Zoodle Doodles

It’s the time of year when Sannie Boervrou‘s generosity knows no bounds.  Call them what you will, courgettes, zucchini and (not-so-baby) baby marrows, I’ve been making pickles, salad and this year, zoodles.

I had long been wanting a spiraliser, and having done a bit of homework, came to the conclusion that I wouldn’t find one that didn’t have some or other drawback.  So, given my tiny kitchen and dearth of storage space for large kitchen gadgets, the key criterion was size.  The price was a bonus because I found it on a sale.

Home I came, with what looks like a giant, double-sided pencil sharpener.  One side makes spiral shavings and the other, which I discovered the hard way, has vicious teeth, makes spaghetti-like bits of vegetables.

Spiralizer_courgette_2016

I did post a salad with strips of courgette, last year, but since then, I’ve not just experimented with the spiraliser, but also with the flavours.  Particularly, the vinaigrette.  Because the zoodles have a delicate (some would say bland) flavour.  Consequently, for my salads, rather than using a balsamic vinegar which could be too overpowering, I use a local red wine vinegar made in a balsamic style, and which I often use – good flavour without the heaviness of the traditional balsamic.  In addition to lettuce and forgoing the cucumber (for obvious reasons), my standard inclusion is slivers of red onion.

ZoodleSalad_Basil_Coriander

So, a relatively plain salad, that is a great accompaniment to virtually any meal is really easy.  Depending on the meal, add different fresh herbs for a complimentary or contrasting flavour profile.  Here I used coriander and basil and garnished with a bit of red endive.

Equally, one can add, particularly for colour, and I often do, tomatoes and olives.

ZoodleSalad_Tomato2016

What I also enjoyed, and which worked much better than the slivers of courgette, was adding zoodles to pasta with pesto.  I have mentioned (probably ad nauseum), that I make my own pasta.  Anyhow, sometimes, at the end of a hard day, I really just want to do a meal with the least possible fuss.  Served, if possible out of just one dish.  Zoodles and pasta allow one to do just that.

Pasta_zoodle_warmSalad_2016

This, simple warm pasta salad consisted of roasted cherry tomatoes, lightly sauteed mushrooms and sweet bell peppers that were served on top of pasta and zoodles through which I had stirred basil pesto.

For those who want to avoid the carbs, zoodles make a super substitute for rice, potatoes and, of course pasta.  I’ve also been experimenting with rosti, but have a way to go to perfecting them….

© Fiona’s Favourites 2016

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0 thoughts on “Zoodle Doodles

  1. Fiona – found your pasta recipe – eager to try! I recently got a gluten-free artisan flour that seems just as fine and silky consistency as cake flours do – was just curious, have you experimented with any flours other than the norm? Thanks!

    1. Glad you found it, Tamrah. No, I’ve not tried it with other flours because although I’ve cut down hugely on bread and other carbs, I’ve not consciously avoided gluten. It’s the gluten in wheat flour that gives the pasta its elasticity and the egg is both protein and a binding agent. I wouldn’t experiment with other flour without looking at recipes to guide me. Let me know how you go?

      1. You Bet! Always happy to share when my experiments turn out AND don’t blow up the kitchen! 🙂
        I don’t especially care about gluten free stuff, cuz I sprout my wheat before grinding into flour and/or, make sourdough or overnight raises (to get rid of the phyatic acid/enzyme inhibitors that mess up digestion and nutrient intake) –

        but… a family member suddenly decided to ‘get healthy’ and while they have dim memory of stuff I told ’em a decade or more ago – they have jumped on the ‘bandwagon’, and thought the man-child in the house, in formative years, might benefit from the extra protein from the sorghum flour in the mix….

        …and this artisan flour mix was available from one of the suppliers I order supplemental dehydrated foods from…and doncha know the 35lb bag got me up to qualify for free shipping and was on special and only $8 more than the 8lb bag…. sigh –

        Long story just a smidge shorter, now I get to figure out what to do with 35lbs of artisan, gluten-free flour, they promised could be used for both quick and raised breads – – LOL – so far, no go on any of my tried/true recipes at full substitution, mix in as 1/4- 1/2 or less substitution of my regular flours is close, but still doing funky things with the liquid portions- will probably make your recipe with my sprouted wheat flour – then when got it down, start substituting the other 1/4c at time to see what happen –

        I foresee lots of pasta dishes in the future, fortunately, I bookmarked lots of your recipes to try ! 🙂 Thanks!

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