Anyone who follows me on social media has probably been introduced to my new favorite kitchen tool from Williams-Sonoma. It is called the Paderno Spiralizer, and this bad boy actually turns your favorite veggies into spaghetti-like “noodles”! I know I can get very tired of spaghetti squash day in and day out, but if you keep the spiraled veggies al dente in texture, you will never miss the flour filled, crash inducing pasta that we all know and unfortunately love.
I use the Spiralizer a few times a week, and it has been an absolute game changer. I can make side dishes and main courses with ease. Not only is turning a sweet potato or zucchini into pasta easy, it takes less than a minute to do. Like pasta, you can use zucchini as a vehicle for almost any recipe due to its mild flavor. You can throw in whatever veggies and protein you have it your fridge to make a simple weeknight meal. Check out this video from Williams-Sonoma. Now, I must warn you…..spiralizing veggies really is this easy…once you get the hang of it! Read the directions, and be careful of the blades! They are extremely sharp, but they work.
My two favorite recipes using the Spiralizer happened by accident. I had just finished a shoot and returned home in my normal fitness gal “uniform”, sports bra and shorts, and was happy with all the hard work I put in that day. My body felt sore and satisfied. Needless to say, the man-piece came home from work, and I did not have time to go food shopping, but I had some random yummy stuff from the farmers market lying around the kitchen, so I got to work. I was craving a comfort food sort of meal that would not ruin all the work I had put in that day. So, here is what I came up with.
Lemon , Arugula, Zucchini Pasta With Grilled Chicken:
Ingredients
2 “Spiralized” Zucchinis per person
1 sliced yellow onion
1 Tbs butter or margerine
2 Cups of washed fresh arugula
½ cup of halved orange tomatoes (cherry will work too)
2 Tbs of farmers cheese or ¼ C feta cheese
Drizzle of lemon or regular olive oil
Juice of one lemon
Sprinkle of lemon pepper
Pinch of sea salt
Fresh cracked pepper
1 chicken breast per person
Directions:
Spiralize or use veggie peeler to make zucchini noodles, set aside. Melt butter in pan over medium high heat, add onions and stir occasionally until caramelized and golden. While onions are cooking, crack pepper over chicken breast and cut into cubes. Add a drizzle of olive oil to a separate pan and cook chicken until brown on both sides. Once onion is golden add zucchini, lemon pepper to coat zucchini, drizzle lemon oil, add sea salt and stir. Cover until zucchini is cooked to desired tenderness. Drain in colander to remove excess moisture and add back to pan. Stir in cheese, lemon juice and tomatoes until smooth. Fold in Arugula and top with chicken. Serve in a large bowl or pan to table.
Stay tuned for Sweet Potato Pasta with Sage and Italian Turkey Sausage this week!
Love and Yumminess,
Taylor