It’s about this time of the year is when I find myself thinking “just what am I going to do with ANOTHER zucchini squash?” More zucchini bread or muffins? Ugh…no! Let me introduce you to one of my favorite inexpensive, easy-to-use kitchen tools that will take a mundane vegetable and transform it for a delicious main or side dish…the veggie noodle maker! I picked mine up from the “As Seen On TV” isle of my local retail store. This tool has revived my meals more than once a week, and not just for zucchini. It can be used for carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and parsnips, and that’s just naming a few.
Using my veggie noodle maker, I can enjoy zucchini squash either raw or cooked, but my favorite preparation is raw. In this dish, I simply prepared and heated my sauce and added in onto raw zucchini noodles. It was the perfect dinner for a hot summer night! If raw is not your fancy, you can steam or sauté them for a softer texture.
What you eat matters, so let’s talk about zucchini. Did you know it’s a fruit? This summer squash is loaded with vitamins such as manganese, vitamin A, vitamin C, magnesium, folate, potassium, copper, phosphorus and B vitamins. Plus, it’s a great source of omega-3 fatty acids, which helps our body’s anti-inflammatory response. Oh, and let’s not forget it’s a great source of fiber to help enhance your digestive system with waste elimination. You will want to keep the beautiful green or yellow skin on, for it hosts a great deal of these nutrients mentioned above.
My summer eating habits include gluten-free, low-sugar and low-carb foods and zucchini fits that profile perfectly. It has a very low score on the glycemic index. Due to the high water content, it’s low in calories as well.
If you don’t own one already, give the veggie noodle maker or veggie spiralizer a try. I don’t think you will be disappointed.
