USING MY GADGETS

For the past two or three years, I have been buying zucchini noodles already made.  In the beginning, only Whole Foods had them.  They were usually just $3.99 and I get three meals from the little container, so I felt it was worth it to help me cut back on carbs.  Soon 365 stocked them and finally, even Safeway stepped up!

But when I stopped in the other day at Whole Foods ... they were $5.99!  Safeway went up to $4.99.  Another locally owned store had them for $6.99.  I had to start making these myself.

I looked online for an easy to use AND easy to clean spiralizer.  OXO brand was my answer!  It's $40 on Amazon and one zucchini made a whole container ($0.89 for the zucchini) so this gadget will pay for itself in about two months.  Everything but the blades can go in the dishwasher.  I love any OXO product I have ever purchased.

For my first zu-noodle meal, my noodles were topped with Jesse's famous marinara sauce.  The next night they were out and about, so I sauteed onions and mushrooms and added four little frozen meatballs.  Then two days later, I topped them leftover pot roast and carrots.  Very YUM.  It's so easy to lightly saute the noodles and top with whatever!  I'm thinking butter and salt and pepper some night.  (I've even used them as hashbrowns with a little onion and an egg on the side).  I'd like to do butternut squash as noodles but I can't imagine peeling one and how tough the process would be ... but hopefully I will give it a try.

The OXO I bought has a giant suction cup on the bottom so it sticks to my counter top.  One hand is for cranking and the other for pushing the vegetable or fruit close to the blade.  It comes with three different blades ... spaghetti noodle size, fettucini size noodles and a thin spiral that can do a whole apple (or whatever) into the thinnest slices ever.  OR, you can put a slit in your produce, and it makes your end product in shorter sections.  I'm going to try putting in a slit the entire length of my cucumber tonight to see if I get just individual slices.

One day I made the most wonderful apple cake.  It was a recipe that came with the OXO.  Green apples (I peeled them first to trick our non-produce eater).  Buttermilk and ginger, cloves and cinnamon.  The frosting was rich beyond belief with cream cheese and butter.  The boys wouldn't even try it!  Jesse and I each had two pieces, then I cut the rest up and delivered to neighbors.

I always make au gratin potatoes for Easter and may try the slicer option ... although they may be too thin.  Now that I have this, of course I'm looking up recipes.  Stay tuned.  There's even a Facebook page!