Meatless Monday: Tomatokeftedes (Tomato Balls) with Tzatziki Zucchini Pasta

The first night that we arrived to Santorini, it was pretty late. Our flight had been delayed and we had been traveling for more than 18 hours, but we were determined  to eat something Greek. So, we dropped our bags off at the hotel and walked 5 minutes to a local spot called Anoti Restaurant. We ordered a bunch of different things, wanting to discover something special. Lucky for us, Santorini is the home of the tomatokeftedes, fried tomato balls. Holy moly was it savory. The richness of the Greek olive oil paired with the refreshing tang of mint creates an unforgettable appetizer experience. Talk about starting the trip on the right foot!

Santorini & Mykonos, Greece and an Unexpected Trip to Munich, Germany

There’s nothing that screams “back to reality” than the Monday after 10 days traveling on vacation. On Friday, July 26th my boyfriend and I left for vacation, excited to discover the islands of Greece and bask in the sun, swim in the Mediterranean, explore the country, enjoy infamous sunsets, taste local dishes, and just simply, relax.

And we did all of it, successfully- with one minor glitch.. On the way back home from Mykonos, our flight got delayed which caused us to miss our connection in Athens. Unfortunately, we had to buy a new ticket home, spend the night in Munich and fly back on Sunday. Fortunately, we got a full morning to explore Munich – which was such a treat (I didn’t indulge in any Bavarian breakfasts, though – next time)! I could not have wished for a more perfect trip and can’t wait to whip up some Inspiralized recipes – I jotted down a few notes while I ate my way through the Greek islands…..

Zucchini Noodle Review: Gustorganics (NYC)

Unfortunately, not many mainstream restaurants have spiralized pastas on their menu.. According to my research in NYC so far, the only restaurants that serve spiralized dishes are generally the vegan/vegetarian ones. Once I started this blog, I vowed to uncover every spiralized dish in the greater NYC area. Feel free to send me leads if you hear a certain establishment serves these revolutionary noodles – I’ll visit and review!

While I was stalking on Instagram (muahaha), I noticed a girl hashtagged #zucchinipasta. Being creepy, I commented on her photo and asked her where she was. Her response? Gustorganics!

Let’s Get Saucey (I couldn’t help myself!)

There are few complaints about spiralized pasta. What’s not to love? I get countless texts, Facebook messages, tweets and e-mails with pictures of what my friends, family and friends of friends of friends of friends have been making with their newly purchased spiralizers. It truly touches my heart to see how much fun everyone is having with Inspiralized – whether it’s making your own recipe or following one of mine, I’m so proud of y’all for opening your minds and trying something different.

Having said that, the one beef people have with spiralized pasta is that their sauces become too watery. It’s definitely a concern and let me tell you why and then I’ll tell you steps to take to prevent it.

Making the Impossible Possible: 3 Minute Pasta

I’ve said it dozens of times on this blog and I’ll say it again: not only is zucchini pasta healthier than regular pasta, it’s quicker! It takes about 15 seconds to spiralize one zucchini into spaghetti and it’s in edible form. How long does it take to get a cup of regular pasta into edible from? Well, about 10 minutes to boil the water and then an additional 10 minutes to cook the pasta. So you’re saying it takes 15 seconds to make zucchini pasta and 20 minutes to make regular pasta?

Tasting Tuesday: Spaghetti alla Puttanesca, Inspired by Jim Carrey

Whenever I see “puttanesca” on a menu, I think of Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, a movie starring Jim Carrey as “Count Olaf.” If you haven’t seen it, I recommend it – wonderfully creepy original soundtrack. According to IMDb, here is the synposis: “When a massive fire kills their parents, three children are delivered to the custody of cousin and stage actor Count Olaf, who is secretly plotting to steal their parents’ vast fortune.”

In one scene, Count Olaf has his wretched friends over and demands that the children make a meal for his guests, using whatever is in the kitchen. The kitchen is absolutely barren, filled with not much more than cockroaches and rotting canned goods. Spotting some pasta in a drawer, the crafty oldest girl decides to make Spaghetti alla Puttanesca. Her smart brother quickly points out that puttanesca is the Italian word meaning “very few ingredients.”

Meatless Monday: Zucchini Spaghetti and Sriracha Fried Eggs

Mark Bittman, a food columnist for the New York Times, wrote an article in 2008 about “Spaghetti Fried Eggs,” an adaptation from a dish published by Arthur Schwartz (once the NY Daily News restaurant critic and food editor.) Often referred to ask “the poor man’s spaghetti,” this simple meal formerly consisted of not much more than fried eggs, pasta, garlic, olive oil and Parmesan cheese. That poor man might have been penniless, but he ate well!

Once I got my hands on the recipe, I knew exactly how I wanted to Inspiralize it! The flavors of the zucchini really come out when paired with minimal ingredients, and the creaminess of the runny yolks give the noodles a saucey consistency. I really like spice, so I decided to throw in some red pepper flakes and…. sriracha! Let’s talk about sriracha for a minute… it’s a hot sauce from Thailand, mainly used with seafood or as a condiment for fried noodles. Bon Appetit actually published a marinara sauce recipe using it! My boyfriend’s business partner uses it like ketchup. It’s pretty life-changing….. I suggest you go buy it and make this recipe tonight!

Skinny Sunday: Greek Pasta Salad

Please excuse the plethora of “greek” recipes. Pretty much, it’s an excuse for me to use the near gallon of feta I bought at the grocery store. Also, of course…. I’m somewhere in Santorini right now, eating feta from the source – Greece!

Not only is this pasta salad light and fresh for the summer, it’s so low calorie and scrumptious, you won’t ever make regular pasta salad again. The crunchiness of the cucumber “spirals” complement the softness of the feta, while the red wine vinegar gives it the kick it needs. The sunflower seeds at the end (not so Greek) are a nice salty surprise.

Happy 1 Month Anniversary to Inspiralized!

It’s officially been one month since I started Inspiralized! I’d like to thank everyone for their support. Whether it’s 1 new Twitter follower or an extra 20 page views, I have been excited every single day to see this blog grow. The overwhelming encouragement from family, friends and friends of friends of friends has been extremely touching. Everyone’s kind words make me work harder and harder towards my goals. Most importantly, I have to thank my boyfriend. Without him, I would have never had the courage to take the plunge. He inspires me every day to dream bigger, and I’m so lucky to have him by my side during all of this.

By the way, the picture above is of Lu and I on a farm in central New Jersey. Cool pic, right?

It’s daunting to quit your job and grow something out of thin air, but entrepreneurship runs in my blood, so I think my success rate is high – my mother’s father, my father’s father and my father all started businesses. In all transparency, I don’t think of this blog as simply a food blog. Of course, I will always blog – I love to write. But I see spiralized pasta as a movement, as a revolution.

Pasta for Runners

DISCLAIMER: I am not a certified nutritionist nor do I have a degree in sports medicine. I read a lot (thank you Runner’s World) and I have racing experience. All of the opinions and advice expressed in this article are not to be taken in place of professional medical opinion.

Phew, now that we got that disclaimer out of the way, let’s talk running and eating. This week, I handed my boyfriend Dean Karnazes’ “Ultra Marathon Man.” When I was training for my marathon last summer, I read all of his books. He’s truly inspirational and just reading each page makes you want to go out for a run. His words “just put one foot in front of the other” got me through the 2012 Nike Women’s Marathon in San Francisco, CA last October.