Zucchini Noodles with Pesto

You can tell by my pasty skin that I am Irish. But in my pasta lovin', hot headed, heart I am Italian. There's got to be Italians somewhere in my family tree, I just know it. I also love carbs. So when I first heard about this contraption that makes zucchini, squash, and veggies into "noodles" I completely ignored it. I figured it was something skinny people talked about on their way to yoga.

 

 

But then I hit my mid 30's and weight started piling on and I thought maybe I would look into it. I added it to my Amazon cart and there it sat for a very long time. I guess it was our success so far in our weight loss journey that spurred me into actually buying it. Plus, it can make curly fries so I figured it couldn't be a complete bust, right?

I did not have high hopes people.

It was easy to use, so there was that.

 

 

I found one zucchini made enough for one person.

 

 

I steamed mine for just a a few minutes. I wasn't super excited about eating them raw. I have heard of others putting them in a skillet or wok for a bit.

While they were steaming (and then cooling), I made the pesto. I don't like pine nuts so I just add basil, garlic, parmesan, and olive oil together in my food processor.

 

I tossed the noodles and sauce together. I added some artichoke hearts and cherry tomatoes.

 

 

Did I love it? I actually really liked it! It was very fresh tasting and anything with basil and garlic is my favorite. Would I have rather eaten out at a nice Italian restaurant and made sweet, sweet love to some breadsticks and fettuccine? You bettcha. But this was a good alternative. Less expensive... and better for you :) Ever since partnering with Medifast and cooking from their cookbook as well as searching online for healthy recipes, it has become easier to substitute. You have to allow time for your taste buds (and your brain) to adjust to new healthier options.

And in case you want to try it out (no judgement if you are only buying it because your deep fat frier is dying to be put to good use making curly fries...) here is my affiliate link.

 

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