i am a food blog

Mike and I have been on a huge vegetable kick lately. We must be growing up or something because all of a sudden, we can’t get enough vegetables. When I was a kid I don’t remember eating vegetables at all; I think the only vegetables I ate were carrots and potatoes, which don’t really count as leafy greens. I’m pretty sure a piece of lettuce never passed my lips until I was 10. It’s funny because now I love snacking on vegetables – give me a bunch of greens and I’m a bunny.

Were you one of those kids who didn’t eat vegetables? I didn’t eat much of anything aside from plain white rice and cereal. I’m really not sure where I got all my nutrients from. Oh wait, I remember also being obsessed with Flinstones vitamins – those were the best! Zucchini on the other hand, when I was a kid, was definitely not the best. It was, much like eggplant in my books: slimy and weirdly textured. Now though, I can’t get enough of eggplant or zucchini.

I find that the trick with zucchini is to not overcook it. Zucchinis are naturally pretty watery and if you cook them down too much, they turn into watery mush. This applies to all zucchini, but especially so with zucchini noodles. They really don’t need too much heat, all you want to do is soften them a bit. Zucchini noodles work awesome in this recipe (I made my zucchini noodles with this spiralizer), but this recipe works with pasta too, if you’re carb-loading.

I found this gem of a recipe in last month’s Bon Appétit, which happens to be one of my favorite sources for inspiration. The original recipe called for linguine and squid, but I swapped both out for zoodles and shrimp. There’s some quickly caramelized fennel, thin slices of lemon, lots of crushed red pepper, and a punchy, herby cilantro and fennel frond garnish. It was the perfect indulgent, yet light summer evening meal. I’m loving the late summer evenings and long lingering dinners that go along with.

Shrimp and Zucchini Noodles with Fennel, Lemon and Herbs Recipe adapted from Bon Appétit
serves 2
prep time: 30 minutes
cook time: 15 minutes
total time: 45 minutes

• 2 tablespoons neutral oil, divided
• 1/2 lb large shrimp, deveined and peeled if desired
• 1 medium fennel bulb, thinly sliced lengthwise, fronds saved
• 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or more to taste
• 1/2 lemon, seeds removed, very thinly sliced, divided
• 2 small zucchinis, spiralized using the smallest blade
• 1/2 cup roughly chopped cilantro
• olive oil, to taste
• salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over high-heat. Add the shrimp, being careful not to crowd the pan, and cook for 1-2 minutes per side, until slight charred, pink, and cooked through. Season generously with salt and pepper and remove from the pan and set aside.

Reduce the heat to medium-high and add the remaining tablespoon of oil. Add the fennel slices and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and soft, 10-12 minutes. Add the garlic, red pepper flakes and half of the lemon slices. Cook until garlic is soft, about 2 minutes. Add the zucchini noodles, season generously with salt and pepper, and cook, tossing, until tender and cooked through, 2-3 minutes, depending on thickness of zoodles.

Add the shrimp back into the pan and toss to combine. In a small bowl, toss the cilantro, fennel fronds, and remaining lemon slices with a drizzle of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and serve on top of the shrimp and zucchini noodles.

cilantrofennellemonshrimpspiralizerzucchini