This recipe came do be due to a number of cosmic (...or just regular) factors, all of which perfectly aligned for this post.
1. I am clearly on a peanut kick right now.
If you want to hop on for the ride, check out these recipes:
Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Avocado Pudding
Easy Homemade Peanut Butter Granola
Chocolate Peanut Butter [Veggie] Dessert Smoothie
2. Although I have been tempted to buy a spiralizer, I am both a. far too cheap and b. still trying to keep our stuff to a minimum after the big cleanout. If these two aspects of my personality/ life were different, however, I'd likely be all over it!
2 1/2. Instead of buying a new kitchen utensil for this recipe, I used something I already had on hand: a mandolin. Like a shredder, scraping the zucchini along its size produces long strands of zoodles.
3. Zoodles, all the rage on Pinterest, are perfect for our gluten-free diet as well as for easily incorporating extra, delicious veggies into a meal. In this recipe, I simply modified the sauce slightly and replaced the spaghetti (wheat or brown rice pasta) with the zucchini noodles.
4. This is a modification of one of my favorite recipes my mom makes. It's always better when she makes it, but this turned out pretty well considering...
5. Tons of veggies! When you replace noodles for veggies, you, obviously, get extra veggies. With this sauce, you won't even miss the pasta.
6. This is super quick and easy. Like most of my recipes, this one is both quick and easy. When you're trying to eat at home consistently, the last thing you need is long, involved recipes. To start and stay in the habit, finding simple ways to make good food work for you is key.
What you need:
- spiralizer/ mandolin (see links above)
- non-stick pan
- wooden spoon or non-scratch utensil (to stir zoodles)
- small bowl
- measuring spoons
- fork or whisk to combine sauce
Ingredients:
- 3 T peanut butter
- 6 T low sodium soy sauce (we used gluten-free)
- 1 T olive oil
- 1 T sesame oil
- 1 t honey
- 2-3 T sesame seeds
(optional: chopped scallions for garnish)
(optional: a pinch of cayenne for heat)
- 1 large zucchini (we used yellow squash)
To make zoodles:
Wash zucchini thoroughly. (We like the skin, so we simply made noodles from the whole vegetable.) Grate/ spiral/ slice zucchini into noodles using your selected kitchen utensil.
Heat for 3-5 minutes in a non-stick pan on low to med-low heat, or until desired softness--no oil necessary.
To make the sauce:
Whisk peanut butter, soy sauce, (cayenne), olive oil, honey, and sesame oil together.
Combine softened zoodles and sauce. Sprinkle sesame seeds (and optional chopped scallions) on top to garnish.
This dish is excellent hot or cold, and I've found it's even better the next day, cold, as a leftover.
Have you tried zoodles? What do you think?Labels: gluten-free, Mindful Eating, vegetarian
