Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (42 page)
Read Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans Online
Authors: Michelle Tam,Henry Fong
Tags: #Cookbooks; Food & Wine, #Cooking by Ingredient, #Natural Foods, #Special Diet, #Allergies, #Gluten Free, #Paleo, #Food Allergies, #Gluten-Free, #Healthy
T
his recipe requires cooking, but it was inspired by an eye-opening meal at ONE LUCKY DUCK, a raw vegan joint in new york city! 
ZOODLES
Makes
4
servings | Hands-on time:
5
minutes | Total time:
5
minutes
Got a craving for noodles? Rather than giving in to your carb-loving demons, grab some zucchini and cut them into thin, julienned strings. With their mild taste and excellent slurpability, zoodles are an amazingly adaptable stand-in for pasta, soaking in the flavors of your favorite sauces and broths.
But beware: cook ’em too long, and you’ll end up with a waterlogged dish and limp, mushy zoodles. My recommendation is to toss the raw zucchini strands in warm sauce or soup just before serving; that way, the zoodles will be perfectly al dente by the time you and your sweetie reenact the candlelit spaghetti dinner scene from
Lady and the Tramp
. All together now:
Awwwww!
GET:
6
medium
zucchini
AND:
A
julienne peeler
,
spiral cutter
, or mad knife skillz
DO THIS:
I
feel kind of silly calling this a recipe, as it involves little more than julienning a bunch of zucchini. There are, however, a number of ways to quickly produce an overflowing pile of zoodles. My two favorite methods? Use a julienne peeler or a spiral cutter. (Of course, if you’re a certified kitchen ninja, feel free to hand-cut your zoodles.)
Y
es, both are specialty kitchen tools, but they’re not one-trick ponies. You can use them to shred all kinds of fruits and vegetables. Plus, they’ll entice your gadget-crazy kids into helping you crank out your zoodles. Isn’t child labor a wonderful thing?
C
ut up more zucchini than you think you’ll need. Zoodles shrink with heat!
D
on’t have a spiral cutter or a julienne peeler?
J
ust use a regular vegetable peeler to make wide-cut faux pappardelle!
ROASTED PORTOBELLO MUSHROOMS
The beefiness of roasted portobello mushrooms make for a hearty side, but I hate taking the time to marinate them—especially when I’m in a rush. Luckily, there’s a swift and simple way to prep these meaty caps. Add a drizzle of citrus or balsamic vinegar and
presto!
An easy, flavorful vegetable dish is yours. Bonus: portobello mushrooms are a wonderfully sturdy and Paleo-friendly alternative to burger buns, too!
| Makes 2 servings | 4 large portobello mushrooms , wiped clean with a damp cloth or paper towel |
| Hands-on time: 10 minutes | 2 tablespoons melted ghee or fat of choice |
| Total time: 25 minutes | Kosher salt |
| Freshly ground black pepper | |
| 1 teaspoon dried thyme or basil (optional) | |
| Juice from ½ small lemon |
DO THIS:
- A
rrange the rack in the middle position in the oven, and preheat the oven to
400
°F. Line a baking sheet with foil. Remove the stems from the mushrooms, and scrape out the gills with a spoon. Flip the caps gill-side down, and use a small knife to cut a shallow X on the top of each mushroom. - A
rrange the mushrooms on the foil-lined sheet, and brush each cap—top and bottom—with melted fat. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and, if desired, dried herbs. Roast the mushrooms gill-side up in the oven for
10
minutes. - A
fter
10
minutes, most of the juices in the upturned caps should have evaporated. Flip the mushrooms over, and cook for an additional
10
minutes. Once the mushrooms are tender and cooked through, transfer them to a cutting board, slice ’em up, and add a squirt of lemon before serving. (But don’t slice the cooked caps if you’re using them as burger patties!)
