getaway spots. The south of Italy is beautiful and composed of various islands all offering unique attractions. My friends and I planned this trip from day one and it was to be our last trip in Europe as the four of us. Therefore this experience was bittersweet, but one of the most memorable trips I will have.

We started out on the beautiful island of Capri. On our first day we headed to the port and boarded a private boat and set sail for the Blue Grotto. The Blue Grotto is one of Capri's biggest tourist attractions and luckily the tide was low enough for us to enter on rowboats. I have never seen water so blue and pure before. The water glowed an iridescent blue from the light of the sun at the entrance of the Grotto. 

After a boat tour seeing the sights around the coast of Capri, we docked and hiked up the island. We spent the rest of the day walking around town. After our (all uphill) hike, we stopped for lemon granitas, a slushy drink common in Capri. It was delicious and extremely refreshing! Capri is known for their lemons. They even grow super lemons about the size of a kickball, so when in Capri, try the granita's, limoncellos, and lemon flavored candies that the south of Italy is known for. 

The giant lemons

Another item that Capri is known for: SHOES. All throughout Amalfi, you'll find small sandle shops with handmade leather shoes. The nice difference between sandal shops here in Italy and back home is that they fit the sandals directly to you're feet and allow you to customize your sandal however you'd like. Our tour guide took us to a famous sandal shop in Capri where Jackie O used to get her sandals made. The selection was enormous and many of us left with a new pair of sandals in tow.

The shoemaker

My new snakeskin leather loafers

After some lunch and shopping we decided to check out the scenery in the best way possible: via chairlift to Mt. Solaro. The ride was so peaceful and was a gorgeous way to see the mountain and views. We ended the day with dinner in town and the night out at the beer garden.

The next day we went to Sorrento to the beautiful pebble beach. It was sunny and hot, a perfect day for the beach. We spent the day sun bathing, walking around town, and those of us who were brave enough went cliff jumping. The water was the clearest I have ever seen. It was one of the most beautiful places I have ever been to! 

Our final day we journeyed to Pompeii to see the ruins from Mount Vesuvius. I was amazed by how much of the city was still intact. We took a guided tour which I highly recommend. And of course we had to try the Naples-style pizza!!