Oodles of Noodles=Low-calorie Fun.

Too much cooking and too much eating have led to too much weight! While I hate the word diet, I’m on one now to drop pounds. A recent addition to my kitchen gadget collection is a vegetable spiral slicer. Many brands are available. I chose a handheld model by Spiralife.

The spiral slicer creates several long strands of vegetable pasta.

I love pasta dishes, so the concept of creating vegetable ribbons as a substitute for spaghetti appeals to me. Vegetable noodles save me approximately 200 calories per serving when substituted for my whole wheat or semolina spaghetti. What a fun way to sneak more nutrition and fiber in my diet. 😀

For my first adventure in spiral slicing, I steamed a squash medley for a side dish. Using one yellow squash and one zucchini, I produced enough “noodles” for two pasta dishes or three side dishes. I tossed with a tablespoon of butter for a side, but next time I plan to use a pesto sauce for an entrée.

Steam pasta over low heat just until tender. Or you can boil it if you don’t have minimum-moisture cookware.

A side of squash medley served with chicken and mashed potatoes.

The handheld Spiralife® is great for round vegetables, like carrots, zucchini, and yellow squash. It isn’t designed for onions or broccoli, which is no problem because a pasta substitute should have a mild taste. I enjoy a medley of flavors, so I blend squashes with a carrot. In the past, I’ve created veggie curls using an ordinary vegetable peeler. This new gadget speeds up the process.

Bottom line: The Spiralife is worth the purchase. I may even consider upgrading to a fancier model!