A Healthy and Delicious Twist on Two Italian Classics

Nothing beats a dish of homemade tomato sauce and pasta, or a sauté of sausage and peppers. But with summer right around the corner, I created a healthy and delicious twist on these two Italian classics – and I promise you won’t feel like you’re missing out.

At home, I have access to plenty of fresh ingredients, as well as plenty of time to prepare a dish from scratch. However, I know that living on a college budget and a college schedule doesn’t always allow for both – so I’ll show you how to make a delicious meal that’ll satisfy a college lifestyle.

I’m replacing the pasta with spaghetti squash, the sausage with chicken sausage, and adding in tons of vegetables to create a sauce that’s packed with flavor.

Ingredients:

1 medium sized spaghetti squash

Fresh basil

1 jar of tomato sauce (your healthiest choice would be Emeril’s Home Style Marinara, only 90 calories per serving and no added sugars)

2 large peppers (red, orange or yellow)

1 medium onion

1 package of chicken sausage (Italian Style – Trader Joe’s makes a great sausage at a reasonable price)

Seasonings (salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, dried oregano)

Grated parmesan

Olive oil for cooking

Preparation:

"Spaghetti and Sauce"

1. Slice spaghetti squash in half (width-wise). Fill microwavable dish with about 1" of water and place spaghetti squash seed-side down. Microwave for 20 minutes on HIGH. Scoop seeds out of squash and continue to microwave for 4-6 additional minutes. Squash is finished when you can easily scrape out the inside with a fork - if not, continue to microwave. Set squash aside once it has been scraped out - it will resemble cut spaghetti. 

2. Heat sauce in medium sauce pan over medium-low heat. Stir in fresh basil, onion powder, garlic powder. 

3. Once sauce is heated, pour on top of spaghetti squash and top with grated parmesan.

"Sausage and Peppers"

1. Slice onions and peppers into simliar sized thin strips, set aside.

2. Slice chicken sausage into 1/4" pieces, set aside.

3. Heat 2 tsbp. olive oil in a medium sauce pan over medium-high heat. 

4. Once oil is heated, add onions and peppers and sauté until onions become clear and peppers start to brown, being careful not to burn either vegetable. 

5. Add in chicken sausage pieces and cook until lightly browned. 

6. Remove from heat and season lightly with salt and pepper. 

Enjoy!

Quick spaghetti squash vs. spaghetti comparison:

According to the USDA nutrient database, 1 cup of cooked spaghetti squash provides 42 calories, .4 grams of fat, 1 gram of protein, 10 grams of carbohydrates, and 2.2 grams of fiber. 

Compare that to 1 cup of cooked enriched spaghetti which yields 221 calories, 1.3 grams of fat, 43 g of carbohydrate and 2.5 g of fiber.

Summit Welcomes "Pizza Vita" with Open Arms and an Eager Appetite

Watch out Summit pizza lovers, there’s a new pizza place in town boasting it’s own twist on everyone’s favorite Italian classic. Located at 7 Union Place in Summit, NJ, Pizza Vita offers a variety of antipasti, pizzas, salads and pastas inspired by the traditional pizzerias of Naples, Italy. Owners Rocco and Adele DiBiase opened the restaurant’s doors on July 18, 2011 and since then, it has proved to be a roaring success. Driven by our eagerness to eat at the newest local cuisines, my dad, brother and I decided to check out what it is that makes this place so popular.

Here’s how we did it:

Starters:

Mozzarella en Carozza (translation: Olive oil poached mozzarella). Breaded, lightly fried and topped with a fresh, sweet tomato sauce, this appetizer is on the top of the menu for a reason. It is the perfect balance of sauce and lightly fried-cheesy goodness that is a necessity to have on your table prior to ordering any other item on the menu. Take it from someone who is normally not a cheese lover, these are a must-have item.

Meatballs: I’m normally hesitant about ordering meatballs because they tend to have a lot of filler and only a little bit of meat. However, these baseball sized-meatballs, which are impeccably seasoned and incredibly moist, have far exceeded any previous expectations I may have possessed. Served with an absolutely delicious and flavorful homemade sauce, this appetizer will make any meat lover a very happy diner.

Pizza:

Before getting into the pizzas that we ordered, I must mention what it is that sets Pizza Vita’s pizzas apart from all the others. Pizza Vita strictly uses ingredients in accordance with the Verace Pizza Napoletana Association (VPN), which was established to protect and promote authentic Napoletana pizza. Consequently, as a member of the VPN, Pizza Vita only serves D.O.C. pizza, which means that their pizza is made with only soft grain flour, water, all natural fresh yeast, sea salt, San Marzano tomato and Mozzarella di Bufala or Fior di latte Mozzarella.

So what does this all mean? It means that Pizza Vita uses only the freshest and finest ingredients (with many imported right from Italy) in order to serve up their original homemade pie! Once prepped, the pizza is cooked in a 100% wood fired oven for just 90 seconds due to its constant 900-degree temperature.

Margheritta D.O.C.: A classic margherita pizza with a chewy, lightly burned crust that is absolutely to die for. Though simple, this pizza will win over any classic pizza lover.

Padrino: Crushed tomato, hot soppresata (Italian cured dry salami), olives and provolone. A different take on the traditional meat-lovers pizza, however, it is equally satisfying and delicious. You may want to ask for extra bread to dip in the oil that drips off the pizza because I can guarantee you will want to savor every last bite.

Desserts:

All of the desserts are prepared by owner and chef Adele DiBiase, whose pastry background provided a delectable ending to this already incredible meal.

Doughnuts filled with melted chocolate, served with homemade caramel sauce: These doughnuts were light and fluffy, dusted with sugar and served hot. The melted chocolate inside is what made these doughnuts extra special and irresistible.

Despite sampling the restaurant’s many options, we barely made a dent in the menu, and left wanting to come back for more. So head on over soon to Pizza Vita and check it out for yourself! I promise you won’t regret it.

If you want to see their menu and other information before heading over, visit:

 www.pizzavitanj.com