Spaghetti and Marinara - Raw, Vegan, Low carb

The other day my friend took me to a lovely little raw vegan restaurant.   They had a delicious spaghetti  dish made from zucchini "noodles" but it was $18 a plate.   So today I figured how to make the "pasta" and  all I needed was  a spiral slicer which my mom had.  This gives it  real noodle effect but if you don't have one you can use a vegetable peeler.  The spiral slicer is so fun that I recommend you getting one if you don't have it.

So tonight for dinner we had zucchini pasta with marinara and shockingly my husband loved it.  He wanted meat so I put some chicken sausage on the top of his.  If you eat dairy then it is really delicious with some grated Parmesan on top. Mmmmmm Mmmmm. The best part is you can have a huge helping of the "pasta" guilt free!

Pasta:
4 Zucchinis
1 Tbs Olive Oil
1 tsp Red Wine Vinegar
Salt and Pepper to taste


4-5  Small to Medium Tomatoes
5 oz of Sundried tomatoes packed in oil
2 garlic cloves (peeled and pressed)
1 Tbs spoon oregano
Salt to taste

Equipment:
Spiral Slicer or Vegetable  Peeler
Food Processor for a chunky sauce or a blender for a smoother sauce.



First peel the skin of the zucchinis. Next make the "noodles" according to your spiral slicer's directions.  My slicer made them in the shape of angel hair pasta, my favorite.  If you don't have a spiral slicer you can just use a vegetable peeler and shave thin slices of the zucchinis to make the noodles. Put in a bowl for later.

Next wash and remove the tomatoes stems and cut into quarters and put into your blender/ food processor.  Add the sundried tomatoes with the oil, garlic and oregano.  Blend until it's to the consistency you desire. You may have to stop the food processor and scrape the edges and keep blending.  Put the marinara in a sauce pan and heat over low heat until it is just warm. You can heat it as much as you like, but to keep it "raw" just heat above body temperature.  Salt to taste.  Sometimes the sundried tomatoes are pre salted and seasoned so taste before you salt!

Next drain any excess water that may have accumulated in the bottom of your zucchini bowl.  Mix in the olive oil, vinegar and lightly salt and pepper it.

Serve the zucchini with the marinara on the side or top.  So yummy!

Stuffed Poblano Peppers - Low Carb!

I just made these tonight and they are so yummy and filling, I couldn't finish my second one, which is unusual for me.

4 Poblano Peppers
3 Chicken Italian Sausages (raw, not the pre-cooked ones)
1/2 cup Almond Meal (I used Trader Joe's)
1/2 cup Monterey Jack Cheese (Or Cheddar)

Optional Toppings:
Sour Cream
Salsa
Avocado slices

Preheat oven to 400

First wash the peppers then cut off the top and remove the seeds.
Next squeeze the chicken sausage from the casings and into a skillet.  Brown the sausage over medium heat until all the pink is gone.  Make sure you break up the chicken into "crumbles" with your spatula as you cook it.

Once the sausage is done pour it into a bowl. Add the almond meal and cheese and stir it up well.

Now stuff the peppers with the sausage mix and bake in the oven for about 10 minutes. Keep an eye on them to make sure they don't burn, if they start to get too dark on the top of the pepper, flip them over.

Now serve them warm with whichever topping you choose!