My husband and I were gifted a spiralizer for our wedding a few years ago, and I still think it’s one of the greatest things ever! Who doesn’t like turning their food into crazy shapes? This dish is super fun to make, and it’s one of my go to meals when I want something quick and easy. It’s also a great option if you are into meal planning and want to make enough to put into Tupperware for some meals to come.
The basics of this recipe are super simple. You are going to spiralize zucchini, cucumber, and carrots, and these will be your “noodles”. Don’t have a spiralizer? That’s ok! You can use a shredder and shred the carrots, and then I would thinly slice the zucchini and cucumbers. It will definitely be more time consuming this way, but it’s totally doable, and worth the flavors in the end!
(Pro tip: Raw zucchini is very watery, so press it with a paper towel before throwing it into the bowl with all the other ingredients! )
Once you’ve prepped your noodles, you’re going to want to work on the sauce. The base is almond butter, which I make from scratch at home. There are plenty of options for almond butter out there, so if you don’t want to make your own, grab your favorite brand and use that! If you want to stick to an anti inflammatory diet, I would recommend trying a brand that has no added sugars and is just the raw nuts themselves. When I’m traveling, I usually try and find the brand MaraNatha. I prefer their raw almond butter that has no added ingredients!
https://www.vitacost.com/maranatha-almond-butter-raw-creamy
Mix all the sauce ingredients together in a separate bowl, and set aside.
Last but not least, you have your protein. I use garbanzo beans, which are hearty and healthy, and add dimension to the dish. Feel free to experiment with other legumes for a different flavor profile, or try throwing in some baked tofu!
Finally, combine your portions onto you favorite plate, and drizzle the dressing on top.
You're all set, I hope you love it as much as I do!
Mia
Prep time: 15 mins
Servings: 2
Ingredients:
1 15 oz can garbanzo beans
1 medium carrot
1 zucchini
1 cucumber
green onion to garnish
Almond-sesame sauce:
1/4 cup almond butter
1 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp tamari sauce
3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp ginger, grated
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp lime juice
red pepper flakes to taste, depending on how spicy you prefer your food!
Instructions:
1. Spiralize or shred your carrots, zucchini, and cucumber. Split the portions in 2, and set on your serving dishes.
2. For this dish, half a can of garbanzo beans will be your serving, so split the can in 2 and add to your serving dishes.
3. Mix all the ingredients for your sauce in a small bowl and combine. I use a garlic press to mince my garlic, and shred my ginger on the fine side of my grater. I tend to use around 1/2 a tsp of red pepper flakes, but feel free to use more or omit them all together, depending on how spicy you like things.
4. Once your sauce is combined, drizzle the dressing over your dish. I usually use 2 tbsp of sauce per serving, but again, you can use more or less depending on how bold a flavor your looking for!
5. Finally, slice a small amount of green onions to garnish the top of your dish, and you’re ready to eat!
6. Enjoy!
(If you are making this meal to food prep for you lunches during the week, make sure you keep the sauce separate from the zoodles until you are ready to eat. I also recommend not prepping more than 3 days worth, as your zoodles will become less fresh after this amount of time.)