Coconut pesto courgetti

I’ve wanted to try out the courgetti craze that seems to have taken many kitchens and the web by storm for a while. So I went on to Amazon last week and bought myself a Spiralite spiralizer.   In terms of value for money, this is one of the best purchases I have made in a while. It’s simple to use and along with turning vegetables in to noodles and fries it can also slice, dice and turn even the humble cucumber into a decadent carb-like treat.

For the meal itself I decided to make a homemade coconut pesto sauce with some vine tomatoes and roasted gammon left overs thrown in. However if you are vegan or veggie you can just leave the gammon out as this is a filling enough meal without it! All the ingredients are in season and easy to pick up in any local supermarket, I use Sainsbury’s as they have a great organic section.

The spiralizer was fun and easy to use and once I got the hang of it it took me literally 2 minutes to noodle my way through 4 courgettes.  I lightly wok’d our noodles with homemade pesto and gammon, however, you could also eat them cold and raw. Do be aware though that courgettes are made up of 95% water so if you cook them I recommend that you lightly wok them to retain as much shape as possible.

What you need:
For two large portions

Coconut pesto:

*100g pine nuts 

*2 tbsp desiccated coconut

*2 tsp coconut oil

*1/2 tsp salt

*1 pinch pepper

*1 handful basil

*2 handfuls spinach

*1 garlic clove

*3 tbsp coconut milk *optional

Courgette noodles:

• 4 courgettes
  *Cooked gammon / ham *optional
  *5 vine tomatoes
  *1 tsp coconut oil (or any other nut oil)
  *1/2 lemon

NOTE: Another way to create courgetti noodles without the spiralizer are to use a vegetable peeler and peel thin length strips of the courgette. Note that if you do this, these will need even less cooking time. I have also linked some other vegetable noodle makers below.

Directions:

Coconut pesto:

• In to a blender add the pine nuts, coconut oil, spinach, basil, garlic,  desiccated coconut, coconut milk, salt and pepper
• Blitz until smooth and creamy

Courgetti:

• In to a wok, melt some coconut oil and fry off the gammon until golden at edges
• Add in courgette noodles and create a well in the middle
• Add the pesto in to this well and allow it to cook for 30 seconds
• Stir in to the courgettes for another 30 seconds until fully combined
• Serve immediately with chopped tomato and a large wedge of fresh lemon

Suitable for: Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Dairy-Free, Paleo (Vegan / Vegetarian: Courgetti without gammon addition)

Alternative vegetable noodle makers:

GEFU Spiral Cutter: £26.95 from Amazon
MaClean Fruit and Vegetable Twister: £5.41 from Amazon
Benriner Japanese Turning Slicer: £79 from UK Juicers
Julienne Peeler: £3.29 from Lakeland  (Shorter noodles but much cheaper option AND less washing up!)

Have you made vegetable noodles before? I can’t wait to get noodling other vegetables / fruits!