Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Zucchini Noodles with Pea Pesto
INGREDIENTS
5 to 6 large zucchini or 7 medium 1 large bunch (1½ cups) organic parsley (See note) 1 cup of fresh or frozen green peas 3 cloves of fresh or roasted garlic or 2 tablespoons minced garlic
½ cup of grated pecorino Romano cheese OR nutritional yeast for nondairy version (Bragg or Bob’s Red Mill) Zest of 1 lemon Juice of 1 lemon ¼ cup of almonds or pine nuts, toasted to boost the flavor 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil Pinch of sea salt and pepper to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
Spiralize zucchini and set aside. For the pesto: Add all the remaining ingredients to the food processor or blender. (You may need to do it in two batches if your processor is small.) Pulse until chopped and mixed. Add your zucchini noodles to a large bowl. Pour about half of the pesto on top. Use tongs or two salad spoons to cover all the noodles with pesto. Add pesto to the noodles as needed to coat. To enjoy, eat cold or sauté 5 to 6 minutes in a little olive oil. Serves 6 to 8 as a side dish.
For extra pesto: Save the pesto in an airtight container in the fridge up to a week. Smear it on salmon or chicken. Freeze it to use at any time! If freezing, add olive oil over the top of the pesto to cover the surface which will prevent it from turning brown and cover it with plastic wrap, so the plastic wrap sits right on top of the pesto with no air room and container lid.
Note: Don’t go nuts pulling off all the parsley leaves. Just get the bigger part of the stems off.