Oodles of Zoodles

Ever seen a "zoodle?" A zucchini that has been put through a nifty tool to "spiralize" it and turn it into a gorgeous thin and delicious noodle?!
It is a fascinating process and a lot of fun to make. And it doesn't just stop at the zucchini!
You can also spiralize lots of other fruits and vegetables! We had fun with butternut squash and pears today!

These noodles help us pack nutrient-rich foods into a fun form that helps us increase variety and flavors in our meals. Zoodles are not meant to replace noodles permanently, but are a great alternative for when you want to increase your fruit or veggie intake. They can also encourage kids to eat their veggies!

Thai Zucchini and Carrot Salad

Creamy Spiralized Butternut and Mushroom Pasta

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil

1 medium butternut squash, peeled & spiralized (or 1 pack of prepared butternut noodles)

 About 10 white cup or portabello mushrooms, peeled and sliced

 ½ cup cooked lentils

Few fresh sage leaves, roughly chopped

For the creamy sauce

1 tablespoon butter

½ tsp garlic powder or 2 garlic cloves, minced

 ½ cup unsweetened almond milk

1 tbsp flour

4 tbsp nutritional yeast flakes

½ cup chopped cashews, sprinkled on top

Directions:

In a large saucepan or wok, heat the olive oil and cook the butternut noodles on medium heat for a couple of minutes until they begin to soften.

Add the mushrooms, lentils and sage and cook for 5 minutes.

Make a quick sauce by mixing the almond milk and arrowroot together in a small bowl. Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a large pan on the stove and add garlic. Then add the mixture to the frying pan and stir into the noodles. As it heats, it will begin to thicken. Once thick and creamy, remove from the heat and stir in the nutritional flakes.

Season with salt and pepper and cashews and enjoy!

Adapted from WallflowerKitchen

Thai Zucchini and Carrot Salad

Ingredients:

Dressing:

2 large tablespoons of peanut butter

juice of 1 lime

¼-1/2 cup warm water to thin

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce

1” grated ginger or 1 tsp ground ginger (optional)

¼-1/2  hot pepper, diced (optional)

1 tbsp honey

Noodles:

2 zucchinis

1 carrot

Extras:

Edamame

Sesame seeds

1 tbsp Seame oil

½ onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic

Salt and pepper

Directions:

Cook the edamame on the stovetop of microwave.

Make the dressing by combining all ingredients in a small bowl.

Spiralize zucchini and carrot. Squeeze into paper towel to remove excess water.

Heat 1 tbsp sesame oil in wok. Add onion and garlic and cook until onion begins to turn translucent. Add edamame.

Add “noodles” and cook only about 2-3 minutes. Pour sauce over noodle to coat and stir to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and enjoy!

Spiralized Cinnamon Pears

Ingredients:

2 pears, spiralized

1 tbsp coconut oil

1 tsp cinnamon

½ teaspoon nutmeg

sprinkle of salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400

Toss pears in coconut oil and add seasonings.

Bake pears for about 10 minutes.