Carina Wolff - The Spiralizer Recipe Book: From Apple Coleslaw to Zucchini Pad Thai, 150 Healthy and Delicious Recipes

Avon, Massachusetts

Copyright 2016 by F+W Media, Inc.

All rights reserved.

This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher; exceptions are made for brief excerpts used in published reviews.

Published by

Adams Media, a division of F+W Media, Inc.

57 Littlefield Street, Avon, MA 02322. U.S.A.

www.adamsmedia.com

ISBN 10: 1-4405-9438-4

ISBN 13: 978-1-4405-9438-0

eISBN 10: 1-4405-9441-4

eISBN 13: 978-1-4405-9441-0

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Wolff, Carina, author.

The spiralizer recipe book: from apple coleslaw to zucchini pad thai, 150 healthy and delicious recipes / Carina Wolff.

Avon, Massachusetts: Adams Media, [2016]

Includes index.

LCCN 2015050524 | ISBN 9781440594380 (pb) | ISBN 1440594384 (pb) | ISBN 9781440594410 (ebook) | ISBN 1440594414 (ebook)

LCSH: Cooking (Vegetables) | Pasta salads. | Carving (Meat, etc.) | LCGFT: Cookbooks.

LCC TX801.W654 2016 | DDC 641.6/5--dc23

LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2015050524

Always follow safety and commonsense cooking protocol while using kitchen utensils, operating ovens and stoves, and handling uncooked food. If children are assisting in the preparation of any recipe, they should always be supervised by an adult.

Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book and F+W Media, Inc. was aware of a trademark claim, the designations have been printed with initial capital letters.

Cover design by Sylvia McArdle.

Cover and interior photography by Carina Wolff.

I dedicate this book to my family and friends who have not only consistently encouraged me to turn my love for cooking and writing into a career, but who went out and bought spiralizers of their own after hearing me rave about them incessantly. I want to also especially thank my mom and grandmother, who raised me to pay attention to healthy foods and nutrition at a time when the information wasnt readily available, and my dad for helping me get through the hard parts of chasing my dream by giving me sound support and advice.

Although we know its a part of a healthy diet, most of us dont get overly excited about eating our fruits and vegetables. I dont know about you, but when it comes down to having a vegetable-filled salad or a soothing plate of pasta for dinner, Im going to head straight for those delicious noodles.

But what if I told you theres a way to enjoy the satisfying taste of pasta while still reaping the nutritional benefits of fresh vegetables? With a spiralizer, youre able to have both the veggies and the pasta. In fact, your vegetables become your pasta! It might be hard to imagine a zucchini turning into a beautiful bowl of fettuccine, but with the right tools, you can make a delicious and filling classic noodle dish using just your favorite vegetables. I expect youll be just as amazed at how satisfying these faux dishes can be as I was when I first discovered the technique. Watching these plain vegetables being transformed into long and spindly noodles, I was instantly hooked.

Using a simple device, spiralizing fruits and vegetables allows you to replace foods like pasta with nutrient-filled produce such as zucchini, sweet potato, and squash. This is a great way for you to cut down on refined carbohydrates and load up on the types of whole foods that are especially healthy for you. Whether youre gluten-free, paleo, or veganor have no dietary restrictions at allusing vegetables instead of grains is a great way to switch up your meals and have a little fun in the kitchen, all while getting healthier in the process. No matter what your culinary needs are, theres always something amazing you can make with a spiralizer.

Though Ive mostly mentioned pasta, using a spiralizer goes beyond making just noodle dishes. You can also create other fun recipes such as toppings for salads, fancy desserts, and even perfectly shaped curly fries.

When I first started using the spiralizer, I stuck to simple pasta dishes, oftentimes topping zoodles (zucchini noodles) with marinara sauce or pesto. While thats a convenient and simple use of the device, I eventually came to realize the wonders of this contraption and soon discovered a myriad of crazy meals I could create: a pizza crust made out of potato, rice made from plantains, shoestring fries made from jicama. Experimenting with different blades as well as different types of produce can open the door to so many versatile and healthy meals. The spiralizer transcends all dietary restrictions and the world's cuisinestheres always a dish for everyone, no matter their personal taste or preference.

In this cookbook, youll find recipes for any type of dish, whether youre attempting a twist on a classic Italian spaghetti, cooking for your gluten-free friends, or making a dessert thats healthy for your kids. Spiralizing will transform the way you cook, and youll never want to look back at traditional recipes ever again!

The first step in your journey is to pick out a spiralizer. Its important you have a device that fits your needs and the type of cooking you will be doing. Some spiralizers are only able to do smaller, softer vegetables, while others have many different blades and can handle many varieties. Other spiralizers take up much more counter space and are harder to clean, while others fit in a drawer and can be thrown in your dishwasher.

There are a few different types of spiralizers available on the market, and all of them are relatively inexpensive.

Handheld spiralizers tend to be the cheapest and most compact. They slightly resemble large pencil sharpeners, and they are most commonly used with smaller and thinner vegetables such as zucchini. People tend to have trouble using handheld devices with larger, firmer vegetables such as carrots or sweet potatoes. Other larger root vegetables such as beets or parsnips have proven to be nearly impossible to spiralize with these types of devices. Although most handheld spiralizers come with only one blade, some options do come with multiple blades.

Popular and well-reviewed handheld spiralizers include the GEFU Spirelli Spiral Slicer, the Kitchen Supreme Spiral Slicer Spiralizer, and the Spiralizer 4-Blade Vegetable Spiral Slicer.

In these spiralizers, the vegetable sits on top of the blade, making it easier for you to put pressure down onto the vegetable as you spiralize because of the assistance of gravity. Although you get less vegetable waste, it doesnt work with all vegetables, especially larger ones such as butternut squash. Some people tend to have problems with smaller vegetables such as carrots as well because theyre too thin to reach the blade.

Vertical-hold spiralizers tend to be more expensive than the handheld versions. Popular brands include the Benriner Cook Helper Slicer and Meller Spiral-Ultra 4-Blade Spiralizer.

These type of spiralizers are generally the most popular, as they can spiralize the widest variety of fruits and vegetables. Spiralizers that work horizontally can hold vegetables with greater diameters, so they work great for choices such as beets and squash. Because these spiralizers have three, sometimes four, interchangeable blades, you can also experiment with different shapes, sizes, and textures. This is the type of spiralizer I recommend, as theyre the most versatile. They also are reasonably priced.