Zucchini "Noodles" with Creamy Avocado Dressing

If you want to cut down on carbs (or are gluten-free) but don't want to do without pasta, spiral-sliced zucchini is a fantastic alternative! I got a cheap tool, but I think I may get an actual spiralizer for the future. They're not expensive and the health benefits of using vegetables for "noodles" is really a LOT better (and easier) than I thought.

We had this recipe last night and it was divine, so I wanted to share it here.

Ingredients:



3-4 zucchini, spiralized
1/2 t. salt for "sweating"
1/2 red onion, sliced thin
1-2 small avocados (I think I'll go with one next time as the sauce was a little too much for 3 zukes)
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped small
garlic to taste, crushed or chopped (I used about 6 cloves because we LOVE it)
juice of one lime
small package of mushrooms, sliced
1 beefsteak tomato, chopped (or equivalent cherry or grape tomatoes)
olive oil
4 slices bacon (optional, but fantastic!)
salt and pepper to taste
cayenne pepper to taste

Directions:



Spread the spiralized zucchini out on a cookie sheet and salt generously. Mix with fingers and let it "sweat" for 30 minutes, while preparing other ingredients. Place it in a colander and rinse well. Dry it by wrapping it up in a clean towel and squeezing it over a bowl or the sink. These two pics are from this YouTube video.
www.youtube.com...





If using bacon, fry and chop into bite-size pieces.
Chop up tomatoes.
In the same pan, saute onion, garlic, mushrooms and jalapeno in olive oil with a few bacon drippings, remove from pan and set aside.
Depending on if you want smooth or chunky sauce, you can either process or just mash the avocado with lime juice, salt, pepper and cayenne with about 1-2 T olive oil.

Putting it all together. In the same saute pan, heat 1T olive oil and add rinsed and dried zucchini noodles for just a couple minutes. Add in mushroom mixture and bacon to warm. Finally, add avocado sauce and turn off the stove while you mix and warm all ingredients.

Place it in a serving bowl and sprinkle tomatoes over the top. Enjoy!

a reply to: Benevolent Heretic

Thank you for sharing this recipe...it reads as delicious! I have been looking for more alternative foods other than pasta. Another one is spaghetti squash.

a reply to: Benevolent Heretic

Oh... wow... this looks great!

Thanks for sharing, BH.. Will certainly have to give this a try.

S&F

a reply to: Benevolent Heretic

Just the title made me hungry, OMG. Great ingredient selection. I'd like an steak with that, not sure about the type of wine.

If any of you try it, let me know what you think!

I'm going to use the thicker slicer for the noodles next time.

That looks awesome and I was eyeing that spiraling tool the other month at a kitchen gadget store. Maybe I'll give it a try.

Hmmm, another kitchen gadget ...

Spaghetti squash is just naturally noodley on its own without needing the gadget, but it's always nice to have alternatives for things to do with zucchini. If you plant it, you always get way more than you can eat.

a reply to: ketsuko

True, but zucchini has half the carbs and calories and it seems more like pasta to me that spaghetti squash does. I do like spaghetti squash, though...

originally posted by: InTheLight
That looks awesome and I was eyeing that spiraling tool the other month at a kitchen gadget store. Maybe I'll give it a try.

The one in the picture was inexpensive, and it would be a pain to do more than 3-4 squash. I like the way the Spiralizer works, but have never tried it. Yet.

originally posted by: Benevolent Heretic
a reply to: ketsuko

True, but zucchini has half the carbs and calories and it seems more like pasta to me that spaghetti squash does. I do like spaghetti squash, though...

I guess if you're worried about those things. I always figure it is what it is. To me, it's more important that my food tastes good than that I count carbs or calories. I am also running out of room for kitchen gadgets.

a reply to: ketsuko

To me, it's most important to have healthy food that tastes good. Refined carbs like pasta are okay in small amounts, but most people way overeat them. I am personally convinced that the majority of Americans' health problems (diabetes, heart disease, Alzheimer's, etc.) are caused by diet, mainly too much sugar and refined carbs. Did you know that if you eat too much protein, the body converts the excess to sugar?

I have been using a spiralizer to make veggie noodles for a while now. I LOVE it! I make zucchini noodles, beet noodles, sweet potato noodles and butternut squash noodles. I got rid of my bread maker, which left me plenty of room to store the spiralizer. The recipe in the OP sounds delicious and I can't wait to try it.

I don't know if anyone has tried kelp noodles (I buy it online through Amazon), but they're really good too. They remind me of cellophane noodles you get in Asian cooking. Very low calories, zero carbs and lots of good minerals.

OMG I am so craving this right now .....I am crazy I want to make this now! I have so much squash and never know what to do with it ( summer) beside the same ol' same old. TY. YUM.

originally posted by: ketsuko
I guess if you're worried about those things.

I'm not worried, I just know if I'm not careful I'll put back on the weight I fought so hard to lose.

I am also running out of room for kitchen gadgets.

I am, too. kaylaluv mentioned the unmentionable: Getting rid of the bread machine! I'm not ready to do that yet. Being gluten-sensitive, it's pretty important I make my own baked goods and the bread machine is a staple!

originally posted by: Benevolent Heretic

originally posted by: InTheLight
That looks awesome and I was eyeing that spiraling tool the other month at a kitchen gadget store. Maybe I'll give it a try.

The one in the picture was inexpensive, and it would be a pain to do more than 3-4 squash. I like the way the Spiralizer works, but have never tried it. Yet.

Yes ,the smaller hand held version would become a pain very quickly, but the larger version is only $35-40, which I consider well priced for this product.

Other than the avocado and zucchini, it sounds pretty good. The only way I like zucchini is in bread. There is no way that avocado can be prepared that I would like it.

Bacon and mushrooms sound great.

originally posted by: rickymouse
Other than the avocado and zucchini, it sounds pretty good.

LOL! I think maybe you should try a different recipe.

i use my little hand held sprial slicer quite a bit. Calabacita and zucchini mostly.

The "sweating" technique isn't something I have tried.

But having another warm avocado dish in the arsenal is nice. Ill end up making this next week I think.

originally posted by: Benevolent Heretic

originally posted by: rickymouse
Other than the avocado and zucchini, it sounds pretty good.

LOL! I think maybe you should try a different recipe.

But, I saw bacon in this one.

a reply to: kaylaluv

There is a fine line IMO between being worried about having too much and completely eliminating it from your diet. For the most part, if I'm eating a pasta dish, I'll put it on pasta.

But I do like to have spaghetti squash too.

I'd much rather simply by some leafy greens, chop 'em up, add some simply diced veggies and a homemade vinaigrette and serve up my pasta dish with a nice green salad.

I figure so long as I'm not eating pasta every night or even every other night, but maybe once or twice a month, I'm probably not going to die from eating some actual noodles.

But YMMV.

originally posted by: bigfatfurrytexan
i use my little hand held sprial slicer quite a bit. Calabacita and zucchini mostly.

The "sweating" technique isn't something I have tried.

But having another warm avocado dish in the arsenal is nice. Ill end up making this next week I think.

Sweating is a useful thing to do when you need to get the excess moisture out. I have a blanched asparagus recipe that has a cucumber/onion topping where you sweat the cucumbers in the same sort of way only you save the sweating liquid for part of the recipe.