Zucchini Noodles or Zoodles are simply amazing!! They look cool, they taste great and they cook in minutes. This is a fun way to incorporate more veggies in your diet, and they are a more healthy and colorful alternative to pasta.

You need to buy a spiralizer or a spiralizer tool to make your zoodles. You need one large zucchini per person, garlic and olive oil.

I purchased my spiralizer at Williams Sonoma for $ 49.00. It comes with 4 blades for different diameters of spirals. It's pretty straight forward and easy to use. I used the medium blade for my zoodles. I thought I was buying a white one...should have looked inside the box before I purchased it!!

The spiralizer has a long pin, top left, that you insert in your vegetable to hold it in place. You simply crank the handle for instant noodles. I used the hand tool for years, and bought a spiralizer this year. It is really amazing the way it can transform vegetables into works of art. You can also use the spiralizer for cucumbers, carrots, potatoes, etc.. Spiralizing gives vegetables a different texture and feel, which makes vegetables appealing to your eyes as well as your palate.

Williams Sonoma also sells a tool that creates strips, however they are thinner and will take even less time to cook. If you are using this tool start with a swipe down longways, then flip over zucchini so the new flat surface is easier to stay steady and secure. Once you start feeling and seeing the seeds in the middle of the zucchini, stop and turn the zucchini. You will be left with a small seedy middle section which you can discard. When you use the machine you use the entire zucchini, if you use the tool the middle section becomes too mushy when cooked.

This is a closeup of the blade on the shredding tool.

This is how the noodles look when you use the machine. They are so cool. Once you heat up your pan, you will throw in your olive oil, garlic and zucchini. It will take only 1 - 2 minutes to cook the noodles. Constantly stir them during this time. Then remove them and let your paper towels absorb the extra moisture. They will not be fully cooked, and that is OK...actually good for you. If you fully cook them they will become limp and soggy and too liquidy.

ZUCCHINI NOODLES RECIPE

Serves 4 people

Prep Time: 10 Minutes

Cook Time: 3 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

4 large zucchini or 8 small ones
1 clove of garlic, minced finely
1 tablespoon olive oil

PREPARATION

Cut the ends off your zucchini and spiralize your zucchini.
Heat up a medium size skillet on high heat.
While it is heating up, stack up 8 paper towels, and set aside.
As soon as the pan is hot, add your oil, garlic and zucchini.
Stir constantly and quickly and cook 1 to 2 minutes. (If you cook the zucchini too long it will become squishy and full of liquid, you want to cook them al dente, a little firm to the bite)
Empty the noodles onto the paper towels. Gather up the paper towels and squeeze the moisture into the paper towel.
Place in your serving bowls and top with chicken meatballs or a topping of your choice.
Serve immediately, as the noodles sit they will continue to release liquid.

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These chicken meatballs are so much healthier and lighter than traditional meatballs made with ground beef. If you are on a paleo diet these meatballs are legal since they do not contain any breading or cheese. I added fresh chopped spinach to the recipe for both color and added nutrition. They are great on top on spaghetti noodles, but if you are trying to stay away from carbohydrates they are equally delicious on zucchini noodles...which are colorful, healthy, and delicious!

I prefer ground chicken thighs over ground turkey or ground chicken. Thigh meat is more moist and has more flavor than breast meat in my opinion. I usually buy marinara...there are so many good ones at Whole Foods. I like the Monte Bene brand pictured above, but I also like Organico Bello. I also add nutritional yeast, which you can leave off if can not find it. It basically replaces the parmesan cheese that I normally put in my meatballs. My husband are both trying to lose weight so we cut out dairy as much as possible during the week. I garnish the dish with fresh basil, but if can not find it, no biggie, it simply adds a little zip to your dish.

If you are following a paleo diet or if you are trying to reduce dairy in your diet you may have seen nutritional yeast in recipes. It is a deactivated yeast that is produced specifically to be healthy. It is also gluten free and vegan, and can be used the same way you would use parmesan cheese. Its yummy sprinkled on popcorn!

