Zucchini Pasta with Walnut Pesto (low-carb and low-calorie)

I had a pretty great Sunday. It started with my first-ever Zumba class and swimming with my good friend Nena (whose awesome Tech blog you can find here, btw). Afterward, there happened to be a farmer's market in the parking lot, so we got some cash and went produce hunting. I scored on a lot of goodies that will be sure to inspire many new recipes this week. Here's my loot:

GET IN MAH BELLY

Inspired by the unhealthy hummus we found there, we went back to my house and made the hummus that I posted yesterday, and then I started to think about what else I could make this week. I got some extra long zucchini that would make great noodles, and so much basil would have to become pesto. So yesterday afternoon I got to work, determined to make a delicious new pasta dish that would be as healthy as possible.

If you've never made zucchini noodles, you're missing out. Cooked just a little, zucchini closely resembles the texture of pasta, and when you add some sauce you can hardly tell the difference. It makes a great lasagna noodle as well. 

To cut the noodles, a special slicer is ideal. I have a mandoline slicer (this one) that can make julienned strips, but this spiral slicer is officially on my wish list. If you don't have the appropriate slicer or the cash to splurge on one right now, you can use a vegetable peeler to create long, flat, linguine-like shreds. I don't recommend just using a knife for this, though. I tried it once, and the results were not worth the time and effort required.

Whether you peel the zucchini first is up to you - it's really just a question of aesthetics and nutrition. The skin adds a bit more color and fiber, but I'd recommend peeling your zucchini if it isn't organic, to reduce your chemical intake. However you choose to slice your noodles, stop when you get to the seeds. I like to save the insides for other recipes - they're good grilled! :)

If you want more info on the various ways to prepare zucchini noodles, check out this thorough Wikihow article. 

Ummm, hi.

Onward to the recipe!

Zucchini Pasta with Walnut Pesto

Serves 2-4

For the pasta:

• 2-4 large zucchini, the longer the better (I used two medium-large ones this time, and it wasn't quite enough as my boyfriend wanted seconds and there were none - oops!)
• A few dashes of salt

For the pesto:

• 2 1/2 loosely-packed cups of fresh basil leaves, rinsed
• 1/4 cup walnuts (or almonds or pine nuts), lightly toasted if desired
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2-3 tablespoons low-sodium vegetable broth or water
• 1/2 tablespoon nutritional yeast (If you don't know what this is, you can leave it out)
• 1 garlic clove
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Cut and prepare the noodles however you like. You can steam them, bake them, boil them, or eat them raw (again, this link for options). For my spaghetti-like noodles, I used my mandoline slicer to julienne the zucchini (skin and all). I then boiled them in salted water for about a minute, and drained.
   
   
2. For the pesto, just combine all of the ingredients in a food processor and mix until creamy. You will probably have to scrape the sides a few times, adding more liquid if needed to reach the desired consistency. You can use a blender for this, but will probably need to add a little more liquid. to get all of those solid ingredients movin'.
   
3. Toss the zucchini noodles with the pesto and top with fresh tomatoes, grilled veggies, red pepper flakes, parmesan or whatever you want. My vegan parmesan recipe, which is all over this bad boy, will be coming with my updated almond milk post (I make them together).

(Per 1/3 serving)

• Calories: 162
• Total Fat: 13.7 g
• Saturated: 1.7 g
• Polyunsaturated: 4.2 g
• Monounsaturated: 7.3 g
• Trans: 0 g
• Cholesterol: 0mg
• Sodium: 334.1 mg
• Potassium: 597.6 mg
• Carbs: 8.8 g
• Fiber: 3.5 g
• Sugars: 4.1 g
• Protein: 4.2 g
• Vitamin A: 82.5%
• Vitamin C: 111.2%
• Calcium: 9.2%
• Iron: 14.2%