By Maha Al Jawini

People want fun and straightforward ways to eat healthy. While vegetables seemed like a somewhat boring topic in the past, a simple inexpensive tool has revolutionized those nourishing gems of nature.

A vegetable “Spiralizer” or a vegetable spiral cutter is the trendiest kitchen gadget for health conscious individuals. By simply turning your vegetables into noodles, you approximately cut down half of the calories and gain double the nutrients.

This reasonably priced tool is found in Riyadh in multiple stores such as Saco and Danube supermarkets and can be easily ordered online. It is perfect for creating noodles or ribbons using cooked or raw vegetables. Firm or root vegetables can be used including zucchini (courgette), squash, pumpkin, beets, sweet potato, and carrots. Firm fruits such as apples and pears are great options as well. The uncomplicated process includes attaching the vegetable or fruit to the pointy ends “teeth” of the cutter and turning the handle in a spiral motion to produce noodles or ribbons depending on the size of the blade used. From vibrant salads to vegetable noodles, this tool never fails to impress. It’s also great for kids as it can make certain vegetables more appealing. From the Health Couture (HC) Kitchen, we present to you one of our takes on this creative tool with Squash and Zucchini “Zoodles” identical or even tastier than your regular pesto pasta!

HC’s Squash & Zucchini “Zoodles” with Coriander Pesto

Ingredients

• 2 summer squashes, peeled and seeded
• 5 medium zucchinis
• 1 clove of garlic, chopped
• Pinches of salt, pepper and dried basil
• Pine nuts for garnish
• Coriander Pesto:
• 3 cups fresh coriander
• 1 cup fresh basil
• A handful of raw almonds
• ¾ cup lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar
• ¾ cup extra virgin olive oil
• ½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
• Pinches of salt and pepper

Method

Use a spiral vegetable cutter “Spiralizer” to create noodles from the squash and zucchini and ensure they are dried with a salad spinner. In a hot pan, sauté the garlic with some olive oil then add to it the zoodles to cook for 2 minutes (avoid overcooking). Sprinkle with salt, pepper and dried basil. In a food processor pulse the coriander, basil and almonds, add gradually the remaining pesto ingredients and blend until smooth. Mix the pesto with the zoodles in hot pan for 1 minute. Garnish with pine nuts.