After having spent the past month trying my hand at Spanish food (Tortilla Española, Gazpacho, variety of products, Paella, etc) it’s now time to be impressed by a product from Portugal. While Spain and Portugal have forever been on my travel bucket list, I will just have to make do with products and dishes from there until I get there (which to me is a fair compromise for now ;)).
I love Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) and very generously use it in just about any dish. But when you get sent a gold award winning EVOO aka Azeite Esplendido, just about any dish won’t cut it, but a (heart) winning recipe (most definitely) should be in order! And as I mentioned in this post, I am a HUGE fan of creamy pasta and when I make it at home, it’s mostly healthy. So here’s presenting to you, a simple (and my all time favorite) dish that will more than please any taste bud – super healthy Zoodles (Zucchini Noodles) + just as healthy homemade pesto, made with drops of magic from Azeite Esplendido. Takes all of 10 minutes to make and a minute to devour…
Pesto
Serves: 4
Prep time: 5 mins
Ingredients
- 1 cup basil leaves
- 1 cup spinach leaves
- 1 avocado
- ¼ cup walnuts
- 4-5 garlic cloves (if you are not a huge fan then only add a clove or 2)
- ¼ cup EVOO
- Juice of half a lemon
- Salt (add to taste)
- Pepper (add to taste)
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients to a food processor (or blender) and process until smooth
- Healthy and tasty pesto is ready – it’s a great pasta sauce, sandwich spread or even a dip for crackers
Note: You can use the pesto immediately or put it in an airtight container and store in the fridge for a few days. If you want it to last longer freeze it into cubes and use it when you have a craving 😉
Zoodles
Serves: 4
Prep time: 5 mins
Ingredients
- 4 zucchini
- 1 tablespoon EVOO
- Pesto
- Salt (add to taste)
- Pepper (add to taste)
- Lemon juice (add to taste)
- Sun dried or cherry tomatoes (unfortunately, I had run out of both when I made the dish)
- Roasted Pine nuts
Instructions
- Trim the zucchini ends. Use a peeler or a spiralizer to turn the zucchini into noodles
- Add the pesto, tomatoes, EVOO, salt and pepper to zucchini noodles and toss until combined well
- Garnish with some pine nuts and basil leaves
Note: You can either serve the pesto zoodles cold or saute it for a minute and serve it warm. Be careful to not overcook it as the zucchini will soften quickly and lose its crunchy texture.
Guilt-free-goodness ready in a jiffy. I made the dish this past Friday and took it to a friend’s place for dinner. She said it was super-delicious and finger-licking good, and was even more thrilled to know that it was 100% healthy! While on the other hand, my darling hubs (who claims to love me more than I love him every chance he gets) didn’t even so much as share more than 2 bites of the zoodles with me, I wonder who loves who more (I rest my case)!!!
Are you a fan of zoodles? If not, do try this recipe and tell me if it wins your heart or not 🙂
“Its not a diet, its called eating healthy”.
xoxo,
Kusum
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