I'm considering a vegetarian lifestyle

I'm not the only person straddling the plant-based-diet fence. I learned this after recently attending a free program on vegetarian living at the SouthShore Regional Library.

Chairs and vegan-friendly cherry muffins were set out for the 30 or so guests that were expected to be intrigued with the subject. About 70 showed up.

The hour-long program presented by Hussein Mourtada and Denise Anderson focused on what it means to be a vegan or vegetarian. The pair has 21 years of not "eating anything with a face" between them.

My neighbors were there for different reasons. To my left sat Lyn Safian of Kings Point, who told me she's a semi-vegetarian and is thinking of going all the way. To my right was Sun City Center resident Mary Schultz. Since she has high cholesterol, she was looking for ways to eat healthier.

Hussein, a 16-year vegetarian, was born in Africa. He told us that part of his inspiration to go vegan was inspired by the fact that some of the world's most powerful animals are vegetarian, like elephants for example.

He explained vegan diets, which involve eating a plant-based diet, have been shown to reduce the risk of a broad range of health concerns, including lowering cholesterol, blood pressure and the risk for osteoporosis, controlling diabetes and preventing cancer.

I love pasta, but I don't love the simple carbs in it.

While whole grain pasta is tasty and bumps up fiber content over the enriched stuff, I still fret over the calories, 174 per cup. But there's a way around this.

Get this: Using a gadget called a vegetable spiral slicer, Anderson transformed a large zucchini into long, elegant strands resembling angel hair pasta. The calorie count? Only 45 for about 3 cups.

For me, this contraption had an off-the-charts wow factor. If a no-calorie noodle isn't a miracle, I don't know what is. I already have one ordered online.

ZUCCHINI PASTA

2 zucchinis, peeled

1 ripe tomato

1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, soaked or oil-packed

1/2 red bell pepper, chopped

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon dried basil –or-

1 tablespoon fresh basil, minced

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon crushed garlic (1 clove)

1/4 teaspoon plus 1/8 teaspoon salt

Dash black pepper

Dash cayenne

Cut the zucchini into thin noodles using a spiral slicer for vegetables or use a vegetable peeler to create long ribbons of fettuccine-like strands by drawing the peeler down all sides of the zucchini until you reach the core. Place in a medium bowl and set aside.

To make the sauce, place all of the ingredients, except the zucchini, in a food processor or blender, then process until smooth. Stop occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Toss with the pasta and serve immediately.

Note: To serve warm, heat the sauce gently on the stove for a minute, taking care not to overheat.

Makes 2 servings.