I use a half of a 5 ounce box of fresh spinach in this recipe. Chop the spinach up finely and set aside. You need one cup chopped spinach, but if you eyeball grabbing half the box, there is no need to measure.

Add the chicken, chopped spinach, nutritional yeast, grated onion, garlic, red pepper flakes, oregano, salt and pepper to a medium size bowl. I like to grate the onion so you do not get chunks of onion. When you grate an onion you will also get onion juice which helps flavor the meatballs. Grate the onion in separate bowl, so you measure it the first time. Then in the future you can grate it right into the chicken mixture. You need about 1/2 of small onion, or 1/3 of a larger onion.

Wash your hands and start mixing up the mixture with your hands. Its the best way to distribute everything, and it feels awesome to squish the mixture between your fingers.

Grab a cookie sheet line and line it with parchment paper or foil, for easy clean up. Put a little olive oil on your hands and roll the balls a little smaller than a golf ball. You will get about 25 to 30 balls. Half way through, you will need to wash your hands and put oil on them again. Your hands get too chickeny and the balls start looking messy...which is the time to stop, wash, and oil.

First pour your marinara in a large pot and turn burner to low heat to heat up your sauce. Pull out a large skillet and turn heat on medium high, let the pan heat up and then put in 3 tablespoons olive oil. Place meatballs in pan and let brown, turning them so they can brown on all sides. I like to use tongs for turning the meatballs. Once they are browned you can place them in the marinara and let them finish cooking in the marinara, or you can reduce the heat, put a lid on your skillet, and finish cooking them in the original skillet. They will not stay round and perfect, and that is OK. They will have been made with love, they will taste great, and some balls will look better than other ones...such as life!!

My beautiful imperfect chicken meatballs!

If you can find fresh basil, roll up couple of leaves like a cigar and finally cut the basil into chiffonades for your garnish.

The meatballs are great on top of zucchini noodles or spaghetti noodles. Either way they will be delicious!!

CHICKEN MEATBALLS RECIPE

Serves 4 as a main dish

Prep Time: 10 Minutes

Cooking Time: 25 MInutes

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 pounds ground chicken thighs
1 cup finely chopped spinach (1/2 of a 5 ounce box)
1/4 cup grated onion with the juice (1/2 of a small onion)
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast (or parmesan cheese)
One 24 ounce jar of marinara
3 tablespoons olive oil
fresh basil for garnish

preparation

Chop up your spinach finely and set aside.
Grab a medium size bowl, add the chicken, the spinach, the grated onion with its juice, garlic, red pepper flakes, oregano, salt, and nutritional yeast. Leave off the red pepper flakes if you do not like spicy food.
Combine the chicken mixture with your hands, making sure all the ingredients are combined.
Grab a cookie sheet and line with parchment paper or foil (for easy clean up).
Oil your hands and begin rolling the mixture into balls a little smaller than a golf ball. Place on your cookie sheet. Halfway through this process your hands will become coated in chicken, and the meatball rolling will be difficult. Simple wash your hands, oil your hands, and start again.
Heat up the marinara in a large pot with a lid on low heat.
Heat up a large skillet on medium high heat. Let your pan get hot first. Then add your oil and add your meatballs one by one. After they begin to brown keep turning them till all the sides are browned. You are not trying to cook the meatballs at this stage, just simply putting some color on them. As you turn them they may lose their perfect round shape.
At this point you can put the meatballs in your warming marinara, put the lid on, and simmer for 20 minutes. Do not put the oil from the saute pan in the marinara. Alternatively, you can put a lid on the skillet you browned the meatballs in, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes. It really depends on how you want to serve your meatballs...whether in a sauce or resting on the sauce!
Serve on zucchini noodles, or noodles of your choice. Garnish with the basil.

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