Zucchini Lasagna

This was yummy and if you are watching your pasta consumption, this recipe is perfect!! I left out a step of salting and draining the zucchini, so mine wasn't perfect but the taste was superb and this is a keeper but I have posted the directions for lasagna that should turn out better and keep the same great taste.

INGREDIENTS:

• Spaghetti Sauce
• Zucchini sliced into long, thin strips
• 15 oz fat free ricotta
• fat free mozzarella
• parmesan cheese
• salt & pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 375
2. Make sauce, or if you are like me, you have some on hand in freezer and thaw day before.
3. Slice zucchini. 
1. something I did not do, and would recommend,  is to sprinkle salt on the zucchini and leave in a colander for about an hour to help drain out some of the water. If not, see my last pic, you have a bit of extra water in the finished product, we jokingly called it lasagna soup and it was good anyways. 
4. Mix ricotta with salt, pepper, and parmesan to taste.
5. Begin layering first with a small bit of sauce then zucchini to cover, ricotta mix, zucchini, sauce, zucchini, really whatever order you want. Let your last layer be sauce.
6. Cover with foil and bake at 375 for 35 mins. Take a fork and see if you can easily pierce through lasagna, if you feel resistance/toughness from the zucchini, let it continue to bake until it is soft.
7. Remove cover, add mozzarella, cover loosely, and bake for 10 mins.
8. Serve!!

Sliced zucchini (I used a mandolin slicer)

Ricotta, parmesan, salt & pepper mix

just cover it and it's ready to bake...oh so yummy!!

finished product, pardon the missing section at the bottom, bless my husband's little heart he was hungry!

Make sure you salt and drain your zucchini or you may have a bit of excess liquid as seen below, but even if you don't have time the recipe still turns out fantastic, I actually enjoyed the 'soup'

See a bit of the soupiness? I actually scooped it up and ate it, it was tastily thus the lasagna soup reference!

Reduced fat/calorie, but DELISH Zucchini Bread

This low fat, reduced calorie recipe will leave you satisfied and only craving more and best of all why not, after all it is good for you. This recipe makes 2 regular 9" loafs.

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 cups All Purpose Unbleached Flour
• 2 cups Ideal Sugar (or Splenda)
• 1 cup Applesauce
• 2 cups grated zucchini
• 3 Egg Whites or a little over 1/3 cup of pre-separated egg whites
•  3 teaspoons cinnamon
• 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• a pinch of Salt

DIRECTIONS:

• Preheat oven to 325*
• Shred zucchini using a grater. Measure out all ingredients. Spray/Grease and flour two 9" loaf pans.
• Mix all dry and wet ingredients (NOT ZUCCHINI) in stand mixer on medium low setting for 5 mins or hand mixer on medium for 5 mins.
• Hand mix in/fold the zucchini into the batter and pour into prepared loaf pans.
• Bake approximately 40-60 mins or until browned on top and toothpick or test stick comes out clean.

Here is the ingredients measured out by dry, applesauce/vanilla/cinnamon, egg whites, and shredded zucchini.

I didn't photograph the mixing process, I figured you could 'get' that. Please note I mechanically mixed everything first then hand mixed in the zucchini.

As you can see, my sweet husband couldn't wait for me to even take a picture before diving in. The recipe is that good.

A close up of the un-cut loaf (I lost my bread tester and had to use a butter knife *thus the gaping hole in the middle*)

Another shot of the sweet perfection

This bread is fabulous alone, but divine with a smidge of light butter or with a bit of applesauce or cream cheese. We never seem to be patient enough to let it cool before slicing and no issues have arisen yet with cutting right out of the oven, just be sure to use a sharp, serrated knife (like a steak knife or bread knife)

I hope you enjoy it. Also this is a great freezer bread too, I wouldn't recommend freezing it for longer than 1-2 months.