No Pasta Lasagna

This is a great alternative to pasta-filled lasagne and it ups your veggie intake for the day.

You need:

Pasta substitute:
3 medium zucchini, sliced lengthwise, 1/4-inch thick
2 orange peppers (or yellow or red)

Sauce:
1 pound hot Italian sausage
1 small onion, chopped
1 can of tomato sauce
1 can of tomato paste
fresh basil
fresh oregano
2 cloves garlic

Cheese layer:
1 egg, slightly beaten
3/4 cup cottage cheese (more fat, less carbs)
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup fresh spinach

Top:
2 tablespoons pesto (if you buy a jar, watch the labels - go with the lowest carbs)
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Sauce:
Brown the hot italian sausage in a saucepan.  Put aside to cool a bit - just until you can handle them to cut them up.  Dice onion, mince garlic and cook in fat left from sausages until translucent.  Chop the sausages into small chunks and add to onion.  Add tomato sauce (I like the Italian "pulpa" variety) and tomato paste.  Chop basil and oregano.  Add to sauce.  Bring to an almost "boil" then turn down to low.  I highly recommend making this sauce ahead of time to give it time to meld the flavors.

Veggies:
Slice the zucchini in lengthwise strips.  Cut the peppers into large, flat pieces.  Put a little olive oil on them and put in the oven to roast VERY BRIEFLY.  They should still be quite crunchy when they come out of the oven.

Cheese layer:
Mix eggs, cottage cheese, parmesan and spinach together in a bowl.

Arrange ⅓ of the zucchini in a baking dish. Top with egg mixture, then half of the sausage mixture. Top with ⅓ of the zucchini and peppers and sausage mixture. Add the last of the zucchini to the top.  Cover with pesto.  Sprinkle on mozzarella.

Put in the oven for half an hour.  Take out and let stand for 15 minutes before eating.

Yum!

Serves 6.

Chipotle Fish "Tacos" with Lettuce Tortillas

These are messy but oh, so delicious.  No grains.  Good for you!

You need:

FISH:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
¼ teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 pound white flaky fish fillet, like tilapia, snapper, or halibut

CHIPOTLE CREAM:
½ cup plain yogurt
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 teaspoons chipotle pepper, in adobo sauce (careful!  it's hot!)
8 large, firm lettuce leaves
1 ½ cups shredded green cabbage (use pre-shredded coleslaw if you're rushed)
1 or 2 chopped roma tomatoes
¼ of a colorful sweet pepper
¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves
Lime wedges

DIRECTIONS:
In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, lime juice, salt and pepper. Pour over the fish fillets and let marinate for 20 minutes.

Put the yogurt into a strainer lined with a paper towel and place over a bowl to drain and thicken for 20 minutes.

Remove the fish from the marinade and grill on a preheated grill or nonstick grill pan over a medium-high heat until cooked thorough, about 3 minutes per side.  Set the fish aside on a plate for 5 minutes.

In a small bowl combine the thickened yogurt, mayonnaise, and chipotle pepper (chopped).

Flake the fish with a fork. Top each tortilla with 1 tablespoon of the chipotle cream. Top with fish, cabbage, peppers, tomatoes and cilantro.

Definitely have some napkins ready!  Pick up the lettuce leaf like a taco shell and enjoy!

Nutrition Information
Calories 266 per serving
Carbs 22 g per serving (reduce this by excluding tomatoes)


Red Snapper
Red Snapper is low in Saturated Fat and Sodium. It is also a good source of Vitamin B6, Phosphorus and Potassium, and a very good source of Protein, Vitamin B12 and Selenium.  BUT - it's high in cholesterol.

Lettuce
Lettuce is low in Saturated Fat and Sodium, and very low in Cholesterol. It is also a good source of Riboflavin, Vitamin B6, Calcium, Magnesium, Phosphorus and Copper, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Thiamin, Folate, Iron, Potassium and Manganese.

Tomatoes
Tomatoes are low in Sodium, and very low in Saturated Fat and Cholesterol. They are also a good source of Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol), Thiamin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Magnesium, Phosphorus and Copper, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Potassium and Manganese.  A large portion of calories in tomatoes come from sugars.

Red Pepper

This food is very low in Saturated Fat, Cholesterol and Sodium. It is also a good source of Vitamin K, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Potassium and Manganese, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol), Vitamin B6 and Folate.

Cilantro

This food is very low in Saturated Fat and Cholesterol. It is also a good source of Thiamin and Zinc, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol), Vitamin K, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Pantothenic Acid, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Copper and Manganese.

Mayonnaise

This is low carb!