First, let me just say how proud I am of my iphone for taking such a bomb picture. That was actually my plate, not a reblogged picture of what zucchini noodles “should” look like!

Okay, so why zucchini?  Well, just as I was falling in love with spaghetti squash, it was going out of season.  What was I going to put shrimp on? Lamb? Sausage? Epic curry sauce or an obnoxious amount of olive oil and garlic? I needed another pasta alternative and “Well Fed” came through for me again.

Step 1-Let your julienned zucchini sweat in a colander for 25 minutes.

Without the snobby french accent, that means cut the zucchini into whatever “noodle” size you prefer, coat with salt and leave them in a drainable bowl for a half hour

Rinse off the salt, dry the now rubbery veggie sticks and throw into a pan. saute for a few minutes in the dry pan, and then reduce or remove from the heat before adding the olive oil, garlic and red pepper.  I could eat these alone but here are two meal ideas:

Lemon and Thyme Shrimp

Recipe for shrimp here

Fill the bottom of a pan with olive oil and coconut oil, thyme, salt and pepper.  Roast in the oven at 400 degrees for 10 mins.  Then add chopped garlic, shrimp and lemon wheels and cook until the shrimp is pink.  Serve over zucchini noodles made without the red pepper flakes.

Ground Lamb

Brown ground lamb in a large pan with lard and chopped onion, season to taste (I do this ahead of time). Dice 1 tomato and saute with lamb.  once the tomato has softened, add the zucchini noodles, toss and serve!

mmmmmmm, another bonus of zucchini? So photogenic!

Memorial Day is coming up, meaning BBQ season is almost upon us!  Pre-steamed artichoke, halved zucchini, semi-sauteed bell peppers, and a grass fed ground beef patty all seasoned with olive oil, sea salt, garlic, and pepper makes a quick, delicious lunch with barely any clean-up!  All hail the BBQ! 

Recipe Notes

-Artichoke: steam until done, cut in half or quarters, and remove the choke (the hairy part above the heart).  Add lemon juice to the seasoning listed above

-Zucchini: either saute these a little bit before hand or cut them into quarters so they cook evenly and don’t take longer than the rest

-Bell peppers: These can start raw, just don’t lose them through the grill!

-Chicken Thighs (Not pictured): same seasonings, add a pinch of paprika.  Love the flavor! These are great snacks on their own, awesome in salads and even better in whatever dish you are mentally creating right now.