Getting Past the Pasta

Growing up I looked forward to spaghetti made with Spatini spaghetti sauce mix, my mom’s cottage cheese lasagna, and her gumbo served over rice. I miss stuffed shells, ravioli, mac and cheese, even Kraft out of the blue box. No Olive Garden either. Sniff. Whaa.  Okay, I am over it. Sort of.

Ten years ago, when I first gave up wheat pasta due to my allergies, I substituted yucky, mushy rice pasta elbows for everything I missed. Not much on the grocery shelves back then and I was desperate.  Now there are plenty of options. Lasagna noodles, jumbo shells, the fancy twirly kind. Even the texture has improved.

But I discovered rice’s dirty little secret and it wasn’t carbs. It was, GASP, Arsenic! 

I had heard about arsenic through the play and the 1944 movie, Arsenic and Old Lace, about two maiden aunts who poisoned old men as an act of "charity." Arsenic was the go-to rat poison back in the day. Did I say it loud enough? RAT POISON.

Arsenic in my rice? Here I was, being healthy, eating brown rice products as my sole substitute and I discover “too much of a good thing” is true. Ack! Consumer Reports report on arsenic and rice here

Have I scared you? Read the report and calm down. But only a little.  Let's face it, carbs are carbs. Even without the warning, I was still not losing the weight I needed to lose. Too many carbs.

But, but, but! What to do? I couldn't go cold turkey on spaghetti sauce! What about Mom's lasagna? 

That's when Pinterest saved me.  If you don't know what Pinterest is, go here Seekerville Pinterest article and then come back. I will wait for you.

I learned there are plenty of folks dealing with the same struggles. They have found ways around giving up pasta:

Broccoli slaw for rice.  Need to know more about broccoli slaw? Read Ruthy's Broccoli Slaw Need-to-know post.

Spaghetti squash for spaghetti noodles.
How to cook spaghetti squash

Notice a theme here. Fresh veggies replace pasta! Veggies, those things that grow in gardens and don't come in a box. Veggies, those things loaded with vitamins and fiber.  Revelation!

And zucchini squash for lasagna! So I set about creating my own lasagna recipe to suit my tastes.

First I peeled zucchini and then just kept slicing it with the veggie peeler.  You can also use a mandolin cutter to get wider strips or one of those crazy things AS SEEN ON TV.

Then, and this is the most important part. Lay the strips on paper towels and cover with more paper towels to absorb all the moisture. Let them sit for about 30 minutes. Pasta will absorb water in recipes but veggies contribute to it and you will end up with a more liquidy recipe than you probably want if you skip this step. Do NOT skip this step!

Substitute the strips in your favorite lasagna recipe. Just use less sauce since the "noodles" will make things a bit soupy and cook about fifteen minutes longer.   And, lookie, just like the real thing!

It slices, looks, and smells like the real thing. And it has more vitamins!

Hope this has helped those who love their pasta but their pasta doesn't love them.

Until next time, The GAL, living the gluten-free and allergy challenged life