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?

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.

Broccoli Rabe Pasta with Spicy Italian Sausage (Zucchini Noodles)

Seeing the broccoli rabe today at the grocery market, I knew there was no choice but to make a pasta with spicy Italian sausage and those beautiful leafy greens. I’m a big spicy-food lover and one dish I missed most during my 2008-early 2013 no-meat stint was my grandfather’s spicy sausage and peppers…. Hope you like it spicy! The only thing this dish is missing? A great glass of red. Mmm….

This classic Italian favorite can be a bit indulgent (the fat of the sausage, the carbs in the pasta). Luckily, we have the spiralizer to at least take out most of the carbs and calories! The spicy flavor pairs perfectly with the lightness of the zucchini noodles and the bitterness of the b-rabe. If you’re afraid of broccoli rabe because of its bitterness, fear not….. peel the skin of the stems (just use a knife or vegetable peeler to get it started at the bottom) and that helps take out bitterness.

Get Inspiralized with Kids!

In case you don’t follow me on Facebook (tsk tsk), I wanted to post this video for everyone (you can also find this on my YouTube page.) I have been overwhelmed by the wholehearted support given by my friends and family during this exciting time in my life. Quitting your job to “go for your dreams” is very daunting, and let’s just say, I wasn’t exactly smart about saving – my piggy bank echoes when I drop a penny in there. However, the encouragement and praise that I’ve been given so far is enough to keep me going so that one day, “Get Inspiralized” is as big as “Just do it.”

Having said all this, I was pleasantly surprised this morning to find that my cousin Sara’s cousin’s wife posted a video on Facebook of her adorable son Ethan spiralizing a zucchini! This just goes to show you that spiralizing is for all ages and skill levels. I’ll be posting soon about cooking for kids and using zucchini pasta not only as a quick healthy meal but also as a way to introduce children to veggies (in a sneaky way!)

Do you believe yet?

Official Inspiralized Guide: How to Spiralize a Vegetable

While I can’t offer you a “How to Spiralize” video (that’s in the works!), I have put together a  guide with better pictures, including what blades make which noodle/pasta shapes. Moving forward, you can access this guide on the “How to Inspiralize” page!

In this tutorial, you’ll notice that I’ve labeled the blades “A,” “B” and “C.” In all of my recipes, I will be referencing these letters. For example: “2 zucchinis, Blade A.” This means you should use the blade I’ve labeled as A for that particular recipe. Let’s get started….

Tasting Tuesday: Bikini Bolognese

Giada, you would be so proud. I just made a divine turkey bolognese. I’ll be honest, I’ve never made turkey bolognese, so I did a lot of Googling (and went first to Giada, duh). Luckily, it was one of those fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants days… everything I added to the skillet seemed so….. right. One of the reasons I love blogging is because I will get to share my amateur experiences with you all – and I promise, there will be some not-so-pretty ones. But hey, I’m 26 years old, I’ve never had a cooking lesson (not a one!) and I just love love love food (except eggplant, ack!) …. and I always aspire to be fitter, hence the healthiness I bring to my recipes. Every Italian woman wants to be a teeeeeeeny bit thinner…. except for Giada, she’s just blessed with that goddess-like Roman blood.

Tasting Tuesday is for me to test one of the recipes for my cookbook. So thanks for being my guinea pig. The key to this recipe today is briefly pureeing the carrots and celery before cooking them. This was a last-minute decision and really added to the texture of the bolognese and enriched the sauce.

Meatless Mondays: Inspiralized Vegetable Lo-Mein

For me, Chinese cuisine is right up there with Italian and Mexican! I don’t even want to know how they make those amazing sauces they slather on their noodles and meats. I’ve never had the opportunity to visit China, but I’d love to go – not only for the food (they eat everything!), but for the architecture, the history, and the culture. In the meantime, I’ll have to settle for Travel & Leisure magazine and the Inspiralized kitchen.

My favorite Chinese dish has to be lo-mein. Besides pizza, this is the only food that tastes better cold. After a brutal week, there’s nothing much more enjoyable than plopping down on the couch, ordering lo-mein and leaving leftovers in the fridge for lunch the next day. I promise my life is more exciting than that depiction, but – yum!

Unfortunately, I tend to limit my noodle intake for the sake of my waistline. It’s easy to polish off a large container! Thankfully, I’ve got a solution: Inspiralize! Yes, that’s right – although I haven’t featured one on here yet, the spiralizer is perfect for making noodle dishes. Just make sure you always peel your vegetables before spiralizing them to create that soft and slimy noodle texture. With this recipe, I’ve used yellow squash instead of zucchini, I like the texture and color better – it reminds me more of the real deal.

Skinny Sundays: Creamy Tomato Zucchini Pasta with Salmon and Asparagus

I don’t know about you all, but I definitely took advantage of the July 4th holiday and perhaps had a bit too much to eat and drink and not enough treadmill time. No worries – Skinny Sunday is here!

Tonight’s recipe contains chunks of yummy salmon. Salmon is infamous for its richness in omega-3 fatty acids which are vital to the health of our entire bodies. These fatty acids help lower cholesterol and support brain functions such as memory. I could go on about the powers of salmon as a heart-healthy fish, but instead – let’s get to the recipe!

Zucchinis Spotted on Vacation

I’m about to leave Florida, saying goodbye to rum drinks, fresh local fish, the beach and palm trees. On our way to the airport, we stopped at Carmine’s, my parents favorite local gourmet Italian-flared market… and I’m glad I stopped in. Even though our bellies were full from lunch at Sailfish Marina – after lump crab nachos, fish tacos and grilled dolphin salads, we couldn’t resist a little “sight seeing” at Carmine’s.

The veggies, the meats, the herbs, the olives, the wines, the desserts… everything catches your eye. I love going on vacation and eating the local delicacies and specials- on this trip, it was all about mahi mahi (dolphin). It’s probably my favorite fish and you can bet your bottom dollar that this week, I’ll be dreaming up some island/beach-themed dishes with zucchini pasta.