Thai Zucchini ZzzzOOdles (Zucchini Noodles)

Ok friends, brace yourself because this is a long post. Forgive me :)

So...a typical plate of spaghetti noodles can contain 100 to 150 grams of carbohydrate. Although, in my opinion, carbs are REALLY NOT THAT bad for you if you exercise regularly and maintain proper muscle mass and body weight. But...you still don’t want to load up on too much, esp. if you are trying to feel healthy from within. If you want to enjoy noodles without blowing your carb budget, zucchini can be a low-carb friendly substitute. Lately, Zucchini has been one of those “super foods” that is very versatile & can camouflage it self into almost anything! And a plus to eating Zucchini is also that it contains a ton of antioxidants!

So if you want to give zucchini noodles [or my fav name: Zzzoodles] try this simple Creamy Thai Zucchini Zoodles [scroll all the way down for the recipe]

What'ya will need [to prep the Zucchini]
-Oven (pre heated at 200 F)
-Zucchini (I used about 5-6)

-Potato Peeler

-Julienne Peeler (I used this Zyliss Julienne Peeler)  [Although I just ordered this Paderno Spiralizer 3-Blade…which I think will also keep me from doing this zucchini noodle prep step...I am so excited! I will def keep you guys posted on my new toy once it arrives) (This one) 
-Paper towels
-Baking trey

What'ya will need [to make the Creamy Thai Zucchini Zoodles]
-Boneless chicken breasts cut into small pieces (you can omit the chicken if you want...it still tastes great!)
-Salt (I used natural sea salt)
-1/2 tablespoon or less of Fish sauce (I used this one)-this stuff can be a gross taste killer if used too much! 
-Olive Oil
-Coconut Oil 
-Coconut Cream (I used GOYA which I didn't really like honestly)
-1-1/2 tablespoon of chopped cilantro
-1/2 tablespoon Honey
-1-1/2 tablespoon of coconut cream (I didn't use too much FYI)
-1/2 Lime Juice
-Almond Butter [unsalted & smooth] (I used this one)
-Garlic and Ginger paste or chopped up very fine
-1 tablespoon Siracha (Like this one)
-1 tablespoon Chili Garlic Paste (Like this one)
-Matchstick Carrots 
-Baby bell mushrooms (cut into small pieces)
-Tablespoon whole or broken up Cashews 
--Jalapeno pepper (chopped into tiny pieces)

*To make the sauce*

-In a small bowl combine, almond butter, lime juice, honey, coconut cream, fish sauce, Siracha, chili garlic & mix it together.

What'ya need to DO: 

Step 1 [prepping the Zucchini]: So, Zucchini has over 95% of water content [A watery noodle dish? Yikes!]. To solve this problem, I followed Elizabeth’s recipe from Hespeaksinthesilence to first prep my zucchini “noodles” so they wouldn’t be so watery/soggy like in the past. This step is a bit of work but oh boy let me tell you HOW MUCH water I was able to squeeze out of the stringy ringlets! They are also good raw if you skip the oven process and can make a cold salad using them.PS: Once gone through the oven process, they do shrink a lot so make sure you aim to make more than it looks in its raw form.

-Preheat your oven to 200F.
-Wash and peel the green skin off the zucchini with a potato peeler or knife if you're that good ;)
-Hold on to the head of the zucchini and place the julienne peeler at the top of the zucchini. Gently press down and drag the peeler to the end. You will instantly have a strip of noodles!
-Repeat this until you get to the center and start to see seeds. Then flip it over and do the same thing on the other side of the zucchini.
-Line a baking sheet (or two, depending on how much you are making) with paper towels and spread the noodles over the baking sheet evenly.
-Sprinkle with salt.
- Place the baking sheet of noodles in the oven for 30 minutes. [no fire, I promise!]
This causes the noodles to “sweat” out a lot of water which will prevent your dish from becoming watery when you cook the noodles.
-Now remove the baking sheets from the oven and let them cool for a few minutes. After cooled, pick up the paper towels, wrap them around the noodles and squeeze out the liquid. At this point they are ready to cook whenever you are ready to eat them. You can saute them in your oil of choice for about 6-7 minutes or you can simmer them in a sauce and allow them to soften.

Now put this in the oven 

This is how they will look after oven, water squeezed out

Now for the Creamy Thai Zoodle recipe:

Step 2: In a hot WOK, pour in a little bit of olive oil & about a teaspoon of minced garlic, once it begins to sizzle, add in your chicken pieces. Once the chicken is cooked (don't overcook it), take it out in a bowl. 

Step 2: Clean your Wok using a paper towel. Put in about 1/2 tablespoon of Coconut oil, add in about a tablespoon of minced garlic, let it sizzle for a little bit. Now go ahead and add in the carrots, mushrooms, and jalapeño peppers. Let them stir-fry for about a minute or less. *Make sure you don't overcook these because no one likes soggy stir-fry veggies! 

Step 3: Now throw in your cashews & mixing quickly 

Step 4: Now add in your oven cooked & squeezed Zucchini noodles, cooked chicken, and your sauce mixture. Give it a quick stir-fry! Garnish with little bit of chopped cilantro.

That's it! Serve immediately and don't overcook. 

I can't wait to get my spirilizer because I hear that using that, I may not have to go through the long oven prep process!