You spin my head right round, right round. Like a … spiralizer! We give you the low-down on the trendiest healthy kitchen gadget.
Regular noodles? White rice? Pshaw. Empty carbs are so out right now.
What’s hot? Adding an extra boost of nutrients, cutting the carbs (not to mention the calories), and adding a whole new depth of flavour. That’s what’s hot.
Enter, the spiralizer. Your fun, easy, noodle-making pal.
Spiralizers work with all sorts of veggies and even fruits, to turn them into skinny strips of spaghetti, ribbons of fettuccine, or even just cute little twirlies. This gadget ranges from pretty basic handheld models, where the user pushes vegetables through a tube while twisting them, to mid-range options that stand on the countertop and users feed vegetables through a grater, using a hand crank. The fancy kind is electronic, (read no cranking required) and has all sorts of different-shaped grater attachments for your every spiralizing need.
The downside of using a spiralizer is that you do end up with leftover cores and ends of vegetables that are too small, but you can always chop them up for salsa, throw them in smoothies, or just munch them while you’re cooking.
If you didn’t want to go down the route of purchasing a new gadget, you can achieve this affect with a little extra effort using pre-cut strips and either a peeler or mandoline to create wafer-thin ribbons.
Here are some yummy recipes to get you inspired.
Zucchini Pasta Ribbons with Chunky Tomato Sauce and Pine Nuts
Zucchini is the darling of the veggie pasta world. This twist on a classic recipe is a great choice for your first spiraling adventure, and is sure to become a staple.
Zucchini “Spaghetti” with Eggplant Chicken Sauce
Add a little extra protein to your week night dinner with this spicy Italian sauce.
Orange, Carrot, and Beet Slaw
This recipe calls for matchsticks of beet and carrot, but we bet those gorgeous colours would be fantastic spiralized!
