I got an awesome new kitchen gadget, for Mother’s Day! It’s a Spiralizer, and it makes slicing veggie pasta (and curly fries!) a breeze! The BEST part of getting it when I did? Local organic zucch’s were on sale at the market and in abundance at my local farmers market! So I went bananas (we have a ton of those at home too!) and filled the fridge, obviously. 🙂 Where I’m located in Cali, summer squash, like zucchini, comes into season in May! So we’ve been enjoying this veggie with our meals.
Zucchini is a really great veggie. It’s high in dietary fiber and is a natural source of folate, which is super important during pregnancy! It also has great vitamins like A, C & Bs along with potassium and other minerals. Zucchini is delicious grilled, steamed, sautéed… and as pasta! Why is zucchini pasta so great? Well, a cup zucchini has less than 20 calories. A cup of normal pasta can have up to 200!
This is a great healthy fresh Springtime pesto that has NO dairy & is raw!
I love eating it on pasta alone, but if you’re not vegan you can top wild salmon with it, use it as a dip, or on bread as a bruschetta!

Add some spring peas for a side and some sliced strawberries for dessert! The perfect spring time meal! Enjoy and happy eating!

Avocado Basil Pesto

Serves: about 4

Ingredients:

• 1 big bunch fresh basil, reserve some leaves for garnish
• ½ cup pine nuts or walnuts
• 2 avocados, pitted and peeled
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1-2 cloves garlic
• ¼ cup organic extra virgin olive oil
• ¼ tsp sea salt
• ¼ tsp black pepper

Directions:

1. Blend basil, nuts, avocado, garlic, salt and pepper in a food processor.
2. Slowly add olive oil as the food processor is running.
3. Combine pesto with pasta (and optionally some water to thin as needed).
4. Garnish with fresh basil leaf, and enjoy!

Zucchini Pasta

Ingredients:

• 2-3 medium-to-large zucchini (about 1 per person – it really shrinks down when cooked!)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil (or other medium-heat oil)

Directions:

1. Optional – to look like spaghetti, peel the zucchini first.
2. Spiralize zucchini.
3. Sautée zucchini in oil for a few minutes (until tender or desired softness)

*Note: for a raw dish, it’s perfectly fine to serve the zucchini raw!