Pasta-kini .. aka Zoodles!

My daughter, Kora, has shown so much interest in the kitchen! Nothing makes my heart happier. Not only does she eat like an adult (and as much as an adult), she really listens and learns when I explain what I am doing. Yesterday, I taught her all about zoodles. She calls them pasta-kini which I thought was so adorable!

After using my pampered chef spiralizer , we spread out the zucchini noodles on a dry paper towel. Taking another few dry paper towels, we patted down firmly on the zoodles. This will release and dry up a lot of the water the zucchini holds. Before sauteing them, you want to make sure they are really dry. The zucchini will release more water while cooking which helps steam them - very quickly! When sauteing, they really only need to be thrown in for 2 minutes before they become too soggy.

I took one shallot and gave it a small dice. Using a large pan on medium heat, I sauteed the shallots in 1/2 tbs olive oil and 1 tbs butter. Adding oil with the butter will prevent the butter from burning. Once the shallots are tender, about 3-4 minutes, you can add in the zoodles, tossing them around. Salt, pepper and 1-2 tbs of parmesan cheese were added at this point. After 2 minutes, remove the zoodle mixture from the pan.

This zoodle recipe can be used as a great base to a lot of dishes. Pictured, the zoodles were topped with hoisin chicken and cashews that I fried up in a wok, then lastly garnished with sliced scallions. We all absolutely loved this meal, and Kora even asked for seconds!