Spiralizing goodness

Spiralizing is a new way to eat healthy. It’s making “noodles” out of any and every vegetable, from zucchini to beets to carrots. It’s a simple process to transform produce into long, thin noodles or wide, curly pasta-like ribbons that would be challenging to duplicate by hand.

How do you do it? With a spiralizer, a small kitchen utensil that easily makes noodles and ribbons out of peeled vegetables and fruits. The results can be used in a wide range of recipes from homemade onion rings to veggie noodle salads.

Who would have thought zucchini noodles could taste so good?

Spiralizing is a way to eat more nutritiously, but still enjoy Italian, Thai, Chinese, Indian, Greek, Cuban or American flavors. Spiralizing can be used not only to re-create noodle and rice dishes but also to make everyday meals more interesting, writes Ali Maffucci, author of “Inspiralize Everything”.

“And when you spiralize, you’ll impress yourself and friends with what comes out of your kitchen,” she said.

For a vegetable or fruit to qualify as spiralizable, and for best results, the vegetable or fruit must be:

• Without a tough pit or an interior with large, tough seeds

• At least 1 ½ inches in diameter and at least 2 inches in length

• Not be soft or juicy inside – starting with firm, fresh produce is key

The texture of carrots, jicamas, parsnips, beets and potatoes makes them perfect for spiralizing, but you can also use seedless cucumbers, zucchini and summer squash, apples and firm pears. Eggplant doesn’t work so well because of its spongy flesh.

To spiralize veggies, slice off the ends of the vegetable so it is flat and even. If the outer skin is inedible, peel it before spiralizing. If your produce exceeds 6 inches in length, halve it. Before tossing noodles with a sauce, pat them dry with paper towels so your sauce maintains its thick consistency. When cooking noodles, simmer or stir-fry themso veggies remain crisp-tender and hold their shape.

Most veggies can be spiralized in bulk and stored in the refrigerator for up to three days. To keep parsnips and potatoes from turning brown, cover them with water and add a squeeze of lemon before storing.

What do you do with spiralized veggies or fruits? Use them in a salad, in place of regular pasta, in soups or stews, pasta salads, casseroles or baked dishes. Spiralized noodles can also be enjoyed in the form of a bun, which can be used as the base for sandwiches, as burger buns, as miniature pizzas or simply on their own.

Here’s to a happy and healthy new year.