Asian Zucchini Noodle Stir-Fry

First - this is supposed to be made with shrimp! I made this on a night when Will wasn't going to be home, so I just left the shrimp off and went veggie. But it would be delicious with shrimp, or even chicken too! The sauce is the best.

I'm posting the recipe WITH shrimp. Just skip that step if you keep it veggie.

1/2 c chicken or vegetable broth
1/4 c hoisin sauce
1 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
2 tsp cornstarch
3 tbsp olive oil, divided
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp minced fresh ginger

1 lb jumbo shrimp, shelled and de-veined

1 medium bell pepper, sliced

1/2 c shredded carrots
2/3 c sliced red onions
1 c sugar snap peas
2 medium zucchini, cut into noodles (I used 4 smaller)

Toasted sesame seeds, for garnish

In a small bowl, whisk together the vegetable broth, hoisin sauce, soy sauce and cornstarch. Set the mixture aside.

Place a large sauté pan or wok over medium-low heat. Add 2 tbsp olive oil and and heat it for 1 minute. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
Add the shrimp to the pan and cook, stirring as needed, until the shrimp are cooked throughout and pink on all sides, about 3 minutes. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper and then transfer them to a bowl, leaving any liquid in the pan.
Increase the heat to medium. Add the remaining 1 tbsp of olive oil to the pan, then add the bell pepper, carrots, red onions and snow peas and cook, stirring constantly, for 3 to 4 minutes until the vegetables are crisp but tender. Add the prepared sauce and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes until the sauce thickens slightly. 

Return the shrimp to the pan, stirring to combine, then add the zucchini noodles and cook, tossing to coat, for 1 minute. Transfer the stir-fry to serving plates, garnish with toasted sesame seeds and serve immediately.

Original recipe found here.

Raw Rainbow Pad Thai Salad

This time of year, every time I make something I think - "Can I do this during the school year?" Answer: YEP! Spiralize everything on Sunday, and make individual containers. This could easily be my lunch every day.

Also - this was my first time to try hemp seeds!

Sweet potato noodles were for Cajun Sweet Potato Noodles!

Salad:
1 medium zucchini, spiralized
2 large carrots, julienned (I spiralized)
1 red pepper, thinly sliced
1 c thinly sliced red cabbage (I also spiralized this!)
1/2 c frozen edamame, thawed
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 tbsp hemp seeds
1/2 tbsp sesame seeds

Peanut dressing:
1 tsp minced garlic
1/4 c PB2 (powdered peanut butter, go ahead and mix it with water)
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
2 tbsp water
2.5 teaspoons pure maple syrup (or other sweetener) (I used Stevia)
1/2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
1 tsp freshly grated ginger



Prep vegetables. Add the zucchini, carrots, pepper, and cabbage into one or two large bowls. Toss with hands to combine.

Prepare the dressing by processing all dressing ingredients in a mini processor (or simply whisk by hand). The dressing may seem a bit thin at first, but it thickens as it sits.

Top bowls with edamame, green onion, hemp seeds, and sesame seeds. Pour on dressing and enjoy!

Original recipe found here.

Cajun Sweet Potato Noodles

Last weekend I realized - I have TWO weeks of summer left... TWO weeks to try new recipes, and recipes that might be a little more time consuming! So I planned out 3 new veggie noodle dishes for this week... they ALL turned out delicious.

After I prepped for this, I realized it would be super easy to prep veggie noodles (sweet potato, zucchini, etc.) on Sundays. They keep well, so you could just have them on hand for the week. Check out inspiralized.com - it's a whole site devoted to spiralizing... how-to, meal planning, storage, recipes!

THESE WERE SO TASTY. The ENTIRE recipe is about 500 calories... I ate it all by myself since Will was at a work dinner! I'm glad I got it all to myself!

Sweet Potato Noodles:
2-3 medium-sized sweet potatoes
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp Cajun seasoning
½ tsp sea salt

Veggie Noodles:
1 large red bell pepper, cored and thinly sliced
8 oz mushrooms, cleaned and thinly sliced
1 large red onion, peeled and the ends sliced off
1 large zucchini, about 12 ounces, ends sliced off
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tbsp olive oil
3 tomatoes, about 12 oz, chopped
Chopped fresh cilantro, about ½ of a small bunch



Preheat the oven to 450ºF.

Start by spiralizing the sweet potatoes, and place them on a parchment lined baking sheet.

Spiralize the red onion and zucchini and set them aside. Clean the spiralizer right away for easy cleanup!

Toss the sweet potato noodles with the olive oil, Cajun seasoning, and sea salt.  Place the sweet potato noodles in the oven to roast, until softened, about 8 minutes.

While the sweet potato noodles are roasting, sauté the prepared bell pepper, mushrooms, onion, zucchini, and garlic in the remaining 1 tbsp of olive oil until the veggies are just tender.

Remove sweet potatoes from the oven and add them to the pan with the sautéed veggies. Add chopped fresh tomatoes, and fresh cilantro. Cook just long enough to heat through and serve immediately!

Original recipe found here.

