Adventures in Spiralizing Veggies

Our newest kitchen toy is a tiny hand spiralizer. Certainly, on the weekend Twitter feed for #KaliFoodGoddess, I’ve included more than one zoodle recipe because they seem like pretty awesome things to have in your repertoire for future reference.

Spiralizing veggies to pass as noodles are great for those following a raw diet, for those who must avoid pasta whether for gluten allergies or because they must adopt a zero-carb or vegan diets – whether as a lifestyle choice or for health reasons (diabetics, in love with a militant tree-hugger, whatever).

I joke, but there are many reasons why this trend has reached popularity. Any food trend that encourages the use of fruits and vegetables is one I welcome, and new ways to prepare these foods is also welcomed.

The first thing I made were spiralized oven fries. They cooked in 15 minutes and were crunchy and creamy. More importantly, it took less prep time than if I’d peeled and julienned—but this assumes that your knife skills are just average.

The second spiralized dish we had was a simple salad with cucumber and tomatoes in a simple vinaigrette. And then we had a raw zoodle side dish with a pesto sauce – the very first recipe I saw and loved.

I love salads and spiralizers allow for a different presentation, but if you are not into the raw moment, there are plenty of recipes that call for sautéing (usually 5 minutes or less), or roasting (less than 15 minutes), and in some cases you can boil (for less than 5 minutes).

Handheld spiralizers make spaghetti and spaghettini widths, and the more popular veggie slicer models have 3-5 different size blades for a variety of shapes. Certainly, if you have the knife skills, it may not be worth buying tech, but the recipes are still worth checking out nonetheless.

Check out all the fantastic work that Ali 

has put into http://www.inspiralized.com/

You can julienne and create matchstick width to resemble linguine. Likewise, good handling of a good peeler will get you ribbons (paper thin or as thick as your favorite tagliatelle). A combination of knives, peelers, and mandolins (if you already own it) create similar results.

And yes, I realize some of you prefer death to giving up pasta, but if you open up to a few changes, you can add spiralized veggies to your diet and help keep a summer waistline (if that sort of thing interests you).

The changes I suggest will add flavor and texture to your repertoire of taste sensations and how can that be wrong? If an eggplant lasagna can mimic the old original with noodles, so can other veggies bring a whole new dimension to pasta recipes. This is the gentlest way to incorporate meatless dishes to your diet. Also, most of these dishes are perfect for your bento boxes! 

Check out the Pinterest board for recipes - from salad to appetizers, soup to dessert.