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Low-Carb
ALTERNATIVES TO PASTA YES, THEY CAN BE DELICIOUS!
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By Michele Robert Poche
asta. It’s the perfect foundation for a wealth of healthy toppings such as garden vegetables, zesty tomato sauces, lean proteins, nuts and natural herbs. Sounds great, right? Well, except that pasta itself isn’t doing you any favors. Excessive consumption has been associated with increased blood sugar and cholesterol, obesity, heart disease and gastrointestinal disorders. What if I told you there was a solution? And that solution comes in many delectable forms.
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Zucchini. Julienne or use vegetable peeler to create strips. The green color makes them a nice complement to sauces like pesto or avocado cream (see recipe).
Spaghetti squash. To prepare, halve, remove seeds and bake facedown at 350 degrees for one hour or until tender. Scoop out the flesh with a fork and serve with preferred toppings. Or save shells to make spaghetti squash lasagna (see recipe).
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AVOCADO CREAM SAUCE
INSTRUCTIONS Puree garlic, lemon juice and oil until smooth. Add avocado, parsley and salt then puree again. Garnish with lemon zest and pepper.
INGREDIENTS • 2 teaspoons garlic, minced • Juice and zest of two lemons • 4 tablespoons olive oil • 2 avocados, pitted • 2 bunches parsley • Salt and pepper (to taste)
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Black beans. This mild, gluten-free alternative works with everything from curry creams to red sauces. Loaded with fiber, iron, protein and antioxidants, black bean pasta is available at many specialty food stores as well as on websites across the internet including Amazon.
INSPIRE HEALTH
January § February 2018
Green beans. In my household, we like to serve our favorite sauce over freshly-steamed green beans. Think creatively. There are many different foods that could stand in for pasta including cabbage, eggplant and bean sprouts.
SPAGHETTI SQUASH LASAGNA INGREDIENTS 2 teaspoons olive oil 2 teaspoons garlic, minced 8 ounces raw spinach 2 spaghetti squash 1/3 cup ricotta cheese ¼ teaspoon salt ½ cup mozzarella, shredded 1 ½ cups marinara sauce 2 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated INSTRUCTIONS Prepare squash as directed previously. H eat oil, garlic and spinach on medium in skillet until spinach wilts. In bowl, blend skillet contents, squash, ricotta cheese, salt and half mozzarella. Pour ¼ cup sauce into each squash shell then top each with evenly divided squash mixture. Top with remaining sauce and mozzarella then sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake at 425 F for 20 minutes. Broil an additional 1-2 minutes until cheese browns slightly. Want to learn how to halve a spaghetti squash without amputating your fingers? Score it shallowly in a dotted line all the way around then cook it in the microwave for about five minutes. After letting it cool a few minutes, it’s much easier to cut through the tough-skinned gourd.