"Fried" Zoodles and Veggies

Once the prep for this dish was done, I had it cooked in less than 10 minutes! During the school year, it would be easy to prep all the veggies on Sunday, then make the stir-fry Mon. or Tues. This is so low calorie, healthy, and delicious! If you haven't bought a spiralizer yet, you need one!! (I have this one from AmazonPrime!)

4 c zucchini peels (spiralized, mandolin, peeled, etc.) (I had 3 medium zucchini & used my spiralizer)
1/2 c diced white onion
1 1/2 c broccoli florets
1 bell pepper, chopped
6-8 baby bella mushrooms, sliced
1 tsp minced garlic
2-3 tbsp light soy sauce
2 eggs
salt/pepper
olive oil cooking spray


Coat medium sized skillet with cooking spray and under medium heat scramble the eggs and set aside.

Spray a large pan with cooking spray, heat over medium-high heat, and add garlic. Cook for about 30 seconds, and add the onion and broccoli. Stir and continuing cooking for a few minutes. Add bell pepper and mushrooms, cooking 2-3 more minutes. Add in soy sauce, stir all veggies together. Add zucchini noodles, stir. Last, add in the scrambled egg. Give it a big stir, season with salt/pepper, and serve! YUM!!!

Original recipe found here.

Zoodles with Creamy Avocado Sauce

We had smoked chicken along with these zoodles, and the avocado sauce was also amazing on the chicken. You might think it would turn brown as leftovers the next day? Nope! Easy, creamy, delicious!

zoodles
1 large avocado, pitted
1-2 tbsp lemon juice 
1-2 cloves garlic, crushed 
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
large handful fresh basil, 8-10 leaves (plus extra for garnish) 
salt and pepper, to taste

Pit the avocado and put avocado, lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, and basil in a food processor. Blend until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste. 

Original recipe found here.

Spiralized Sweet Potato Mac & Cheese

Now I've spiralized a sweet potato! The cheese sauce for this is almost just like the sauce in my Spaghetti Squash Mac & Cheese. So delicious and creamy! When you spiralize the sweet potato, your supposed to cut halfway through it with a knife. That will give you larger half moon shapes. Then you can cut it once more to make it more macaroni-like.

Fun fact about these: I spiralized the sweet potato over the weekend, then froze the "noodles" ... after researching spiralized food in advance and the best way to store it. Great texture!

There is a whole blog about spiralizing - Inspiralized. Super awesome, check it out!

I made this a second time, and used a different blade on my spiralizer. More spaghetti-like!

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled, Blade B
4 tbsp light butter
2 tbsp flour
2/3 c skim milk
1/2 c grated sharp cheddar cheese (2%)
1/2 c grated parmesan cheese

Take your spiralized sweet potato noodles and cut with a scissor, if they are not in half-moon shape. Set aside.

In a large skillet, coat with cooking spray and add in the sweet potato noodles. Cook, tossing frequently, until cooked, for 5-7 minutes. When done, set aside.

In a large saucepan, add in the butter and let melt. Once melted, add in the flour and whisk together until flour absorbs butter and becomes thick. Then, add in the milk and whisk together constantly until mixture thickens.

Once the mixture thickens, add in the sweet potato noodles and stir to combine. Once combined, add in the cheese and stir again to combine. If it is too thick, add in more milk. Once the cheeses have melted into the noodles and consistency is to your preference, divide into bowls and enjoy!

Original recipe found here.

Zucchini Noodles with Roasted Tomatoes & Cream

BIG NEWS: I no longer use my mandolin slicer to make zoodles (zucchini noodles). I bought this spiralizer from Amazon that a friend recommended. Amazing!!! So fun to use and so easy! I've searched for all sorts of new spiralized vegetable recipes. (I'm trying a sweet potato mac & cheese soon-stay tuned!). Anyway, totally worth the money. It makes the zoodles much more curly and solid, if that that makes sense.

Ok, so to the actual RECIPE. The sauce is divine (I don't use that word often), and I even substituted fat-free half-n-half for the heavy cream!!! The roasted tomatoes are juicy and delicious, the sauce is creamy and full of flavor, and the zoodles are fresh & yummy.

5-6 zucchini, made into zucchini noodles by using either a Spiralizer or a julienne slicer.
1 pint of yellow cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1 pint of red cherry tomatoes, cut in half
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 shallot, minced
2 or 3 fresh thyme sprigs
small handful, chopped fresh basil
3/4 c heavy cream (I used fat-free half-n-half)
3/4 c of freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Arrange the cherry tomatoes cut side up on a rimmed baking sheet. Spray all over with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast at 400 degrees F for 10-15 minutes.

Heat the butter in a saute pan over medium low heat, when the butter is melted and starts to foam add the shallot, cook until softened. Scrape in the tomatoes and any juices that collected on the baking sheet. Add the thyme sprigs and pour in the cream (or half-n-half), I added half of the cheese by sprinkling it around the tomatoes and into the cream. Heat gently on low until it simmers. Turn off the heat and stir in basil.

In a larger saute pan, drizzle with olive oil and place your zucchini noodles on top, gently cooking and carefully tossing until just slightly wilted and still al dente, just a few minutes. Place zucchini noodles onto a serving platter and spoon the sauce right over the top, adding more parmesan cheese.

Original recipe found here.