Since I’ve been eating gluten free foods lately, trying to at least, I decided I would finally hop on the zucchini noodle bandwagon. I don’t have the best spiralizer in the world, so my zoodles don’t look exactly like spaghetti noodles, but they did turn out pretty well. They really do taste good and are much healthier than eating wheat noodles. They are low in calories and carbs, which make them perfect for trying to lose or maintain a healthy weight and they are also chock full of essential nutrients like potassium and manganese. They’re also a great source of vitamins A and C and the seeds contain phytonutrients which inhibit inflammation, which is exactly what I need for my digestive tract.
Another great thing about zucchini is that they have a very mild flavor, so they are perfect for replacing pasta in almost any recipe. I don’t often cook with sun dried tomatoes, but I had a jar in my pantry and thought they would be perfect in a creamy sauce on top of the zoodles. The sun dried tomatoes also have a very good nutritional profile and are a good source of fiber, thiamin, riboflavin, calcium and other vitamins and minerals. This recipe was quite easy to make since it only required a few ingredients and a blender. If you try this recipe, let us know in the comments below how it turns out.
Creamy sun dried tomato and cashew sauce with perfectly sautéd broccoli served over a bed of lightly steamed zucchini noodles.
Ingredients
- 2 zucchini's, spiralized
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes
- 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 cup broccoli florets
Instructions
- Soak the cashews in a bowl with boiling water for 30 minutes, changing the water after 15 minutes.
- Prepare the zoodles by sautéing the zoodles in a little bit of olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat for a few minutes until tender.
- Remove from pan and set aside.
- Add the broccoli with a splash of water to the saucepan and simmer over medium heat for about 10 minutes until tender.
- In a blender or food processor, add the olive oil, garlic, vegetable broth, cashews, nutritional yeast, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper and blend until smooth.
- Transfer to the saucepan with the broccoli and stir in the sun dried tomatoes and lower the heat to low.
- Stir the sauce continuously until it reaches a creamy consistency, about 3-5 minutes.
- Serve immediately over a plate of zoodles.
Notes
I have been using cashews a lot lately, and I've discovered that I don't have to soak them overnight if I cover them in boiling water for 30 minutes, changing the water after 15 minutes.