Friday, March 7, 2014

Zoodles!

Zoodles zoodles zoodles. What a fun word.

Though I've never been faced with the difficulties of trying to get children to eat vegetables, I know that putting veggies in noodle form makes them so much more fun to eat, so I can imagine it would help. How do I know this? Because I'm basically a child; I love playing with my food. 

Zoodles are a good substitute for noodles whether you're gluten-free or just trying to cut down on carbs. Their taste obviously isn't the same, but their texture offers a cool, crunchy contrast to your protein of choice. I also enjoy eating them as a side dish after sautéing them in a bit of olive oil and herbs/spices. 

In order to make zoodles, you'll need to buy a julienne peeler (this is the one I have- it's super cheap and works like a charm). It may seem annoying to have to buy one, but the "oohs" and "ahhs" you'll get from your friends makes it totally worth it. Or if you want to get extra fancy,  you can get a "spiralizer"... the amount of stuff this baby can do is overwhelming.  

What you'll need:

  • however many zucchinis you want to make (I usually make about 3-4)
  • salt


What you need to do:


1. Wash yo zucchini and preheat the oven to 200F. Housekeeping stuff to get out of the way right off the bat. 

2. Cut a thin slice off one side of each of the zucchini so that they won't roll around when you're peeling them. Put them cut side down.


3. Use the julienne peeler to make zoodles, slicing until you get to the mealy, seedy part in the middle (throw that stuff away).

4. Lay out your zoodles on a paper towel lined baking sheet (don't be shy with the paper towel- there's more moisture in the zucchini than you think), salt 'em, and put it in the oven for about 1/2 an hour. This will remove as much moisture as possible to ensure that your zoodles aren't squishy. Cause nobody likes squishy zoodles. 

5. At this point, you can either put the zoodles in your refrigerator (uncovered) for up to three days and have them at the ready for whenever you want to sauté some veggies. Or, if you just can't wait to eat them, put a little bit of olive oil/spices/herbs of your choice in a pan and sauté for a few minutes, to your liking.

The end result is beautiful! Some people may argue that you should take off the skin first, but A) time, B) don't care that much, and C) they look/taste awesome anyways. 


Video goodie of the day: I imagine everyone around me feels like this because of my Frozen obsession... the cold never bothered me anyway.

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