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Tag Archives: zucchini


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Raw Noodles plus Awesome (“Peanut”) Sauce

Good evening! How was your day?

Apartment Update: I signed my part of the lease this morning! We get the keys on Tuesday when they have Steve’s signature and we’ll be good to go. I can’t wait to start moving. :) Check out my non-food related post from yesterday if you missed it!

The rest of my day was filled with some favorite tasty things:

  • 1/2 oats
  • 1 c homemade pumpkin seed milk
  • sprinkly of cinnamon
  • drizzle of yacon
  • drizzle of Udo’s 3-6-9 oil (awesome stuff)
  • black sesame seeds
  • 1/2 banana sliced
  • Greenmarket strawberries

Perfect for the stressful morning. I was so terribly nervous on the train ride over that something was going to go wrong, but fortunately, all possible crises were averted!

Here are some leftover greens from Peacefood yesterday with a little balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil. Have you ever tried the strawberry/balsamic combination? It’s definitely one of my favorites, up there with grapefruit plus avocado. :)

After my gig late last night, I had to run into Whole Foods Columbus Circle to pick up bananas, but I was happy to come across this unusual suspect:

I have only used baby Thai coconuts once previously in an incorrect manner. The culprit recipe called for coconut flesh for a chilled cucumber soup, so I had purchased one, but the soup turned out terribly. I think it probably needed the flesh of a mature coconut since it did not specify. Thus I was deterred from buying young coconuts for a long, long time. They are also not usually stocked where I shop for groceries, so naturally I was very pleased to see them and that they were not as expensive as what I assumed.

I used Ani Phyo’s quiet-ish method for cracking one open. Here is a good action shot courtesy of my roommate Anna who is currently doing a cleanse! Yay for her!


Okay, I was exaggerating a little. Haha. I’m sure it looks dangerous.

What you do is cut the fibrous top part off with a very sharp knife, then tap the exposed crown with heel of the knife until it cracks open. Next…

Use whatever glass you feel is appropriate to enjoy the fresh coconut water full of electrolytes while you whip up the following…

Creamy, garlicky, spicy-sweet, and perfect. This sauce is love at first bite.

Raw Noodles and Awesome/”Peanut” Sauce

Serves 2

15 minutes

Sauce:

  • 1/3 c raw, unsalted almond butter
  • the flesh of one young coconut (about 1/2 c)
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1/2 jalapeno pepper, with or without seeds…try it without seeds first, then see if you need more for your personal spice needs. Wear gloves and don’t touch your eyes!
  • 1 inch piece of ginger, peeled
  • juice of 1 lime, plus zest, if desired
  • 1 tbsp tamari or nama-shoyu
  • filtered water to reach desired texture

Drop everything in your blender. Blend it until smooth and pour over your choice of the following if you can restrain yourself from licking it all off the spatula…

  • 2 zucchini, spiralized (new spiralizer came today, yay!)
  • kelp noodles
  • a favorite cooked noodle-buckwheat soba would be great, I’m sure
  • finely sliced veggies of your choice-carrots, cucumber, bean sprouts, raw or lightly steamed broccoli…whatever you have on hand will be awesome!!
  • Any combination of the above that you find exciting! The sauce is enough for two people.

For optional garnishes:

  • chopped fresh cilantro
  • red chili flakes
  • finely sliced scallions
  • sprinkle of sesame seeds

What a perfect way to end an overwhelmingly amazing day!


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Zucchini Basil Soup

zucchini basil soup

Why? You may ask…it’s summer and I don’t want to stand over the stove in this heat! Well, my friend, summer squashes, basil, and leeks are all in season here in New York, so you had better enjoy them fresh before you head over to Trader Joes’s in the dead of winter and you’re only met with mold and brown spots! You know what I’m talking about. And also, it tastes amazing! Leeks have a very mild onion flavor that compliments sweetness of squash and basil very well. This is a simple and flavorful recipe with mostly inactive time, especially if you have a significant other/sous chef. Hooray indentured servants teamwork!

Adorable Squashes:

Zucchini Basil Soup

Vegan, Gluten-free, Soy-free

45 minutes

Serves 6 Ravenous Types, 8 Skeptics

  • 2 lb zucchini and/or yellow summer squashes, diced
  • 2 leeks, sliced, dark green parks removed, cut in half and rinsed thoroughly (leeks are dirt magnets)
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/3 c white wine
  • 6 or so c low sodium vegetable broth
  • 1 tsp Celtic sea salt (to taste)
  • 1 c packed, fresh basil, chiffonade
  • freshly ground pepper (to taste)

First, prep your zucchini and leeks. Once they’re about all chopped up, heat the olive oil in a large stockpot over medium-low. Add the leeks and give it a good stir until they’re all coated in oil. Sauté the leeks for 8 minutes, stirring every now and again. Chiffonade your basil while the leeks are cooking. Take each leaf and stack them up, big to small, then roll them up and cut into thin strips. When the leeks are translucent, add the Celtic sea salt, stir to coat, then deglaze the pan with the white wine. If you don’t have any on hand, no worries, just use some vegetable broth. Add the zucchini and cover with approximately 6 cups of vegetable broth. You want the zucchini just covered, but not drowning. Cover the pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes. The zucchini is cooked when it’s soft, but not falling apart. Throw in the basil and freshly ground black pepper and remove from heat. You can use an immersion blender to purée until smooth, or throw small batches of the soup into a regular blender. Be sure to release the lid every once and a while to keep the heat from sudden death via soup explosion. Taste it and make sure you like the seasoning, adjusting salt and pepper as necessary. Ladle into bowls and serve! I enjoyed mine with a mound of red and white quinoa. :)

Let me know how you like it! It freezes well for rainy days.

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