The zucchinis in our garden are growing like, well, zucchinis in August, ha. I love using my spiral cutter to turn them into noodles AKA zoodles. This recipe is simple, delicious, and is a great make-ahead option since the more it marinates in the dressing the more intense the flavors become. It has all the usual ingredients of an Italian pasta salad — red onions, black olives, oregano, basil, salami, olive oil, red wine vinegar, cheese — minus the pasta! It’s a great recipe to keep on hand for summer potlucks because it is sure to be a crowdpleaser.
This recipe is adapted from the cookbook Inspiralized by Ali Maffucci, and she uses a fancy big ol’ spiral cutter called “The Inspiralizer.” However I just use a basic GEFU Spirelli Spiral Slicer. No matter how you slice it (pun intended) spiral cut zucchinis are an awesome low-carb alternative to pasta.
In a large bowl combine zucchini, artichokes, tomatoes, mozzarella, salami, onion, and olives.
In a separate bowl, whisk these together to make the dressing: vinegar, olive oil, lemon juice, oregano, parsley, basil, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper.
Pour the dressing on top of the salad ingredients and toss to combine. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, until the dressing starts to soften the zucchini. Serve chilled.
Ahhhh the spiralizer. I love this kitchen gadget. You can turn veggies like zucchinis, cucumbers, and carrots into awesome healthy low-carb dishes. Turn zucchinis into noodles = Zoodles!
Here’s an easy no-cook salad that’s perfect for summer veggies from the Farmer’s Market or your garden. It has the delicious flavor of a traditional Italian caprese pasta salad, but without the pasta.
Place zucchini and tomatoes in a mixing bowl.
Make the marinade in a separate bowl by combining the lemon juice, vinegar, olive oil, and garlic.
Pour marinade over the zucchini and tomatoes and stir gently to combine. Place in fridge to marinade for 10-20 minutes (the longer the zucchini marinates the more flavorful it will become).
Remove from fridge, add the cheese and basil to the bowl, then season with salt and pepper. Toss to combine, and serve.
Here’s an easy and delicious recipe for a 30-Minute Meal: Lemon & Dill Chicken. With less than 200 calories and 6 grams of fat, it has just 4 Weight Watchers +Points/serving! The sauce in this is delicious. Also, I reheated leftovers the next day and the flavors tasted even better!
I used my spiral cutter to make “noodles” out of a zucchini and threw ’em in. Gotta love ZOODLES.
1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth – try making your own broth!
Season chicken pieces on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in a large heavy skillet over med-high heat. Add chicken and cook thoroughly. Transfer chicken to a plate and tent with foil.
Reduce heat to medium. Add the remaining 1 1/2 tsp oil to the pan. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Whisk broth, flour, 1 tablespoon dill and lemon juice in a measuring cup and add to pan. Cook, whisking, until slightly thickened, about 3 mins.
Return chicken and any accumulated juices to pan; reduce heat to low and simmer for 3-4 mins. At the very end of cooking mix in the zucchini. Transfer to a serving platter. Season sauce with salt and pepper and spoon sauce over the chicken. Garnish with the remaining 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh dill.
Here’s an awesome eating-light recipe: Chinese Chicken with Cashews. The secret ingredient? No noodles – just zoodles made out of spiral cut zucchinis! Each serving is giant (approximately 2 cups) but has only 6 WW points plus points. This recipe has fresh broccoli, garlic, chicken, and green onions, with a stir-fry sauce made from scratch. Love it!
Wash zucchinis and cut off ends. Using a spiral cutter, shred zucchini into spaghetti-like strips. Set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, vinegar, honey, chili paste, and cornstarch. Set aside.
Heat 1 Tbsp oil in a wok or large skillet over med-high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Sauté until browned and cooked through. Remove chicken, drain, and set aside.
Add remaining 1 tsp. of sesame oil to pan, then garlic and ginger, and cook approx 30 seconds, until fragrant.
Add broccoli, and cook approx 1-2 minutes.
Stir in soy sauce mixture and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, and cook until sauce is thickened.
Toss in zucchini noodles, and cook for a minute or so, just enough to allow noodles to mix with the sauce.
Remove from heat, stir in chicken, and green onions, and toss well.
Divide onto 4 plates, and garnish each cashews.
Here’s a show and tell of my lunch. And an easy light meal idea; it’s more of a “no recipe” recipe. 🙂 It has whole wheat pasta tossed with veggies sauteed in olive oil and garlic, sprinkled with soy sauce and lemon juice.
fresh vegetables, washed, cut and sliced (2-4 cups depending on how many servings you want) — I used asparagus, mushrooms, onions, yellow squash, zucchini, and bell peppers.
While noodles are boiling, heat EVOO and garlic in a skillet over medium heat. Add veggies and sautee until tender.
Drain noodles, and place on serving dish. Top with veggies, then sprinkle on some soy sauce and lemon juice to taste. Stir to combine, then serve.
WHAT YOU DO: Slice a zucchini, and place the slices on a foil lined baking sheet. Top with marinara sauce (or pizza sauce) and shredded Parmesan cheese. Broil in the oven for 3-5 mins, or until cheese starts to bubble and brown.
Have a few extra minutes to make a similar recipe? Try this Roasted Eggplant Pizza. It has a homemade sauce, and is awesomely delicious.
One of my favorite shrimp dishes to make is a four-ingredient zesty lemon butter shrimp. It is SO delicious I could eat it every day if possible. It does have lots of butter, though (thus its deliciousness ha!), so here’s an alternative lemon garlic shrimp recipe I adapted from SkinnyTaste.com. It has the awesome lemony flavor of the lemon butter shrimp, without the butter, and fresh healthy ingredients perfect for eating light.
To make “noodles” out of the zucchini, I used my GEFU spiral cutter. Love that thing!
Heat a skillet over med-high heat.
Add oil and crushed red pepper flakes, then add shrimp.
Season with a pinch of salt, and cook 2-3 mins until the shrimp is heated through.
Add zucchini and tomatoes and toss lightly.
Remove from heat, add lemon juice, and serve.
I’m lovin’ the zoodles… Here’s another recipe I made, topped with tomato sauce.
Spiral Cut Zucchini Noodles: ZOODLES. The un-pasta pasta!
Zucchini “noodles” AKA zoodles. In a skillet, sauteed the zucchini with EVOO and garlic, added some sliced mushrooms, and topped it with pasta sauce. It was super delicious, and the zucchinis really did taste like pasta noodles.
Optional toppings: spaghetti sauce, parmesan cheese, feta cheese, etc.
Saute the EVOO, garlic, zucchinis and mushrooms over medium-high heat until slightly tender.
Serve with pasta sauce or other toppings.
Love zoodles? Here’s my lemon garlic shrimp on zoodles recipe.
Here’s a recipe I came up with to use some of the fresh veggies we’re accumulating around here.
And of course I added one of my favorite “splurge” items: feta!
Also this is only 4 Weight Watchers Plus Points per serving. A great side dish, or you could even eat the whole thing as a filling entrée for only 8 points.
Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a large saucepan.
Add garlic and veggies. Sauté until tender.
Serve on a plate and top with feta, tomato, dill, and lemon juice.