Zucchini Noodles with Almond Pesto Sauce.....

I had been having a dream about Pesto so when market day rolled around it was on my list of course, made sure to get all the ingredients I was missing so that my dream could come true. At this time, and this changes frequently mind you, we are on a Pescatarian Diet, a basically Vegetarian diet with Fish added, works really well for us for many, many reasons since we find it quite easy to do and enjoy so my dream of Pesto can work plus I'm trying to not consume too many carbs and lose some weight in the process so I needed to replace traditional pasta with something more in line with my thoughts, zucchini pasta came to mind. I had purchased a "Spiralizer" machine some time back and had not really used it a lot so perfect time to put it to work. You don't need to have this piece of equipment to make this dish since you can also use a Mandolin or a box grater (using the slicing tool) or if your knife skills are ok just by making thin slices and making pasta like pieces insuring they are the same size so they will cook the same.

The picture above is the Spiralizer and can have many uses with fruit and vegetables, you can also use an apple slicer, food processor or any other thing you have on hand. I do like the Spiralizer which is rare for us since we generally do not go for "unitaskers" at all,,,,, lol

First, here's a basic recipe for Pesto: You'll need
4 cups of Basil Leaves
1/2 peeled almonds
4-5 cloves of peeled garlic
a pinch of red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil
Parmessano Regiano, Romano or Vegan Cheese, your choice

If your almonds are not peeled put them in a little water and boil for about 1 minute, the skins should fall off easily once cooled. Put the almonds and garlic into a food processor and process them until they are finely ground. Add the Basil leaves, salt and pepper and chili flakes and begin processing while you dribble the olive oil through the feeding tube a little at a time until the whole thing is a semi lose paste. Set aside until needed.

Now take your zucchini and cut off both ends, rub the end against the zucchini where you cut it off from until a white milky substance comes out, rubbing it counterclockwise (this is to remove the acrid taste of the zucchini- hey, don't blame me, it seems to work, ok?), once you've done this with all of your zucchinis then wash them off (don't peel), place on the Spiralizer or cut or slice to the size you like. Put the cuttings in a colander in the sink and sprinkle liberally with kosher salt and leave for at least 30 minutes. This will take out a lot of the liquid and allow you to cook them better. Turn them in the colander after about 15 min. Once you've done this, rinse well to take the salt off and leave in the colander another 15 min so most of the water drops off.

You can cook them in a large pan with either olive oil or add a little butter to the oil, coconut oil or whatever you prefer. Heat the oil on med-high heat, place the zucchini in the pan and stir fry for about 15-20  min, turning gently until they are tender yet still have salt from before which is why you rinsed them well. When they are almost done, pour the Pesto over them and turn them so the Pesto is well distributed through them.

Serve topped with your choice of grated cheese. Enjoy.

Note: You can add herbs, other veggies (but if they are harder than zucchini, pre cook them a little) and cheese while cooking but I don't need so much cheese so as a topping is enough for me.  Also, you can change the nuts or leave them out depending on your needs, add some mint or cilantro or ?. I would also recommend A LOT that you make at least a double batch so you have some in your fridge ready for another time, this way you can make a very quick meal in no time at all or use it over fish, chicken, veggies or as a spread on any sandwich like I like to do.