Zucchini Lasagna (Low Carb/Low Fat)

I served this to my family, hesitantly. I mean, there aren't any noodles in it! I thought my kids would just look at it and immediately reject it. But I was pleasantly surprised. The kids didn't even notice there weren't noodles at first and began eating it.

But then the older one said, "Mom...this tastes like lasagna, but I don't see where the noodles are."

I sighed. This was it. Once I told them, it would be over. There would be a child-sized riot. Forks would be thrown at me and the dinner table would surely be turned over.

"Well, sweetie, there aren't any noodles in it. I used zucchini instead."

A silence came over the family. The children looked at me a moment, as if contemplating whether or not I deserved to have their dinner thrown at my head.

And then my precious child said to me, "Wow. I couldn't even taste them." And they all went back to eating. I just about had an aneurysm.

 Another healthy recipe gets the stamp of approval from my children! That's a huge accomplishment to me.

But don't take their word for it. Give it a try.

Zucchini Lasagna:

Makes 12 servings

1 lb. lean ground beef

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 medium onion, chopped

25 oz. tomato sauce

1 TBS dried basil

1 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp marjoram

1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper

3 medium zucchini, sliced 1/8 inch thick

2 cups fat free ricotta cheese

1 egg

1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

2 cups mozzarella cheese

Start with the zucchini by grilling or baking it until softened. Place on a paper towel to soak up the extra moisture and set aside. 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. 

In a large skillet, cook the beef, garlic and onion over medium-high heat until the meat is browned and the onions are tender. Add the tomato sauce and the seasonings. Reduce the heat to low and cover to let simmer until heated through. 

In a medium bowl, mix the ricotta, egg and parmesan cheese. Set aside.

To put the lasagna together, spoon just enough of the sauce into the bottom of a 9x13 dish to coat the bottom so the lasagna won't stick. Begin layering, starting with the zucchini, laying slightly overlapping them until the pan is covered. Next spread 1/3 of the ricotta mixture evenly over the zucchini, spooning dollops all around and then gently spreading it around to coat. Sprinkle with 1/3 of the mozzarella cheese. Repeat, using 1/2 of the remaining sauce, 1/2 of the remaining zucchini, 1/2 of the remaining ricotta mixture and 1/2 of the remaining mozzarella. Repeat one more time, ending with the mozzarella cheese. 

Cover with foil and bake for 35 minutes. Remove the foil and bake an additional 10-15 minutes or until the cheese on top is bubbly and lightly browned. Let set about 5 minutes before serving.

For 1/12 of the lasagna: 231 calories, 11g fat, 406mg sodium, 9g carbs, 1g fiber, 21g protein

Breadless Philly Cheese Steak

I love Philly Cheese Steak sandwiches. 

LOVE.

The heartiness of the meat-onion-pepper combo is just so satisfying.

Well, I have to do a low carb version of all my favorites. This was no exception.

Breadless Philly Cheese Steak:

Makes 2 Philly Cheese Steaks

2 medium green peppers

1/2 lb. steak

1/2 yellow onion, thinly sliced

1/2 cup sliced mushrooms

1 TBL butter

dash of hot sauce

salt and pepper to taste

2 slices provolone cheese, halved

Cut the tops off of the green peppers, but no the bottoms. Slice the peppers in half, lengthwise. Wash and pull out all the seeds. Pat them dry and set aside.

Very, very thinly slice the steak against the grain, as thin as you can get it. 

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the steak and salt and pepper and stir every few minutes, letting the steak get brown. When it's almost cooked all the way, add the onion and mushrooms. Cook until the onions are soft and transparent. 

Spoon 1/4 of the filling onto one green pepper half. Top with two half slices of provolone and then put on another 1/4 of the filling. Top with the other green pepper half. Repeat with the other pepper.

For 1 cheese steak: 468.5 calories, 30.5 g fat, 9 g carbohydrates, 39.5 g protein, 984 mg sodium

Asian Beef with Snow Peas (Low Carb/Low Fat)

Ooo, I've got something GOOD for you here.

I have an obsession with Asian food. I love cooking it more than getting take-out, honestly. Although, take-out can be pretty dang good, and convenient. But when it's homemade, you have control and you just can't beat the freshness. As long as you have a good recipe, of course.

 Well, this IS a good recipe.

 You can make it spicy, you can keep it mild...

Like I said, complete control. And it's so easy.

But don't take my word for it. Try it. TONIGHT.

Asian Beef with Snow Peas: (LOW CARB/LOW FAT)

makes 8 servings

1 1/2 lbs. flank steak

8 oz. snow peas (trimmed, if you'd like)

1/3 cup lite soy sauce

2 TBL sherry cooking wine 

1 TBL Splenda brown sugar

1 TBL corn starch

1 TBL fresh, finely grated ginger root

2 cloves garlic, minced

3-4 scallions, chopped

3 TBL sesame oil

red pepper flakes, optional

Start by thinly slicing your flank steak, against the grain (place the steak so the grain is running horizontally, cut  it vertically). Place in a bowl.

Mix together the soy sauce, sherry, brown sugar, corn starch, ginger root and garlic. Pour the sauce over the meat and set aside, letting it marinate for at least 30 minutes.

When you're ready to cook, heat the sesame oil in a large skillet or wok over high heat. Throw in the snow peas and stir fry them for 1 minute. With a slotted spoon, scoop them out and put them on a plate, setting them aside. Now pour in the flank steak with the sauce and let it cook for 1 minute without turning the meat to let it get nice and brown. Flip the meat and cook another minute. Stir and add the scallions. Cook for a couple more minutes until the meat is all browned and then add the snow peas and red pepper flakes, if you'd like. (a couple pinches still keeps it mild but gives a nice spiciness.) Toss it all around and cook about 30 more seconds so the snow peas can get nice and warm again.

Serve over rice.

For 1/8 the recipe: 186 calories, 11.7g fat, 5.5g carbs, 13g protein, 552.5mg sodium