Pesto Zoodles

“Noodle” ingredients

• 2 – medium zucchinis, (~6” long), washed, preferably organic (or try white cabbage or turnip)

Pesto ingredients

• 1 cup – fresh basil leaves
• 1 cup – fresh spinach leaves
• 1/4 cup – extra virgin olive oil
• 2 or 3 cloves – garlic, to your taste
• 1 Tbsp – lemon juice
• 3 Tbsp – hemp hearts
• Pinch – Himalayan or Celtic sea salt (omit for low-sodium diets)

Directions

“Noodle” directions

1. Using a vegetable spiralizer make your noodles in a large mixing bowl and set aside. If you don’t have a spiralizer you could use a mandolin, regular grater, or even a vegetable peeler. Spiralizers are inexpensive and a lot of fun – I highly recommend owning one!

I buy organic zucchini so I don’t have to peel the outer skin — I just wash them well. Finely sliced cabbage makes nice noodles as well.

What do you call a fake noodle?
An impasta!

Pesto directions

1. Combine all of the pesto ingredients in a food processor and mix until it reaches the texture you like, super smooth or a bit chunky. Pesto is personal.
2. Add pesto by the spoonful and toss the zoodles well to mix in. You may have left over pesto depending on you much sauce you would like on your zoodles.

If you want your zoodles to be a little more “al dente” sprinkle with sea salt and set aside for a few minutes before you add the pesto. The salt will soften them and you might see a bit of water in the bottom of the bowl.

You can make the pesto a day or two ahead of time as it will keep for several days in the fridge. This pesto freezes really well also. This recipe holds well for leftovers the next day.

Variations: Substitute soba noodles for the zucchini if you reeeeally want noodles.

Recipe makes 2 servings.