Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Caprese Noodle Salad

When the new year rolled around, I decided to join a group of ladies in our community and complete Whole30, a nutritional program "designed to change your life in 30 days." It started out sounding pretty easy:  simply eat real food for 30 days. This means no processed foods (ingredients you can't pronounce), no sugar, no dairy, no grains, no legumes, no alcohol, etc. What does that leave? Mostly fruits, vegetables, and meat. This commitment came when I was unaware of my surprise Europe trip. So, I completed a Whole15 instead. (Life's too short not to enjoy crepes in Paris.)

When I returned, I decided to start again. I'm over half way there and feeling great. It has certainly changed the way I cook. No more rich casseroles. No more decadent desserts. No more of my homemade sour dough bread or cinnamon rolls. . . at least for me. On a positive note, I'm enjoying new foods and new recipes.

One of my favorite new kitchen gadgets is a julienne peeler. With this new tool, I've learned how to turn zucchini into noodles (a.k.a. zoodles), a healthy substitute for pasta! Who knew?


I enjoyed a plateful of "spaghetti," ladened with veggies instead of carbs. I just sauteed the zucchini noodles in a little bit of olive oil with salt and pepper. (Most people would add garlic, too.) Then, top it with your favorite spaghetti sauce. It was so good and so good for you!

Tonight, I tried a different variation. I'll be making this caprese noodle salad over and over again. So easy. So good. So healthy. Perfect for a potluck. Perfect by itself. Perfect as a side with a turkey burger. Mmmmmm.



Have you ever been given large zucchini from gardeners with too much produce? In the past, I never knew what to do with them although I did appreciate the good 'ole Southern gesture.

"There are no happier folks than plant lovers and none more generous than those who garden." --Ernest "Chinese" Wilson

I'm so ready for spring. . .  for gardeners to plant their seeds. I will happily be cheering them on and accepting any and all overflow!

Caprese Noodle Salad

Ingredients:

  • 2-3 zucchini (to yield about 3 cups julienned)
  • 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
  • 1/8 cup basil, thinly sliced
  • 1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Directions:
Chop the ends off of the zucchini. Remove skin (optional). Using a julienne peeler, peel down to the center seedy section to make long noodles. Toss with remaining ingredients. Makes approximately 2 servings.

Source: Adapted from Practical Paleo

Established by Dallas and Melissa Hartwig (of Whole9) in April 2009, the Whole30® is our original nutritional program designed to change your life in 30 days. Think of it as a short-term nutritional reset, designed to help you put an end to unhealthy cravings and habits, restore a healthy metabolism, heal your digestive tract, and balance your immune system.
Certain food groups (like sugar, grains, dairy and legumes) could be having a negative impact on your health and fitness without you even realizing it. Are your energy levels inconsistent or non-existent? Do you have aches and pains that can’t be explained by over-use or injury? Are you having a hard time losing weight no matter how hard you try? Do you have some sort of condition (like skin issues, digestive ailments, seasonal allergies or fertility issues) that medication hasn’t helped? These symptoms may be directly related to the foods you eat—even the “healthy” stuff.
- See more at: http://whole30.com/step-one/#sthash.mMpIQ6P1.dpu
Established by Dallas and Melissa Hartwig (of Whole9) in April 2009, the Whole30® is our original nutritional program designed to change your life in 30 days. Think of it as a short-term nutritional reset, designed to help you put an end to unhealthy cravings and habits, restore a healthy metabolism, heal your digestive tract, and balance your immune system.
Certain food groups (like sugar, grains, dairy and legumes) could be having a negative impact on your health and fitness without you even realizing it. Are your energy levels inconsistent or non-existent? Do you have aches and pains that can’t be explained by over-use or injury? Are you having a hard time losing weight no matter how hard you try? Do you have some sort of condition (like skin issues, digestive ailments, seasonal allergies or fertility issues) that medication hasn’t helped? These symptoms may be directly related to the foods you eat—even the “healthy” stuff.
- See more at: http://whole30.com/step-one/#sthash.mMpIQ6P1.dp
Established by Dallas and Melissa Hartwig (of Whole9) in April 2009, the Whole30® is our original nutritional program designed to change your life in 30 days. Think of it as a short-term nutritional reset, designed to help you put an end to unhealthy cravings and habits, restore a healthy metabolism, heal your digestive tract, and balance your immune system.
Certain food groups (like sugar, grains, dairy and legumes) could be having a negative impact on your health and fitness without you even realizing it. Are your energy levels inconsistent or non-existent? Do you have aches and pains that can’t be explained by over-use or injury? Are you having a hard time losing weight no matter how hard you try? Do you have some sort of condition (like skin issues, digestive ailments, seasonal allergies or fertility issues) that medication hasn’t helped? These symptoms may be directly related to the foods you eat—even the “healthy” stuff.
- See more at: http://whole30.com/step-one/#sthash.mMpIQ6P1.dpuf
Established by Dallas and Melissa Hartwig (of Whole9) in April 2009, the Whole30® is our original nutritional program designed to change your life in 30 days. Think of it as a short-term nutritional reset, designed to help you put an end to unhealthy cravings and habits, restore a healthy metabolism, heal your digestive tract, and balance your immune system.
Certain food groups (like sugar, grains, dairy and legumes) could be having a negative impact on your health and fitness without you even realizing it. Are your energy levels inconsistent or non-existent? Do you have aches and pains that can’t be explained by over-use or injury? Are you having a hard time losing weight no matter how hard you try? Do you have some sort of condition (like skin issues, digestive ailments, seasonal allergies or fertility issues) that medication hasn’t helped? These symptoms may be directly related to the foods you eat—even the “healthy” stuff.
- See more at: http://whole30.com/step-one/#sthash.mMpIQ6P1.dpuf
Established by Dallas and Melissa Hartwig (of Whole9) in April 2009, the Whole30® is our original nutritional program designed to change your life in 30 days. Think of it as a short-term nutritional reset, designed to help you put an end to unhealthy cravings and habits, restore a healthy metabolism, heal your digestive tract, and balance your immune system.
Certain food groups (like sugar, grains, dairy and legumes) could be having a negative impact on your health and fitness without you even realizing it. Are your energy levels inconsistent or non-existent? Do you have aches and pains that can’t be explained by over-use or injury? Are you having a hard time losing weight no matter how hard you try? Do you have some sort of condition (like skin issues, digestive ailments, seasonal allergies or fertility issues) that medication hasn’t helped? These symptoms may be directly related to the foods you eat—even the “healthy” stuff.
- See more at: http://whole30.com/step-one/#sthash.mMpIQ6P1.dpuf

No comments:

Post a Comment

Pin It button on image hover