Zucchini Noodle Madness, June Edition
Have you been putting off trying the spiralized veggie thing? I know I certainly was. I couldn’t imagine any vegetable that could come close to making me feel like I wasn’t eating a veggie, pretending to be a noodle! Well, I am converted! These “zucchini noodles” are absolutely out-of-this-world! 👩🏻🌾😋
Our garden shoots out mad amounts of zucchini every summer. I’ve already shredded a few bags for future cooking and baking. If I didn’t do something soon, my freezer would be so packed full with zucchini, I’d have to get another one. I am so happy I tried the spiral noodle thing-a-ma-jing, because now I have a really healthy, easy and fun go to. The spiralizer I got from Amazon works great. I mean, these noodles are 2 feet long. The texture is very different with a spiral too. I know I always love the super thin strips when I am at a salad bar. It’s kind of the same thing. Change the shape, change the texture and the taste. Zucchini Noodles are a thing!
Summer Fresh Flavors Are Exploding Everywhere including Zucchini Noodles
Another one of my “Rights Of Summer” is making homemade pesto. This is about the time our basil is really starting to take off. Frequent trimming keeps it going all summer. I also like keep a big bag of pine nuts in my freezer. They are super expensive in the grocery stores. But, we discovered the huge bags at Costco. It’s a fraction of the cost of those tiny grocery store bags, but still a little bit of an investment. But, if making pesto is not for you, by all means, you can use store-bought in this recipe.
Easy Pesto for Zucchini Noodles
Into the bowl of your food processor, add a large handful of fresh basil. A few cloves of garlic, some pine nuts and grated Parmesan cheese.
Pulse a few times, then add salt, pepper, olive oil and a little butter. Taste, and adjust seasoning. I put it into a jar and top with a bit of olive oil to keep the pesto pretty and green. If you keep this in your refrigerator, it will last a few months. Just continue to top with a bit of olive oil to cover any areas that are exposed to the air. This also makes a really great gift.🎁
This Girl Grills
We eat a lot of chicken 🐓around here. My favorite way to make it is just to do a last minute marinade. First I always pound my breasts. (I’m really hoping that made you laugh). But, no kidding. I hate a thick breast. I put the breasts between plastic sheets on top of my meat or poultry dedicated plastic cutting board. Then I whack the bah-geebers out of them. They cook better when they are evenly flattened to about 1/2 inch thick and the texture, in my book, is much more pleasing.
I like to put a really easy marinade together. Just a bit of olive oil, 🍋lemon zest and juice, salt, pepper. Then based on whatever I’m making I change-up the spice. For this dish I used thyme and garlic. In order to give the chicken that pretty color, I add paprika and turmeric. The chicken only needs 30 minutes to an hour in this marinade to take on the flavor and the color. You can cook it on your BBQ or right inside on the indoor grill pan. If cooking over direct heat, just about 5-6 minutes per side and perfect every time. They should reach 165° on a meat thermometer. If you don’t have one, you can tell by cutting one in the center. The chicken should be white inside, never any pink. If it is, put it back on for another minute or two.
Putting It Together
Using your spiralilzer, make your zucchini noodles. You would be surprised at the amount of zucchini noodles two of us ate! I suggest at least one large zucchini per person, even more! Spread the “noodles” onto a paper towel and sprinkle with salt to let them release as much moisture as possible. Let them sit at least 30 minutes.
In a large pan, add 3 tablespoons of your pesto and heat on medium to melt.
Once melted, add the zucchini spirals. Cook while tossing with the pesto about 4 minutes. Then, add another tablespoon of pesto and 1/4 cup heavy cream and toss to coat and cook another 2 minutes. If your noodles were too full of water, the sauce may become to watery. If that happens, remove the zucchini and thicken the sauce by adding 1 teaspoon flour to the sauce. Whisk until thickened, about 3 minutes, then add the zucchini back to the sauce. NOTE: Store bought zucchini has far less moisture content than zucchini grown in your garden. There’s a lot of moisture in a zucchini that you just picked from your garden.
Serve with sliced chicken on top and a bit of freshly grated Parmesan cheese. This was so good, I can’t wait to make it again!
Zucchini “Noodles” in Creamy Pesto Sauce with Grilled Chicken
Ingredients
For the Pesto
- 1 large handful fresh basil
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1/3 cup pine nuts
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
For the Pesto Sauce
- 4-5 tablespoons pesto
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- salt/pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
For the Chicken
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon ground thyme
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced or 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken 1/2 breasts, flattened to 1/2 inch thick
For the Zucchini "noodles"
- 4 large zucchini, spirlalized
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
For the Pesto
- Add basil, pine nuts, salt, pepper and cheese to food processor. Pulse 3-4 times to combine. Add olive oil and butter then process until smooth, about 10 seconds. Add to jar and top with a light coating of olive oil to keep pesto from browning. Keep refrigerated up to 2 months.
For the Chicken
- Add all ingredients info a shallow dish.
- Pound breasts to even, flat pieces, around 1/2 inch thick, then into the marinade for 30 minutes to up to 2 hours. Grill chicken on medium high direct heat for 5-6 minutes on each side. Let rest 10 minutes, then slice into strips.
For the Zucchini
- Spiralize into thin "noodles" Place onto paper towels and sprinkle with salt. Allow to sit for up to 1 hour to reduce moisture content of the zucchini.
- Add 3 tablespoons pesto to a large pan and heat on medium to melt. Add "noodles" and toss to coat and cook for 4 minutes. Add another tablespoon or two of pesto, and 1/4 cup heavy cream. Cook another minute. NOTE: If the noodles were too wet and the sauce is too watery, you can remove the zucchini and thicken the sauce by adding 1 teaspoon flour to the sauce. Cook about 5 minutes, whisking the entire time. Add noodles back to sauce and toss to coat. Serve with chicken on top and a sprinkling of freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
