spicy asian zucchini noodles!

We love pretty much any dish that includes noodles around here.  Spaghetti?  Yes.  Macaroni and cheese?  Yes, please!  Spicy asian noodles?  YES,  FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS GOOD AND HOLY.  Sorry, we feel strongly about noodles.  So after making spicy asian noodles as a staple for the past few years, I thought I'd try my had at making it with zoodles (the internetish way of saying zucchini noodles).  I've made zucchini noodles with just a cheese shredder in the past, and it's a little time consuming.  But!  I just got a handy spiral slicer, so it seemed like a good time to try!  And it was a great idea.  Using up the abundance of summer zucchini, and lower in calories and carbs to maintain my, ahem, swimsuit physique.  (Ha!!)  The best part was that it's so flavorful, you won't really notice the lack of real noodles.  Brian is usually not a big fan of any kind of noodle replacement, but he ate this dish right up!

You'll need:
3 to 4 large zucchini
1/2 cup shredded carrots
3/4 cup sliced broccoli
1/2 medium sweet onion, sliced
1/4 cup sesame oil
2 t. red pepper flakes
2 T honey
3 T soy sauce
2 T tahini or peanut butter (or one T of each)
1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
2 t chopped fresh ginger
garnish with:
chopped green onions
sesame seeds
fresh cilantro
fresh lime

First shred/spiral slice your zucchini, and squeeze dry with a clean towel, gently.  I really recommend investing in one of these spiral slicers if you like your vegetables this way!  It's a very small investment with fun returns!

Set aside the noodles, and heat your sesame oil and red pepper flakes in a small sauce pan on low.  Don't bring to a boil.  Just warm the oil on low-medium for about 5 minutes, then let cool a bit.  Strain out the pepper flakes using a fine mesh sieve.

 Heat oil again in a large skillet, and add sliced sweet onions, broccoli, and shredded carrots.  Saute until soft, and then add in the zucchini noodles.  Saute mixture on medium for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add more oil as needed.  Whisk together the honey, soy sauce, tahini (or peanut butter), ginger, and rice wine vinegar in a small bowl.  I use half crunchy natural peanut butter and half tahini just because.

Take the zucchini noodle mixture off the heat and pour your whisked sauce over, tossing to coat thoroughly.  At this point you can serve it warm, or chill it for a few hours in the fridge and serve it cold!  I tend to serve it cold in summer.  Garnish with fresh cilantro, sesame seeds, sliced green onions and a squeeze of lime juice.  Experiment with your favorite veggies- pea pods would be delicious in here, too!

So fresh and summery, but it actually fills you right up.  Enjoy!