It looks like a serving bowl full of pasta noodles, doesn't it? But it's not - it's "spiralized zucchini noodles" and so many people are making these right now, I wanted to make sure you knew about the great gadget that makes these! Whether you are trying to avoid wheat, or trying to cut back on calories or just trying to get rid of a ton of zucchini in your garden, this Spiralizer is for you. When I first served these zucchini noodles to my husband, he thought they were pasta - so did a couple of other people who had them.
you can get one of these awesome Spiralizers here
I'm one of those people who actually uses the gadgets in my kitchen and I love this one! This Spiralizer is from Paderno and it works like a dream. It comes with three different blades and you can use it on all kinds of vegetables and some fruit. I used it on zucchini here, left the "noodles" raw and just tossed it with a simple basil pesto. It's a snap to clean and the blades store right in the Spiralizer itself.
It is super simple to make these zucchini noodles - start by trimming the ends off the zucchini. The Spiralizer has suction feet on the bottom to make sure it doesn't slip. Place the zucchini in between the blade and the pronged holder on the handle. Make sure it's secure and then just start cranking the handle. Cut the zucchini noodles at intervals with a knife, otherwise you will have four feet long noodles! After the blade does its work, you will be left with little zucchini pieces that are kind of funny looking. The blade works around the center of the zucchini and then all that is left is a long stem along with the end piece.
You can serve the zucchini noodles raw or lightly saute them so they are hot. Check out the bottom of this post for more awesome recipes from other bloggers that use this Spiralizer!
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Also, I wanted to thank Kristina Gill at Design Sponge for featuring me last week. I've been a big fan of that site for a long time. I developed a recipe for her and she was great fun to work with. The recipe is a trifle that was inspired by my Sicilian roots - it's lemon cakes brushed with limoncello, spread with a pistachio cream layer and a whipped cream layer. Pistachios and lemons are used in Sicilian cooking a lot. The trifle is bright and luscious and goes great with little shots of limoncello. If you would like to check the recipe out, you can find it here on Design Sponge.
if you would like a printable recipe of the Sicilian trifle, click here
Spiralized Zucchini Noodles with Basil Pesto
for a printable recipe click here
serves 6
Just like pasta, don't over dress the noodles! Just a light coating of pesto is what you want.
Ingredients:
- 5 medium zucchini
- 2 ounces parmesan cheese, cut into chunks
- 1 small clove of garlic
- salt and pepper
- pinch of red hot chili pepper (optional)
- 1 cup of slightly packed fresh basil leaves
- ¼ cup olive oil
Instructions:
Using the Spiralizer, make noodles out of the zucchini. In a food processor, add the cheese, garlic, a pinch each of salt, pepper and chili pepper. Pulse until fine. Add the basil leaves and pulse. Pour the olive oil into the feed tube slowly and pulse.
Place the zucchini noodles in a large serving bowl. Add the pesto and toss until all the noodles are coated. Don't overdress the noodles. It will take a couple of minutes to get the noodles all coated - just keep tossing. If the pesto is a little too thick, you can add a little bit more of oil or a little bit of water, but don't overdo it. Serve immediately - you don't want it to sit too long.
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More recipes using the Spiralizer:
Zucchini Noodles with Slow Roasted Tomatoes and Cream - Proud Italian Cook
Crispy Garlic Curly Potato Fries - The Housewife in Training Files
Zucchini Noodles and Grilled Shrimp - What's Gaby Cooking
Beet and Zucchini Noodles with Lemon Juice and Honey - Foodists
Cucumber Ribbon Salad with Thai Dressing - Kalyn's Kitchen
Yam Noodles with Sweet Sauce - This Rawsome Vegan Life
Enjoy!