Zucchini Noodle Bowl

Zucchini Noodle Bowl

I was intrigued by the idea of making healthier "noodles" out of vegetables.   I was inspired by Oh She Glows blog post:  How to Spiralize Vegetables (Without a Spiralizer) to make an even lighter version of one of my favorites, Asian Noodle Salad.  I already had a julienne peeler (like this one) languishing mostly unused in my utensil drawer waiting for just this opportunity.  I figured that even if I wasn't sold on using the vegetable noodles to substitute for pasta, cutting vegetables this way this would add a fun twist to some favorite salads.  I found it super easy to julienne the zucchini and even the carrot didn't require much effort but was a little more awkward because of its shape.  Once you get the hang of using the peeler, you'll have a pile of "noodles" in no time.  It will take about 15-20 minutes to put this salad together.

For my first vegetable noodle recipe I made:

Zucchini Noodle Bowl

serves 2

Salad:
2-3 small-medium zucchini, julienne sliced*
1 large carrot, julienne sliced
1 cup cabbage (red or napa), thinly sliced or shredded
1/2 red, yellow or orange bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 spring onion, sliced into rounds
1/2 cup steamed edamame or peas

Put all of the ingredients into a bowl and toss to combine.
*Larger zuchinni tend to have seeds which don't julienne well.

Dressing:
1 tablepoon lemon or lime juice
1 teaspoon honey or agave nectar (vegan)
2 tablespoons natural peanut butter (almond or sunflower butter or sesame tahini can substitute)
1 tablespoon rice or cider vinegar
1 tablespoon Braggs amino acid, soy sauce or tamari
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon finely minced ginger
1-2 garlic cloves, minced or crushed
red pepper flakes or your favorite pepper sauce, to taste

Whisk the dressing ingredients to combine.  Pour over the salad vegetables and toss to coat everything.  Serve with optional toppings or garnishes as desired.  If you double the ingredients for the dressing, you can save the other half in the refrigerator for another day to serve over a nice green salad with grilled tofu or other protein of choice.

Optional toppings and garnishes:
1 tablespoons sesame seeds
2 tablespoons roasted peanuts or cashews
lemon or lime wedges

By the way, I ate the entire recipe by myself for dinner - that's right, I mean "all of it".  I was hungry after working out in the fresh air in the garden and all those guilt-free veggie noodles kept calling me from the bowl.  

I can't wait to try making "noodles" out of other vegetables and share the recipes with you.

Thanks for reading!

Peas and onions growing in the garden

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