When the weather turns warmer, I “crave” cold sesame noodles often. Unfortunately, they can be so much more caloric than they seem. So I tasked myself with developing a version that was a little (or a lot!) friendlier for the waistline. Here’s the result. Zucchini acts as the noodles–or zoodles! I use just the amount of toasted unrefined sesame oil need for deliciousness. And I pumped up the ginger and garlic so it’s big on flavor. Hope you enjoy slurping up these “noodles” as much as I do.

cold peanut-sesame zucchini noodles

Makes 4 servings: 1 cup each

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons toasted unrefined sesame oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons grated fresh gingerroot
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1 red Thai chili pepper, with seeds, minced
• 1/3 cup brown rice vinegar
• 1/4 cup creamy all-natural peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons naturally-brewed tamari soy sauce
• 1 1/2 tablespoons coconut nectar or date syrup
• 2 teaspoons Asian chili paste with garlic
• 3 large or 4 medium zucchini, unpeeled
• 2 scallions, green and white parts, thinly sliced
• 2 teaspoons pan-toasted black or white sesame seeds

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the ginger, garlic, and chili and cook while stirring until fragrant, about 1 1/2 minutes. Remove from heat, add the vinegar, peanut butter, tamari, honey, and chili paste and whisk until evenly combined. Chill well. (Makes 1 1/4 cups peanut-sesame sauce.)
2. Cut the zucchini lengthwise into thin, spaghetti-like strips, preferably using a juilienne peeler or spiralizer. (Hint: Keep on the stem end is using a peeler to make the peeling process go smoothly.) Add to a 2-quart microwave-safe dish, cover with unbleached parchment paper, and microwave on high until cooked through, about 4 minutes. Remove from the microwave and let stand covered for 5 minutes to complete the cooking process. Chill well.
3. When ready to serve, gently squeeze zucchini of excess liquid over the sink using a clean kitchen towel. Toss together the chilled zucchini, chilled peanut-sesame sauce*, and scallions in a serving bowl. Sprinkle with the sesame seeds and serve immediately.

*Use desired amount of the sauce. The nutrition analysis is based on full use of the sauce.

Per serving: 280 calories, 20g total fat, 3.5g saturated fat, 0g trans fat, 0mg cholesterol, 650mg sodium, 21g total carbohydrate, 3g dietary fiber, 15g sugars, 8g protein

Jackie’s Culinary Nutrition Tips!

• Consider using zucchini or yellow summer squash in place of pasta or other noodles from time to time when trying to punch up your veggie intake (or go halfsies–half regular noodles and have veggie noodles!)
• Go for flavorful oils, like toasted unrefined sesame oil, so you can get lots of flavor without using excess oil
• Pump up the aromatic ingredients, like fresh ginger and garlic, when you’re making a recipe healthier so the end result is actually tastier