Vegan Pesto Zoodles with Fresh Tomatoes

Zoodles are oodles of fun, especially during tomato season! Upgrade any pasta dish with veggie noodles for a healthier meal that’s low in carbs, calories, and high in fiber. This one just happens to be meatless, vegetarian, vegan, and you won’t even miss the meat or cheese one bit! I used the inspiralizer to make noodles out of zucchini and summer squash before adding fresh tomatoes and a vegan pesto that is out of this world. Ready to be inspiralized?

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Ingredients: (makes two servings)

  • 1 zucchini
  • 1 summer squash
  • 1 large tomato
  • 1/2 cup arugula
  • 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
  • 1 tablespoon pine nuts
  • 1/3 avocado
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon nutritional yeast (optional)
  • 1 lemon
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt

Instructions:

Use Inspiralizer (or your tool of choice) to make noodles out of the zucchini and squash. Put noodles aside on a plate, sprinkle sea salt over noodles, and let sit to drain some of the liquid. For pesto, in a Vitamix, blender, or food processor, combine arugula, basil, nuts, avocado, 1 tablespoon olive oil, nutritional  yeast, and the lemon (remove seeds, optional to use juice or peel as well like we do.) Add a few spoonfuls of water if needed, so that mixture blends together.

Put zoodles in a pan on the stove over low heat and add remaining olive oil. Once they start to cook and soften, add pesto and cubed tomato. (For added protein and creaminess, you can also add one egg to the pan at this time.)

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Mix over heat a few more minutes until noodles are all covered in pesto and tomatoes have softened. Remove from heat and serve in pasta bowl, garnish with basil leaves. Bon appetit!

One Healthy Breakdown: There’s nothin’ wrong with a little healthy Italian.

Blueberries, Blueberries, Blueberries

Happy National Blueberry Month!

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Let’s talk blueberries! These phytonutrient superfruits are delicious, nutritious, and easy to include into your diet. Blueberries have are packed with antioxidants, more so than most other fruits, veggies, spices, and seasonings. They also contain a high amount of vitamin K for bone strength, vitamin C, fiber, and manganese. Blueberries are low-calorie, (one cup has less than 100 calories!) low on the glycemic index, and have been shown to lower cholesterol and blood pressure. These antioxidants benefit the nervous system, mental health, memory, and have even been proven to slow down or postpone age-related cognition deterioration.

As if you need another reason, these little berries are also associated with better cardiovascular health and eye health. Eating blueberries regularly has even been connected to preventing breast cancer, colon cancer, esophageal cancer, and cancers of the small intestine.

How to eat blueberries:

– go organic when possible

– snack on them raw

– add to yogurt or cottage cheese

– freeze for a refreshing summer treat

– use frozen or fresh in smoothies

– crush and add to ice water

– bake in muffins, pies, pancakes, etc.

Click here for some healthy blueberry recipes via Pinterest!

One Healthy Breakdown: snack on blueberries year round for their nutritional makeup, but feel free to go blue-crazy in the summer while they’re in season!