zucchini noodles, pesto & mushroom meatballs

first off, i warned you that i might harass you with zucchini noodle food porn for a bit while i test recipes with my new spiralizer!! 

second... let me just gush for a moment about the past few weeks. it has been dry and often sunny in seattle (woo!) i've been private chef-ing by bicycle (groceries and all!), drinking a lot of sour beer during seattle beer week, teaching and practicing lots of yoga, and playing shows with my folk rock band. i could be a character in portlandia. whatever. i am thriving and happier than i think i've ever been. on top of it all, i was thrilled to spend the past weekend celebrating my brother-like cousin and his beautiful new bride! i loved seeing their non-stop grinning, and i was all smiles on the dance floor with my guy. such a fun celebration that was all orchestrated my sister, the wedding planner, who is just 10 days away from getting hitched too!! 

it's been a busy couple of weeks full of love, laughter and as always... great food. like this meal! you could try these meatballs with tomato sauce on regular pasta just as well... or try making a batch of fresh pesto from whatever herbs and nuts you have on hand. 

arugula pesto ~ makes about 1 cup

1 1/2 cup packed arugula

2 cloves garlic

1/4 cup pine nuts or walnuts

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/3+ cup olive oil

1/3 cup pecorino cheese, grated (for vegan recipe, sub 1/4 cup nutritional yeast) 

1/2 teaspoon salt

in a food processor, mince peeled garlic. add cheese, nuts, arugula, salt and lemon juice and pulse. continue to process and slowly add olive oil until you reach the desired consistency for your pesto sauce. 

mushroom meatballs ~ serves 4

adapted from sprouted kitchen

1 cup french lentils

10 oz crimini mushrooms

4 cloves garlic

2 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce

1 egg*

2 tablespoons arugula pesto, or store bought pesto (or 1/4 cup chopped fresh herbs) 

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/3 cup gluten free rolled oats

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon aleppo pepper

preheat oven to 400 degrees. in a small sauce pan, bring 3 cups of water to a boil and add lentils. simmer for 10-12 minutes until just tender. strain and cool. slice mushrooms and garlic and sautee in olive oil over medium heat until gently browned. add tamari to the pan and cook until liquid has steamed off. remove from heat. in a food processor, pulse oats to finely chop into a course flour. add remaining ingredients along with the strained lentils and cooked mushrooms & garlic. process until combined but still slightly chunky - just a few lentils left whole. 

in your hands, roll one rounded tablespoon of the mixture into a ball and place onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. you can make them larger (maybe 2 tablespoons) but just be sure they are all the same size. bake for 15-20 minutes, gently flipping over after about 10 minutes. serve warm with pesto sauce! 

*for a vegan recipe, you could sub egg for 1 tablespoon of chia seeds soaked in 2 tablespoons of water and gelled for 10 minutes. 

zucchini noodles

1 large or 8 oz zucchini per serving

see my last post about the awesomeness that is the spiralizer! 

coat noodles with how ever much pesto you desire, top with meatballs and a dusting of parmesan or pecorino cheese & aleppo pepper.