Description
ZenZini Pasta is light, delicious, and nutritionally balanced. It’s the perfect meal to bliss out to, with friends or with your sweet self. With so many topping options to explore, this dish is one that can be recycled every week. Think of the veggies as the canvas, and have fun painting your decadent picture. Blissings!
Ingredients
Noodles & Veggies:
4 zucchinis, peeled or spiralized
3 cups arugula
1-2 carrots, grated or spiralized
1 cup green onions, chopped
1 cup red, yellow or orange peppers, julienned or chopped
1 cup mushrooms, sliced and pre-marinated in wheat-free tamari or liquid aminos
1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced
½ cup fresh oregano, chopped
2 tbsp hemp seeds
2 tbsp olive oil or flax oil, unrefined and cold-pressed
Marinara Magic Sauce:
1 cup sun dried tomatoes, pre-soaked for 10 minutes in warm water or overnight in fridge
1-2 cup tomatoes, chopped
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
2-3 dates, pitted and soaked for 10 minutes or longer or 1-2 tbsp natural sweetener, like maple syrup or coconut nectar
1 tbsp each fresh oregano and basil
1 tbsp olive or flax oil, unrefined and cold-pressed
Unrefined salt and black pepper to taste
2 tbsp water or sun dried tomato marination liquid (add less water for a thicker sauce, and vice versa)
Optional: 1 tbsp fresh oregano and/or basil, 1 clove garlic, 1 chili pepper, 2 tbsp chia seeds
Tips and Techniques
- If using a spiralizer, place zucchini between the holder and blade and wind zucchini until spaghetti-like noodles form through the openings of the blade. Remove core and chop for use in this dish. If peeling, simply peel zucchini into thin slices lengthwise.
- Save your mushroom marinade for later use (we don’t like to waste!).
- If your sauce is too runny, add chia seeds and let sit for 10 minutes. This will soak up some liquid (and add in a dose of super-nutrition!).
Benefits
- Essential fat from oils and hemp seeds
- Protein from hemp and chia seeds
- Powerful antioxidant vitamin C in both zucchini and sauce, which protects your cells from free radical damage
- Essential mineral manganese in zucchini, which supports wound healing and healthy bone development
- Phytonutrients lutein and zeaxanthin in zucchini, which protect the eyes from harmful rays.
Instructions
Step 1
Prepare “noodles” by spiralizing or peeling zucchini into thin strips, and add to a large bowl.
Step 2
Prepare carrots, bell peppers and tomatoes as directed and mix altogether in a large bowl with olive or flax oil. Add pre-marinated mushrooms to mixture.
Step 3
Prepare sauce by adding all ingredients to a food processor (preferred) or blender. The final product should be tangy and subtly sweet. Adjust amounts of lemon and sweetener as necessary.
Step 4
Lay noodles and veggies over a bed of arugula. Pour sauce over dish, and garnish with oregano, hemp seeds and green onions.
Why I Love My Recipe
ZenZini Pasta is great for on-the-go lunches and dinner parties, and keeps well in the fridge for a good couple of days, especially if you haven’t pre-mixed the ingredients. I often make a few different varieties of this dish, sometimes adding in kelp (seaweed) noodles to the mix, or spiralized yellow squash for an added bounty of phytonutrients. Adding chia seeds to the sauce is another twist, as it ensures an extra dose of super-nutrition, without impacting the taste and flavor of the meal. Although my Marinara Magic Sauce complements this dish very well, my Scrumptious Seed Pesto recipe may also be fun to play with, along with my Nutty Pâté recipe, especially after making this dish a few times. And such is the beauty of this versatile dish.
This and more recipes by Rhea Mehta at www.livingrhea.com and https://www.facebook.com/groups/RAWjuvenationJuiceCleanse
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