If you don’t know what Zoodles are.. You have NO IDEA what you are missing!!!

SO WHAT ARE ZOODLES ANY WAY?

Zoodles  = Zucchini Noodles!

So basically you just replace the Pasta noodles with Zucchini noodles. They are incredibly healthy alternative to Pasta. Did you know 1 cup of cooked pasta has about 40 g carbs and 1 cup of Zoodles have 4 g carbs.(That’s a BIG difference!) And that’s just not the only reason to eat Zoodles, they are so many other benefits:

• Low Carbs
• Less Calories
• High Fiber, Vitamins and Antioxidants
• Gluten Free
• A great way to sneak some veggies in your kids diet! (My favorite reason.. ofcourse after the low carb and less calroies for myself *blush* )

So this is what happened… I just saw this vegetable spiralizer called Veggetti at a store on our last US trip and HAD to buy it! It was for 15 Dollars only. I had not seen any advertisement but thought that it looks interesting and brought it all the way to Doha to give it a try! And I must say.. This is my newly found LOVE! It’s simply amazing and now probably one of my favorite kitchen tools!  ( And NOOOOO .. NO ONE is paying me to say this.. but you must get your hands on a spiralizer and give it a try.. I have seen a few different brands here in Doha as well and I am sure they are as good).  And by the way, you can spiralize cucumbers, sweet potato, carrots etc. etc.

Finally this week, I gave it a try! In this post I  will share with you the two ways I made Zoodles this week.

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Zoodle Veggie Stir Fry

Serves about 2 persons

I basically used whatever veggies/ sauces I had in my home at that time.. and it was quite yummy and satisfying. Here is my own made up recipe.. You can do the stir fry, any way you like..

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. Zucchini (Spiralized)
• 1 cup Carrots
• 1 cup Mushrooms
• 1-2 Onions
• 1 cup Capsicum (I had the red and yellow ones at that time, you can use any)
• 3-4 cloves Garlic (Crushed)
• 1 tsp. Ginger (Julienned)
• 1/2 cup Spring Onions
• 1-2 tsp. Soya Sauce
• 1-2 tsp. Vinegar
• 2 tsp. Oyster Sauce (Or any other you like for stir fry)
• 1 tsp. Sesame Seeds
• 1-2 tbsp.  Oil
• 1 tsp. Coriander Leaves
• A pinch of Salt
• A pinch of Crushed Black Pepper

 

Directions:

1. Heat up oil in a skillet. Add garlic and fry .After a minute add the onions and ginger.
2. Add all the other veggies (except the spring onions and zucchini) and stir fry on high flame.
3. Add the soya sauce, vinegar, oyster sauce, salt and black pepper. Stir fry for few minutes and then sprinkle half of spring onions.
4. After a few minutes, add the Zoodles and the rest of the spring onions . Sprinkle some sesame seeds and stir fry for a few more minutes.  (Don’t over cook, or else they veggies will become too soft).
5. Done. Serve hot and enjoy a VERY guilt free meal!

*Psssssst*..  I can’t eat with chopsticks.. this was just for the camera 😉 I chomped and slurped it all down with my fork! 😉

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Zoodle With Bolognese Sauce

Serves about 2 persons

I wanted to have a quick fix for dinner and wanted to try Zoodles another way, so I did this. I used some ready made pasta sauce (You can make your own.. if you don’t like the ready made ones.. ).

Ingredients:

For the Minced Beef:

• 500 gm. Mince Beef
• 1 Medium Onion (Chopped)
• 2 Medium Tomatoes (Chopped)
• 1 tsp. Salt
• 1 tsp. Ginger Paste (or Powder)
• 1 tsp. Garlic Paste (or Powder)
• 1/2 tsp. Chili Powder
• 1 tbsp. Oil

For the Sauce:

• 3-4 Cloves Garlic (Crushed)
• 1 Cup Mushrooms (Sliced)
• 2 Cups of Prego Pasta Sauce
• 2 tsp. Parmesan Cheese

And of course

• 1 lb. Zucchini (Spiralized)!

Directions:

1. Sauté the onions in oil till light brown…then add the minced beef , ginger paste, garlic paste. Sauté for a few minutes and then add red chili powder, tomatoes and salt.
2. Add a little water and covered on low heat till its cooked and dry.
3. For the sauce, I like to add the extra garlic-y flavor, so I fry the crushed garlic in olive oil for a few minutes. Then add the mushrooms and sauté them for a couple of minutes more.
4. Add the pasta sauce to it and the cooked minced beef and let it simmer on low heat for 10 minutes. Bolognese sauce done!
5. Throw in the spiralized zucchini in boiling water .Boil it for just 3-4 minutes and then drain (it will get so soft and soggy if you cook too much). You can also use raw zucchini and omit boiling at all!
6. Pour the sauce on top of the zoodles and sprinkle some parmesan cheese on it and serve hot!.

Another low carb and a VERRRRYY satisfying meal!

Important TIP:

Zucchini has a very high water content. It is compromised of 95% water. So when heated, it starts to leave that water and therefore need very minimal/quick cooking otherwise you will end up with zoodle soup (which gives me an idea to try a zucchini ramen recipe next time!)

Zucchini Noodles have an amazing texture and quite close to the Pasta texture. Trust me, you won’t miss pasta as much after this…AND it tastes pretty awesome!  Give it a try!

And I have a SURPRISE coming up NEXT week… So stay tuned 😉 !!!