National Zucchini Day(ish)

Okay, so I'm a day late, but August 8th was officially National Zucchini Day!

The timing makes perfect sense - this is the time of year when zucchini takes over your garden, growing faster than you can pick them!

Which is great for your health, too. Zucchini is incredibly rich in manganese and vitamin C, and a great source of dietary fibre. It also contains vitamin A, magnesium, folate, potassium, copper, and phosphorus.

So what to do with all of this healthy bounty? Zucchini is always great in a stir-fry, or just sliced, brushed with olive oil, and roasted on the BBQ.

Another great option is cutting zucchinis into noodle form for a delicious variety of gluten-free, grain-free pasta. I do this regularly, and the veggie really holds up as a noodle substitute. The recipe below is a great one - and a nice way to use any basil that's popping up in your garden, too!

Zucchini Noodles with Creamy Avocado Pesto

Ingredients

Noodles:

• 2 large zucchini, spiralized
• 1 Tbsp olive oil

Sauce:

• 2 ripe avocados
• 1 cup fresh basil leaves
• 3 cloves garlic
• ¼ cup pine nuts
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• ½ tsp. sea salt
• ¼ cup olive oil
• Cracked black pepper, to taste

Directions Spiralize your zucchini and set aside on paper towels so that any excess water is soaked up. In a food processor, add avocados, basil leaves, garlic, pine nuts, lemon juice and sea salt and pulse until finely chopped. Then with the motor still running, add olive oil in a slow stream until emulsified and creamy.

Drizzle olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat then add zucchini noodles, cooking for about 1 to 2 minutes until tender.

Add zucchini noodles to a large bowl and toss with avocado pesto. Season with cracked pepper and a little parmesan, serve and enjoy!