Pack on the Veggies!!

One thing I am always trying to do is eat as many veggies as I can everyday.  I do love salads, and I love beans, but I am always looking for ways to add texture to my meals, and come up with more healthy alternatives to things I love that might be a little loaded with processed foods.

I have always loved pasta salad.  Specifically noodle salad.  However, with a food plan that tries to limit processed carbs, I have a few options when making pasta salad.

1. Up the ratio of veggies to pasta - where normally I might have 2/3 pasta and 1/3 veggies, I can flip the switch and go 1/4 pasta and 3/4 veggies.  This is an ok alternative, but I have not done this because a) I really love the texture of noodles, so if I am going to overwhelm it with chunky veggies, what's the point?  b)  I would rather add a different starchy vegetable in instead, like a potato, or corn to my daily food intake, or have a decadent piece of sour dough (I like bread WAY more than pasta) with my salad.
2. Use Bean Pasta - The grocery stores in my area sell pasta made from beans and water.  Those noodles have the same nutrition as beans and some taste pretty good.  However the texture is a little dense, and if I want pasta with some chili, or bean salad, then I am doubling up on beans, and the calories from beans can add up quickly - so I would typically eat smaller portions of both things.
3. Spiralized Vegetable Pasta -  BINGO!!  I have been wanting to try this for so long, and finally got around to it.  Finally, I can eat "pasta" salad with the nutritional value of a garden salad.  I can eat HUGE quantities and still consume very few calories and MORE nutrients! 

A spiralizer cuts veggies like squash and zucchini into long spaghetti like strands.  They range in price from $5 to $99.99.

I got one like the above for $5 at TJ Maxx.  It does a great job cutting but is kind of a pain to clean.In about 5 minutes I used zuchini and yellow squash to make enough pasta for 2 lunches.

I grabbed my "pasta", some onion, carrot and cherry tomatoes and a few tablespoons of my favorite balsamic vinaigrette (Bolthouse Farms), some Apple Cider Vinegar, and let it sit.  I gotta say, it was AMAZING.  It really did feel and taste like I was eating refined carbs.  The squash was NOT too wet, and really held the dressing well, and provide a perfect al dente style base for this yummy side dish!

Here are some other spiralized veggie recipes I want to try!  Let me know if you get to them first!

Cold Pesto Salad

Vegetable Lo-Mein

Zuchini Pomodoro

There are a million on line!  Can't wait to dive in!