Zucchini Noodles That Will Make Your Life Better

Zucchini Noodles That Will Make Your Life Better

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This is one of my favorite recipes to make in the summertime. Zucchini noodles are super quick to make and only take a few ingredients. It’s a great option when coming off a 21-Day Clean Program, or even on the cleanse if you eliminate the tomatoes (which are a nightshade).

Upgrade your pesto

This pesto is dairy-free and made with pistachios, instead of pine nuts. The nuts give the pesto a creamy and light texture. Pistachios are one of the oldest nuts commonly used, and are higher in potassium and vitamin K than most other nuts. You’ve got to test this pesto for yourself! The raw zucchini noodles give the dish a nice bite.

Why eat raw? Our bodies naturally crave cooling foods in the warmer months and warming foods in the cooler months. Even just eating a few raw meals a day will help us receive more nutrients from the foods we’re eating, because they haven’t been cooked in oils or overly-heated to the point where many of the nutrients begin to die. It’s best to eat foods that have been cooked under 180°F.

Eat with the seasons

Why eat seasonally? Eating seasonally ensures that we’re also eating foods that contain the most nutrients, and buying foods locally ensures that they have been picked at their peak. When we don’t eat seasonal foods, they tend to be imported from other states and countries, and farmers have also picked them before they have ripened. When we eat these foods, they do contain nutrients but not as many as there would be when they have ripened on the vine. There also is a lot of flavor lost when these foods are picked too early.

This recipe takes about 15 minutes to make. It’s the perfect recipe to make on a hot day when you need a quick refreshing recipe. Your taste buds and body will thank you!

Zucchini Noodles Ingredients:

Serves: 4

Prep time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

Noodles

4 medium zucchini’s

1 cup cherry tomatoes (omit, if cleansing)

Pesto

2 cups fresh basil

2 small garlic cloves

1/3 cup pistachios

¼ olive oil

1 tsp. salt

½ tsp. pepper

Directions:

Cut off ends of zucchini. Use a spiralizer or julienne slicer and slice zucchini into thin pasta-like strands into a bowl.

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Absorb the moisture from the noodles with a paper towel. Set noodles aside.

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Wash the basil and dry. Cut the cloves of garlic in halves.

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Blend together all of the pesto ingredients in a food processor or blender. Add more basil, garlic, salt, or olive oil to taste. Make sure the pesto is creamy and not dry.

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Mix together the zucchini noodles with about 1/3 cup of pesto and top off with thinly sliced tomatoes and fresh basil.

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Recipe and photos by Dorit Jaffe