Have you ever noticed that when you crave your favorite pasta dish, you’re actually just craving the sauce? Noodles alone are bland and unspectacular. The magic, as well as the protein, is in the sauce.

Like traditional rice, noodles are packed with calories and carbs that get in the way of your fat loss results. So, rather than just eating a bowl of sauce, try...

ZUCCHINI NOODLES: Again, try this trick before you knock it, I’m guessing that you’ll be pleasantly surprised. Wash a zucchini, and then run a vegetable peeler down its sides, creating long, wide noodles. Stop when you reach the inner, seedy part of the zucchini. These raw, zucchini noodles do not require any cooking, simply throw them onto your plate and top with your favorite pasta sauce.

My favorite way to eat zucchini noodles is with this delicious and inexpensive lentil bolognese.

Ingredients for 4 servings

3 spiraled zucchini
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ large yellow onion, minced
2 medium carrots, sliced
1 stalk celery, sliced
4 cups white mushroom, sliced
1 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper + more to taste
½ cup red wine
3 cloves garlic, minced
28 oz diced organic tomato, 1 can
¼ cup tomato paste
2 cups vegetable broth
1 cup dried brown lentil
½ teaspoon each of dried basil dried oregano, dried rosemary
½ teaspoon baking soda

Preparation

Heat the olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until translucent, about 2 minutes.
Stir in the carrots, celery, mushrooms, salt, and pepper. Sauté until mushrooms have cooked down and are turning golden, about 5 minutes.
Add the wine and simmer until most of the liquid is absorbed, about 4 minutes.
Add the garlic and stir to combine, then add the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, broth, lentils, basil, oregano, rosemary, and baking soda. Stir to combine.
Bring to a boil, then cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 40 minutes, until the bolognese is thickened.
Serve the bolognese over the zucchini noodles.
Garnish with ¼ cup fresh chopped parsley
Enjoy!

I LOOOVVVEEEE fennel and I think more people need to eat it. Fennel is a member of the carrot family, though it’s not a root vegetable. The base of its long stalks weave together to form a thick bulb that grows above ground. Above the bulb, it has light, feathery leaves that resemble dill. Every part of it is edible, from the bulb to the flowers, and it can be eaten raw or cooked. Here is a wonderful and easy recipe to try....

ZUCCHINI FENNEL SOUP

Ingredients

1. 2 fennel bulbs, trimmed and chopped

2. 4 zucchini, chopped

3. 1 onion, peeled and chopped

4. 1/4 tsp fennel seeds

5. 2 cups vegetable stock (homemade)

6. 1 tsp coconut oil (or oil of your choice)

7. ½ cup of cashews

8. salt and pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan on a medium heat.

2. Add the onion and fennel seed and cook for 3 minutes.

3. Add the fennel, cashews, and zucchini and cook for a further 5 minutes.

4. Add the stock, bring to the boil then cover and simmer for 15 minutes.

5. Blend the mixture until smooth and season to taste.

6. Serve, slurp and enjoy!

The weather is all wacky around here...some days it's super warm and I'm craving a crisp chopped salad and other days it's brisk and all I want is a casserole. Here are my other go to recipes to satisfy my needy palate.

MEDITERRANEAN CHOPPED SALAD

INGREDIENTS

2 zucchini chopped, about 2 cups
1 cup grape tomatoes cut in half
1 cup cucumbers chopped
15 ounce can chickpeas drained and rinsed
¼ cup red onion finely chopped(optional)
¼ cup Kalamata olives pitted, sliced(optional)
¼ cup feta or goat cheese
1 tablespoon parsley or fresh dill chopped

For the dressing
1/2 cup vegetable broth
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 garlic clove
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

In a large bowl, combine the zucchini, tomatoes, cucumbers, chickpeas, red onions, bell peppers, Kalamata olives (optional) and feta or goat cheese.
In a small bowl, whisk together the to make the dressing. Pour the dressing over the salad and gently toss to combine. Top with parsley or fresh dill and enjoy!

ZUCCHINI GRATIN Ingredients

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, plus extra for topping

1 pound yellow onions, cut in 1/2 and sliced (3 large)

2 pounds zucchini, sliced 1/4-inch thick (4 zucchini)

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

2 tablespoons all-purpose or gluten free flour

1 cup hot milk(we used oat milk)

3/4 cup fresh bread crumbs(we used gluten free)

3/4 cup grated Gruyere or parmesan

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Melt the butter in a very large (12-inch) saute pan and cook the onions over low heat for 20 minutes, or until tender but not browned. Add the zucchini and cook, covered, for 10 minutes, or until tender. Add the salt, pepper, and nutmeg and cook uncovered for 5 more minutes. Stir in the flour. Add the hot milk and cook over low heat for a few minutes, until it makes a sauce. Pour the mixture into an 8 by 10-inch baking dish.
Combine the bread crumbs and Gruyere and sprinkle on top of the zucchini mixture. Dot with 1 tablespoon of butter cut into small bits and bake for 20 minutes, or until bubbly and browned.

Kristi Carlson, Nutritional Therapist and owner of Feel Good Food by Kristi, is a big fan of zucchini, too. She had a few things to share about one of her favorite summer produce:

Although I've been drowning in zucchini this summer, I still appreciate its versatility and fantastic nutrient profile. Zucchini is a summer squash, which means it's technically a fruit, but low glycemic and high in fiber to help stabilize blood sugar and keep you full for longer.

Fun fact: When cooked, its vitamin C decreases, but vitamin A content increases! This goes to show you that there are both pros and cons to eating fruits and veggies raw or cooked. My recommendation is to eat them however your body is craving at the moment and will taste best to you... Another batch of zucchini cookies, it is!

Ingredients

Zucchini cookies

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 large egg
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups shredded zucchini (from about 1 - 1 1/2 medium)
1 cup quick oats
3/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts(optional)
1 2/3 cups semi-sweet mini chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt for 20 seconds, set aside.

2. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment whip together butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar until creamy. Mix in egg and vanilla extract.

3. Add zucchini and with mixer set on low speed, slowly add in flour mixture.

4. Stir in oats, walnuts and chocolate chips (I reserved 1/3 cup of the chocolate chips to press into the tops of dough balls before baking, just for looks which is totally optional).

5. Shape dough into balls, 2 Tbsp each, then transfer to parchment paper lined baking sheets, spacing cookies 2-inches apart.

6. Bake in preheated oven 11 - 14 minutes until edges are lightly golden.

7. Cool on baking sheet 2 min, transfer to wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

I hope you enjoy using up the last of your zucchini. The best thing is the cookie, soup, and gratin recipes all freeze super well so you can enjoy zucchini year round if you want:) We had some fun with apples in the kitchen this week and plan to do a blog post on those real soon. Happy cooking!!