Popsicles & Pinatas

I first read about using a julienne peeler on OhSheGlows (an amazing vegan food blog) and I knew it was something I wanted to try. I purchased the OXO Good Grips Julienne Peeler for $11.99 from Cookworks (a specialty cooking store in Vancouver). These peelers can be a bit tricky to find, but they are worth the hunt!

Safety Warning: These peelers are EXTREMELY sharp. I have already cut myself twice!!

So far I have used my julienne peeler on a bunch of different fruits and veggies, but my favorite is definitely zucchini. I love peeling the zucchini and using the long strips in place of pasta noodles.

Zucchini pasta is so simple to make and it is a great way to add extra veggies into your diet. It is also lower in calories and carbohydrates than using regular wheat pasta noodles.

Zucchini Pasta

1. Peel a zucchini using the julienne peeler. I usually just peel until I get to the seeds and I use 1 medium sized zucchini per person.
2. Cook the zucchini. I have done this a few different ways… usually I will just pour pasta sauce in a pan and then heat up the zucchini noodles in the pasta sauce. Tonight I sautéed some minced garlic with diced red peppers and then added the zucchini to cook for about 3 minutes on medium, then I added the sauce (I used a store bought light cream sauce – we were a bit tight for time as I have an exam tomorrow) and let it cook for another 2 minutes.

As I have mentioned on the blog before, my Mom has a gluten intolerance and I know she really misses pasta. So this year I bought her a julienne peeler as one of her Christmas gifts. I know she is excited to try zucchini pasta, especially since she makes such awesome homemade pasta sauce.

Some other great ways to use your julienne peeler:

-          Cut strips of fruits and vegetables to make decorative garnishes

-          Cut strips of apples to add to salads (So good!!)

-          Cut strips of carrots to add to sandwiches, wraps, pitas or spring rolls

So the question I am asking everyone is …

Do you have a julienne peeler? If you do, what do you use it for?

-       Melissa