Zoodles 101: How to make and cook zucchini noodles

Zucchini noodles or zoodles — it doesn’t matter what you call them. This ingenious, low-carb alternative to pasta is a great way to add more vegetables to your diet.

Zucchini is chock full of fiber, vitamin C, vitamin A and vitamin K, Abbie Gellman, chef and registered dietitian at the Institute of Culinary Education, told TODAY Food. And with only 19 calories and 3.5 grams of net carbs per cup, you can feel great about eating it to your heart’s content.

Eating zucchini in noodle form can also be a textural delight — but only if you do it right. If prepared incorrectly, it can be a slimy, soggy mess. Zucchini noodles are incredibly easy to make, and the more you try to complicate them, the higher chance you’ll run into issues. Here’s our complete zoodle guide, including dos and don’ts, various cooking methods and sauce ideas.

https://www.today.com/food/zoodles-101-how-make-cook-zucchini-noodles-t191607

Love ‘em! :-)

When we had a lot of zucchini last year, I made zoodles, squeezed out as much liquid as possible and froze them. They are a little soggier than when fresh, but still good. We also fried the frozen zoodles in olive oil and it made for a nice crispy side dish.

That spiralizer is a neat gadget.

Off topic but I'm starting to find dead spider wasps in my basement, likely killed by the insecticide I've used down there.

What I can't figure out is how they are getting in. I had the same problem last year and their dead bodies are all in the same location on the floor. I'm thinking they're coming in thru the dryer vent where I've sprayed and then dying soon after.

I sort of thought zucchini was idiot proof: you plant it and soon there are zucchini’s the size of baseball bats. But ours seems pretty slow. There are some flowers but no vegetables yet. The raised garden doesn’t get many hours of direct sun bc it is near a steep hillside and some trees. Also we are having overcast skies. I hope it will get going as July warms up and clears up. (Coastal CA. Summer is really more like late July through early October).

I have the small manual spiralizer from OXO and it works like a charm. Kind of a PITA to clean, but I usually soak it in a bowl of soapy water and that does the trick. I like the idea of using a vegetable peeler for long strips, too. Makes an easily layered Lasagna.

I’ve got a number of good recipes to share, so stay tuned! ;)

All I can advise is patience. Zukes flower as male blooms FIRST, then you have to wait for the females to bloom and THEN you’ll get baby zukes.

Science: Zucchini and other squash plants are monoecious, meaning they produce separate male and female flowers on the same plant.

If it’s STILL a problem later into the season, look up how to hand pollinate them on-line. All you need is a q-tip and the knowledge to tell the male from the female flowers and take the male pollen to the female flowers and all will be well. :)

zucchini for you soon
male flowers appear first
then you get the mix of male and female flowers

just in time
this week I am getting my first zucchini of the year
Woo Hoo!

mmmmm....fried squash blossoms

I’ve got two so far. Can’t decide between Zucchini Pancakes or something zoodle-related! :)

Just a Pro Tip I’ve learned... in the previous two years 100% of my strawberry plants have died early in the season no matter what the light, temperature, soil or amount of watering. It turns out it must have been the chlorine in the tap water. This year I’ve been letting the water sit in an open container for 24 hours to let the chlorine break down before using it. All but one plant is still alive this year.

In other good news... the first tomato of the year! A 10.8oz Ace 55.

I cut mine up, tossed in oil, sprinkled with salt in pepper and put under the broiler for 10 minutes.
It was so delicious that for supper last night I ate zucchini with zucchini.

I prefer growing zucchini to yellow squash because it seems so much more versatile.

This year, for the time in years, I am also growing Tatume. I forgot how much space they take.

I woke up thinking it was Sunday - thank you for straightening me out with the Garden Thread on SATURDAY.

My SIL & I have given up on squash because we just cannot deal with squashbugs. We must be the center of Squashbugville. We’ve both tried just about everything, but they always end up winning.

I read somewhere that squash bugs come in “waves” ... the spring wave is the worst & if you grow squash later in the year (summer vs spring), you don’t get as many. If I had some squash seed, maybe I’d try it ... maybe. I AM seeing some squash bugs here and there in the garden now - not enough to worry about them.

Supposed to be a rainy day today - garden looked happy when I walked by it to feed the dog & chicklets. I planted a new bed of zinnias Thursday night - nothing showing yet, but they’ll be up in no time. On my current bed of zinnias, I’m having to cut blooms as soon as I see petals missing - the finches love zinnia seeds & will pick a bloom clean in no time. I save/dry blooms for seed for the next year so it’s a race to beat the birds to the seeds (particularly on blooms I especially love). I planted some sunflower seeds on a Monday & they were coming up by Friday! We have one big volunteer sunflower & the goldfinches are already working on the first seed head. The new seedlings are a ‘giant’ variety & the seed heads should be mature in the fall - the birds will love it.

Speaking of birds .... we have a young hawk who is driving us crazy. Evidently, he/she has been kicked out by mom/pop and is on its own. It has been “screaming” almost non-stop for 2 days (seriously - non-stop!) and while it has toned down, I heard it last evening, sounding off. It likes to hang out next door .... we think it has spotted the chicklets. There are a ton of squirrels around here so while they’re not easy prey, the hawk could spend its time more productively hunting than screaming.

"I read somewhere that squash bugs come in “waves”..."

Yes, we planted ours two weeks later than usual and they are doing great.

It appears that timing the planting with the larval stages is the key - now we know!

You’ve given me “hope” :-) .... we LOVE squash so that tells you how bad the bugs have been that we gave up growing it.