Raw Zucchini Noodles & Veggies

Zucchini noodles, or zoodles as many playfully call them, have been on my mind for some time now. I’ve seen them on many blogs, they always looked so intriguing, but my assumption that they would not be as good as they looked kept me from giving them a shot. How wrong I was, lesson learned, branching out of your comfort zone can lead to some wonderful unexpected surprises! Being someone who has a hard time with change, I’m taking it slowly. Lol.

Taking it one step at a time, I bought a spiralizer. Best decision ever! I love it and so do my kids. We now spiralize everything! I’m pretty sure that my husband may take it away from me soon…I put my new toy to work and created this super tasty and healthy dish. It’s perfect for those warm days when you are looking for something other than a salad. Cold and fresh, it really hits the spot!

For the kids, since this is a new dish, I decided to mix it with our normal quinoa spaghetti. Introducing new foods can be tricky for the little, even those easy eaters. I put a bowlful of the zucchini noodles in our pasta strainer, then when the pasta was ready, I drained it right over the top. This helped warm the zucchini just enough to make it a perfect transition to raw. I mixed it with the quinoa spaghetti right there in the strainer and served it with some raw veggies and my raw tomato marinara. Good move on my part, because they devoured it! If the kids like it, then I know you can give it a try!

[recipe title= “Raw Zucchini Noodles & Veggies” servings= “Makes 4 servings”]Zucchini noodles and raw veggies topped with delicious raw marinara for a warm summer day. Fresh, flavorful and filling, a perfect alternative to a cold salad!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups mushrooms
• 1 cup broccoli
• 1 cup carrots
• 1 cup spinach
• ½ cup chives
• 5 medium zucchini
• ½ cup hemp seeds
• Raw Tomato Marinara

note: You can use any raw vegetables you like for the topping or add less/more of those listed above.

Instructions:

Wash and chop all veggies and chives except zucchini. I used a food processor to coarsely chop my mushrooms, broccoli, carrots and spinach and used a knife to chop the chives.

Using a spiralizer, spiralize the zucchini.

Combine the chopped veggies with the zucchini, top with raw tomato marinara and hemp seeds. Enjoy! [/recipe]