by Karen Frazier

They had beautiful cucumbers at the farmers market this week, so I picked up a few. I find cucumbers really refreshing – particularly in the summer. I love their slight acidity, which adds balance to fatty or rich cuts of meat, such as pork belly. I also picked up some cilantro, red scallions, and red heirloom carrots.

I have a spiralizer that I love to use to turn veggies into noodles, so I knew immediately what I wanted to do with this combination of farmer’s market veggies. I wanted to spiralize them into cold, crunchy “noodles” and then toss them with an Asian-inspired vinaigrette.

If you don’t have a spiralizer, you can use a vegetable peeler and cut the cucumbers and carrots into long, wide strips. You can use a paring knife to cut the strips into “noodles” or you can leave them as wide strips. It’s up to you.

Cold Cucumber “Noodle” Salad

• 2 cucumbers, spiralized or cut into noodles
• 2 large carrots, spiralized or cut into noodles
• 3 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• Juice of one orange
• Zest of 1/2 orange
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon grated ginger
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 teaspoon sriracha (or 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes for Whole30)
• 1/2 teaspoon cold pressed sesame oil

1. In a large bowl, combine the cucumbers, carrots, scallions, and cilantro.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, orange juice, orange zest, sea salt, pepper, ginger, garlic, sriracha, and sesame oil.
3. Toss the vinaigrette with the vegetables and serve cold.

(image license)

For more spiralizer recipes, check out the Healthy Spiralizer Cookbook, which I wrote for Rockridge Press.  It contains an array of veggie based “noodle” recipes using a spiralizer. I really like my Paderno World Cuisine Spiralizer, which works like a pro with many vegetables.

If you’re trying to cut down on carbs, or if you just want to find a great way of adding noodles to your diet without the gluten, a spiralizer is a wonderful choice. I like making zucchini noodles into pasta, that I can then toss with all types of Italian sauces. You can also make soups, salads, and an array of other tasty vegetable and fruit dishes.