Veggie Noodles

I've discovered a delicious way to eat "spaghetti" but without any pasta--using vegetable ribbons as the noodles, and top with whatever spaghetti sauce you want. I got the idea from trainer momma's Pasta without the Pasta recipe and from Taste of Home. Try it! It's low-calorie, adds tons of veggies to your plate, and tastes wonderful.

For the noodles, you can use zucchini or carrots--I prefer a combo of both. The carrots add a wonderful sweetness to the dish, and the zucchini is a nice, low-carb filler that doesn't distract from the other flavors. If you're in a rush, just pick one. The carrots do not absorb ANY sauce (and the zucchini doesn't absorb much either), so be sure to use a thick pasta sauce or you will have a runny red mess on your plate!

Carrot and Zucchini Noodles

1) Carrot noodles:

Peel carrots--plan on about 2 carrots per serving, unless you're also using zucchini. Using your peeler, shave off long strips of your carrot, doing about half of the carrot at a time so you can hold the other half. When you get down to a tiny sliver of carrot, you won't be able to peel any more. Just eat that part. Put your carrot noodles in a microwave-safe bowl with 1-2 Tbs of water, cover, and microwave about 2 minutes for one serving of carrots, or until completely tender. Cool slightly, drain, and eat with pasta sauce.

2) Zucchini noodles:

Wash zucchini and cut in half lengthwise (like a hot-dog bun). Cut out the middle part with the seeds if it's a large zucchini with big seeds. Place the cut side of the zucchini on the cutting board and slice it lengthwise in very skinny strips. Repeat with the other half. Lightly saute in a skillet with some nonstick spray and a little water. Season lightly with salt/pepper and italian seasoning if you want. Once the water is bubbling, cover with a lid for a few minutes to soften the zucchini, then remove the lid and let the water boil off and cook until your zucchini noodles are totally soft. Drain if needed and serve.