On our recent trip to Portland, I’ve been rather obsessed over clean eats – Buddha bowls, Kimchi Bowls, and zucchini noodles. I want to make something that is easy, doesn’t take a lot of time and will absolutely taste amazing. After all, bikini bodies are made in the kitchen. It’s 80% diet and 20% fitness/working out. I can go to all the Lagree and Spin and still not change a damn thing if I only eat junk! It’s all in the mindset.

So I picked up one of these vegetable spiralizers online. It came in the mail within 2 days and was so easy to use and clean. I thought about buying more expensive variants, but thought this plastic one will do just fine as long as I treat it properly. It will last a long time.

You can spiral most root vegetables – zucchinis, cucumbers, carrots, beets, etc.

The first meal I made with my new toy was zucchini noodles with an Asian Ginger Almond Butter Dressing. I substituted peanut butter with almond butter not because I am fancy or anything. I just ran out of peanut butter at home. And you know what? It tastes pretty awesome. You can substitute either almond or peanut butter to your liking.

I like this sauce for a few reasons: spicy heat from sriracha; creaminess from almond (peanut) butter; and also the zippy punch of ginger. It is simple and yet incredibly filing. This Pad Thai spin off offers so many variations. It can be vegan and gluten-free. Or you can add some protein like tofu, chicken, beef, fish filets.

This delicious simple salad noodle bowl is quilt free and hits the spot mid-day and post workout. I like it especially during lunch. I feel full and with enough energy to take on the day, yet I don’t have that nasty afternoon crash where I want to hit my head on the desk (or curl up and nap).

The ingredients for the almond butter dressing can be found at any supermarket. You probably have most of the items already in your pantry.

Zucchini Noodles with Asian Ginger Almond Butter Dressing Recipe

prep time: 10 mins

serves 2

cook time: 5 minutes

total time: 15 mins

The 15 minute meal cook time virtually requires no cooking. Simply wash your veggies, spiralize your zucchini and whip your ginger almond butter dressing together. Toss and eat.

Ingredients

Almond Butter Ginger Dressing:

1 tbsp sesame oil
3 tbsp almond butter (if you are peanut butter adverse, you can also use cashew or tahini)
1 tbsp organic honey (brown sugar if vegan)
1 tbsp soy sauce or tamari (what’s the diff? you can read up here)
1/2 tbsp of fresh grated ginger
5 cloves of garlic (minced)

Zucchini Noodle Bowl:
2 zucchini
handful of tomatoes
handful of nuts (almonds, walnuts, cashews)
a few springs of green onion diced
generous amount of cilantro (I love cilantro – heaps and heaps of them please!)

Instructions

Sprial the zucchini thru the vegetable spiralizer
Put dry with paper towel remove excess water
Whisk all almond butter ginger dressing ingredients together: sesame oil, almond butter, honey, soy sauce, grated ginger, and garlic. Set aside.
Add sauce on the side of zucchini noodles in a serving bowl or fold into noodles before putting in serving bowl.
Top with fresh green onions, cilantro, cherry tomatoes and serve immediately.

Enjoy!