Zoodles!

It's a toddler food post. Because! Beck loves zoodles. She likes them raw, not at any particular meal time (this makes them a vegetable), and with nothing on them. 

Riddle me that. 

We make zoodles a few times per month, in a ton of different ways. My go-to when we're using them as a spaghetti substitute is: about ½ large zucchini per person, or more if I want leftovers/we're hungry. And by large zucchini I mean the GMO ones that are never found locally. So....one zucchini per person in real sizes. I spiralize with an attachment for my KitchenAid that my MIL got me for Christmas last year - it's super handy to not have another whole machine to make space for! I heat a skillet to medium-high for about 10 minutes until it's nice and hot, then I saute the zoodles for about 2 minutes with a sprinkle of onion powder, garlic powder, and salt. Juuuuust when some of the liquid is released I drain them in a colander just like spaghetti and serve! 

I've used them with Asian dishes before in place of rice; they're particularly good under Thai curry. We also have two sausage sauces that we love: this sausage ragout that is super delicious and a fall version with sweet potatoes, kale, and walnuts YUM. I'm also making this sesame zoodle recipe from Pinch of Yum for dinner tomorrow, and I can't wait to try it!

For other sauce options, zoodles would go great under this quick chicken parm, with meatball bolognese, under marinara, or as a side dish with this chicken and mushroom sauce. 

If you're into a salad idea, this marinated zucchini would be great with raw zoodles, and even more of the dressing would absorb for extra flavor. 

Now, I'm not one to say that these take the place of semolina noodles, nope. They don't! But, they add some extra veg to the plate and take a way a carb, which sometimes isn't a terrible thing. I don't use them as a substitute, just as an option depending on how other meals have gone that day or week. They do keep well in the fridge, so you can spiralize a bunch of zucchini on the weekend and eat them a few times throughout the week - just keep them raw and cook them right before serving. 

Takes two minutes, adds some nutrition. Not a bad deal. 

Enjoy!