One of the challenging and fun parts of my family eating healthier is trying to come up with new meals that everybody enjoys. My kids have always been really good about eating vegetables. They honestly do love most of them and ask for their favorites frequently.
Tonight I decided to try out my newest kitchen gadget, a Paderno vegetable spiralizer. I have a couple of other tools that are made to spiralize vegetables. One older one designed to cut curly fries and a newer Vegetti. I love the Vegetti and have used it a lot. But I have healthy appetites to fill, so I needed something that was a little more efficient. I saw a couple of reviews of the Paderno, found it on Amazon, and ordered one. At around $30, it was a great investment!
I was able to spiralize 6 cups of zucchini in less than 5 minutes! Beautiful, long, stringy strands – a few were a little too long. Elizabeth had one strand that was a good three feet long! I’ll have to cut some of the longer ones next time! But this spiralizer is awesome!
Like most people, I refer to zucchini noodles as “zoodles.” I made a yummy sauce that made even Michael forget that there was no meat involved in this dish!
Zoodles with Spicy Tomatoes and Artichokes
- 6 cups of zucchini noodles
- 2 14.5-ounce cans of fire roasted diced tomatoes
- 2 14-ounce cans of quartered artichoke hearts, drained
- 1 tablespoon of basil paste (or 2 tablespoons of very finely chopped fresh basil)
- 1/4 cup of grated Parmesan
- 1 teaspoon of red chili flakes
- 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika
- coconut oil
- salt
- pepper
In a large skillet, sautee the zoodles in 2 tablespoons of coconut oil and 1 teaspoon of salt on high heat for 4-5 minutes. Pour zoodles into a strainer and leave them there for now.
To the same skillet, add the tomatoes, artichoke hearts, basil, and seasonings. Cook on high heat until most of the liquid has reduced. Add the Parmesan and toss in the drained zoodles. Cook for another 2-3 minutes and add salt and pepper to taste.
Serve hot.
Well Duh #1: Zucchini contains a lot of water and it will have lots when you sautee it. That’s why you need to leave it in the strainer while you cook the rest of the dish.
Well Duh #2: Don’t overcook the zoodles. You aren’t going for a mushy texture. You want them to retain a little bite without a really big crunch.
Well Duh #3: Freshly-grated Parmesan works best for this dish.
This was REALLY good! Just spicy enough to have a kick without the spice overpowering the rest of the flavors. The zoodles will take on whatever flavor you give them and these really soaked up that delicious flavor! Aside from Elizabeth commenting that she could probably jump rope with one strand, this was awesome!
No meat required. And just look at those beautiful colors!
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