cheap eats [zucchini pasta]

If you're currently trying to get more greens in your life, you should probably look into raw pastas. My old friend M at Eat Simple Love Yoga first introduced me to the concept ages ago, before I even knew what a blog was, but it took me until post-college to give this a go. Basically, you use raw vegetables (zucchini works great, also carrots) and a peeler (julienne or spiralizer are best, but I used a normal one) to make thin ribbons of produce that can be used similarly to pasta.

My favorite so far has been zucchini pasta with tomatoes, feta, olive oil, and hummus.

from my insta

It's very filling, considering you use the entire zucchini as a base for the meal, and delicious too. Don't even get me started on how many servings of fruits/veggies are here, and the healthy fats keep me feeling indulgent.

If you're using a regular peeler, as I did, you're going to get wider, thicker strips than if you use a julienne. To make them soft and spaghetti like, I blanched them. Just toss the slivers into boiling water for 1-2 minutes, remove from heat, drain, and immediately douse in cold water to stop the cooking. This just softens them up a bit, though of course you lose some nutrients.

A House in the Hills

Now here's an example of what a better peeler can do. Beautiful, and removes the need for blanching. Now that I know I like the flavor and texture of preparing a salad this way, I've decided to invest in a slicer, and have done my research. I'm currently deciding between this $8 julienne peeler from Zyliss:

And this Paderno spiralizer for $35:

I already have the spiralizer in my cart, if that tells you anything. It just seems so versatile, and if I'm doing this often enough, it may be worth it. It comes with a few different blades, is plastic but sturdy, and easy to clean, if reviews are to be believed. I don't mind spending a bit (and really, $35 is nothing compared to what I'm willing to spend on the home) if it's going to be used constantly, like my Vitamix.

Anyone here have peeler-specific knowledge to share?