Zucchini "Noodles" with Creamy Avocado Dressing

originally posted by: rickymouse
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.

You're the only person I know of that hates avocado.

a reply to: Benevolent Heretic

Thanks for a yummy sounding recipe and good pics.

a reply to: ketsuko

They call it a "type 0 diet" or something similar. It isn't the blood type that determines it....but they are related to the same cause.

Some folks just don't process carbohydrates as cleanly/efficiently as others. Its nice to romanticize that northern folks are less adept at burning off carbs, and store them as fat. But who knows....its just a romanticizing.

For me, carbs trigger heartburn, cause bloating, and with prolonged consumption will exacerbate an autoimmune disease I have. Which is kind of a grab bag of misery, as outward symptoms change but are typically skin and joint related. Since i don't tend to get enough fiber without some carbs, I have to go "off the wagon" from time to time. Otherwise....30g/day and no more.

a reply to: bigfatfurrytexan

Actual dietary needs are a different thing entirely than dietary preference. Up until you, the thread simply made it sound like a bunch of people who were ditching carbs out of choice, not need. Which, you have to admit, is a current fad in diets, so I don't think I was too out of line to think that.

I was only expressing the opposite view - that I limit my carbs, but I don't choose to ditch them entirely.

a reply to: bigfatfurrytexan
a reply to: ketsuko

I'm the same as bfft. I definitely don't cut carbs out, but I prefer to eat sweet potatoes and quinoa instead of white pasta because of the nutritional superiority AND I'm gluten sensitive. I can't eat regular pasta without becoming very ill. Besides, I can eat a plate of zucchini for a meal and never feel "guilty" or bloated!

You assumed there was some sort of "carb-ditching" going on. I mentioned CUTTING carbs (which can be a very healthy thing to do for SOME) and gluten sensitivity in the very first sentence of the thread. No one has even alluded to cutting carbs out of their diet.

I hope this addresses your concerns.

www.precisionnutrition.com...

If I buy that spiraller gadget (most likely will), then I may try a sweet potato fries diet.

And another benefit will be that I will feel 'groovy'.

Fun factoid! Potatoes also contain trace amounts of naturally occurring temazepam and diazepam (aka Valium) along with L-tyrosine (a precursor to dopamine, one of our “feel-good” neurotransmitters).
Both potatoes and sweet potatoes also contain roughly the same amounts of L-tryptophan, the raw materials for serotonin, another “feel-good” neurotransmitter that makes us feel calm and happy.
No wonder you feel so groovy after those spuds.

a reply to: InTheLight

There are lots of recipes online for various veggies. I tried carrots with the little gadget I have (the hourglass-shaped thing in the second picture) and it was pretty difficult, so I just shredded a carrot. I imagine sweet potatoes would be as hard or harder. I don't know if the actual spiralizer would be easier or not. Just a heads up.

My device would work for cucumbers, too, though, for a lovely cold salad.

Here's the fancy tool showing potatoes:

Paderno Spiralizer

a reply to: bigfatfurrytexan

Too many carbs trigger heartburn for me as well. I've read a lot about the body's inflammatory response to grains. Since I've gone grain-free, I have had zero heartburn.

Some people feel better when they eat grains, i.e., whole grains. I'm not one of them.

a reply to: Benevolent Heretic

Yes, that is the fancy tool I will be buying to make the zucchini spaghetti and sweet potato fries (thick cut). I tell you, homemade sweet potato fries are 100X more scrumptous than the frozen ones we are served in most restaurants.

With minor arthritis starting in my hands, I don't need any additional challenges in the kitchen.

a reply to: Benevolent Heretic

I have the Paderno Spiralizer, and I must admit that sweet potatoes and butternut squash are a lot more difficult to "noodlize" than the softer veggies like zucchini and cucumbers. I just grind away, and eventually I get my sweet potato noodles. They taste better to me, but when I don't feel like working hard, I just go back to the zucchini.

originally posted by: InTheLight
I tell you, homemade sweet potato fries are 100X more scrumptous than the frozen ones we are served in most restaurants.

Oh! I know! I make them myself, but just cut the potatoes in wedges and bake them. Delicious!

a reply to: kaylaluv

They should make an electric spiralizer! A motor could whip those curly fries out!

If you want to spend $262, here it is! Electric Spiralizer

a reply to: Benevolent Heretic

i like the ones that have a handled and you mount the potato vertcally. Pull the handle down, and it spins the potato while spiral cutting it.

a reply to: bigfatfurrytexan

I haven't seen one... Maybe I need it.

Looks interesting....but I want to know how the "noodles" hold up to cooking?
Do they clump together or remain noodly?

As a low carb enthusiast, this could be an new option for certain dishes....even just using butter, garlic and parmesan!!!

originally posted by: DontTreadOnMe
Looks interesting....but I want to know how the "noodles" hold up to cooking?
Do they clump together or remain noodly?

The less you cook them, the better they hold up. I don't advise cooking them for more than 1 minute or re-heating. They don't stick together, but one batch I cooked too long and they became mushy. Some people don't cook the zucchini at all and leave it "al dente". But I was rolling it on my fork just fine.

Also, I haven't tried it yet, but I want to try the larger diameter slicer on my gadget. I think that will help in this endeavor. The larger machine has various attachments for different noodles. I just got the smaller one to see if I really wanted to pursue veggie noodles and I'm still deciding. It's not the price so much as the pantry space. LOL!

As a low carb enthusiast, this could be an new option for certain dishes....even just using butter, garlic and parmesan!!!

Absolutely! That sounds great!

The little gadget I have cuts one continuous noodle, so they end up being about 8 feet long! You can cut them with scissors while making them, or just do it afterward, which I think is easier.