raw pasta aglio e olio

raw zucchini pasta noodles rival any regular noodle i've ever head. i use this spiralizer, and it always makes the perfect noodles. this recipe is a slight twist on pasta aglio e olio, which is basically just pasta with olive oil and garlic. it's a lighter pasta dish (especially the raw version here), and in my opinion doesn't weigh you down like the traditional red or white sauces. this makes a great light lunch, and healthy!

• 1 medium zucchini, spiralized
• 1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon raw apple cider vinegar
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/8 cup nutritional yeast
• pinch of pepper and celtic sea salt

spiralize your zucchini and place in a bowl. except for the nutritional yeast, combine the rest of ingredients in a dressing shaker, or a jar with a lid will do. i save old olive or salsa jars for this. shake all the ingredients and pour over pasta noodles. finally sprinkle in the nutritional yeast and stir to coat all the noodles. easy peasy!

pulp pasta (raw)

i love zucchini pasta in the summer. not only is it nice not to have a big pot of boiling pasta on your stove, but it's lighter in calories. and who doesn't have a ton of zucchini right about now? this recipe uses tomato-veggie juice pulp, because i'm always looking for creative ways to use it up. waste not, want not, right? of course, if you don't make juice, you could just as easily sub marinara.

• 1 zucchini, spiralized
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 2 clove garlic
• 1/4 whole onion
• 1/3 cup fresh basil
• 1 dash sea salt
• 1 dash fresh ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup water
• pulp from tomato fusion juice

use a spiralizer to make noodles from your zucchini. combine tomato juice pulp (or something similar) and rest of the sauce ingredients into a food processor and pulse a few times. i like my sauce a little on the chunky side, but you could add more water or olive oil for a smoother sauce.

pour over noodles and serve. it doesn't need to be heated up unless you want to - i like mine at room temperature in the hot summer.

zucchini pasta

i come from an italian family, and love just about every italian food out there. i have fond memories of my mother's sauce on the stove, simmering for hours to really give it a nice rich flavour. i recently got a spiral vegetable slicer, so i've been using that to turn my garden zucchinis into noodles. this is a pretty quick and easy dish... tasty and low-fat too.


for the noodles:

• 1-2 green zucchinis (i peeled them)

for the marinara sauce:

• 2 small cans tomato sauce (8oz)
• 1 small can tomato paste (6oz)
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon oregano
• 1 tablespoon basil
• 1 tablespoon thyme
• 1-2 tablespoons ground black pepper
• 1 dash of salt

start the sauce first so that i can heat up and allow the ingredients to really meld together. unfortunately, i usually don't have the time to let my sauce simmer for hours, but i like keep it on the stove as long as i can. all the sauce ingredients can be mixed together and put on medium heat for about 10 minutes, or until the sauce is hot. be sure to stir occasionally. then turn it down to low heat until you are ready to serve.

i use a world cuisine spiral slicer - listed in my vegan kitchen store, but i'm sure others will work as well. use the spiral slicer to make zucchini noodles. spoon sauce on top, and serve. it's great with some garlic bread on the side.