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Spring is here! Yay! I am loving this warmer weather, and it always inspires me to get creative with lighter dishes.  This courgette ‘noodle’ recipe is one of my favourites – it really holds the sauce well and the texture is great so you can literally twist it round a fork and shovel in like ‘pasta’ (albeit minus the carbs – hooray!).  If you’re a lover of pesto and have never made it yourself before you’ll be surprised just how quick and easy it is.  So tasty and without all the added parmesan which is unnecessary in my humble opinion.

This is great as a side dish, or double up and serve as a main.  I served mine with some grilled fish.  Let me know how you get on!

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

  •  3 courgettes – select the straightest ones you can find
  • 1 tsp coconut oil
  • Sea salt

For the sauce:

  • 1 large (or 2 small) ripe avocados, pit removed.
  • 2 large handfuls fresh basil leaves
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • Good glug of olive oil
  • 1/2 lemon, squeezed
  • 4 tablespoons toasted pine nuts (reserve 2 tablespoons for serving)
  • Pinch of paprika/cayenne pepper (for a kick – optional)

Directions:

1. Trim the woody tops off the courgettes. Using vegetable peeler (or if you’re really fancy, a spiraliser) peel the courgette lengthwise into long, thin panels. Place in a colander with some sea salt and toss to coat.  This helps to draw out some of the moisture (you can also wrap in tea towels and squeeze!).

2. Place all of the sauce ingredients in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Taste and adjust the seasoning or balance of basil, nuts, lemon and oil. (If making this dish raw which you can do, stop here and just mix the sauce in with the noodles and serve).

3. Add the coconut oil  to a pan over medium high heat and allow to  melt. Add the courgettes and cook for about 2 minutes. Add the sauce and toss with kitchen tongs to ensure all of the noodles are coated in sauce. Cook for another 2-4 minutes or until heated through.  Finish with a drizzle of olive oil, a squeeze of lemon, a few fresh basil leaves and the remaining pine nuts and eat right away or take it along to a picnic!