Zoodles and shrimp with spicy peanut dressing

So I’m not really sure what happened to May. It disappeared in the blink of an eye. So what does June bring? Well, I have paid my last daycare payment. Can I get an AMEN? And in a few short weeks when my girls start day camp, I will have one (ONE!!!) drop-off and pick-up. It kind of feels like winning the lottery. June also brings the beginning of some of my favorite summer veggies, as seen in my CSA this week. Specifically zucchini. (Someone remind me of this in August when I groan at the arrival of yet another batch of zucchini!)

This week’s haul included 3 large zucchini. And as I learned last year from our fearless CSA director, when one gets zucchini, one zoodles. To zoodle, you need a spiralizer. And although it looks like a medieval torture device, it is in fact a magical contraption that gets children to willingly consume zucchini. It also elevates a common lunch into zoodles with shrimp and spicy peanut dressing.

First, I am not really a fan of raw zucchini. But I had not tried raw zoodles, so I figured I’d give it a try. I also tossed the zoodles in the dressing and let them sit for awhile so that the acid would “cook” the zucchini a bit. And it worked. This was maybe the best lunch I’ve made in a awhile – and it’s totally guilt-free. It’s a heap of raw vegetables tossed in a very low-fat dressing topped with some healthy shrimp. Good thing I made enough for 2 days because I can’t wait to have the rest later today!

Zoodles and shrimp with spicy peanut dressing

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

5 mins

Total time

20 mins

 

Zoodles and shrimp in a spicy peanut dressing

Author: Erin Berdan

Recipe type: Salad

Cuisine: Asian

Serves: 2 servings

Ingredients

For the dressing

• 3 Tbsp. peanut butter powder (or peanut butter or your favorite nut butter)
• 2 Tbsp. rice vinegar
• 1 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp. water
• 2 tsp. sriracha
• 1 tsp. sesame oil

For the shrimp

• 12 jumbo shrimp (about ½ pound)
• 1 tsp. fresh ginger, minced
• 1 small clove garlic, minced
• ½ tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp. sesame oil

For the salad

• 1 medium zucchini, spiralized
• 1 cup shredded red cabbage
• 1 medium carrot, julienned
• ½ Kirby cucumber, cut into bite-sized pieces
• small handful fresh herbs (I used Thai basil, cilantro and mint), chopped

Instructions

1. To make the dressing, whisk all the ingredients in a small bowl. Season to taste with salt or a little more soy sauce.
2. Place the spiralized zucchini in a large bowl and add a few tablespoons of the dressing. Toss to coat and set aside for about 15 minutes.
3. To make the shrimp, toss the shrimp with the coriander powder, garlic, ginger and sesame oil in a small bowl. Season with salt.
4. Heat a small pan over medium heat. Add the shrimp and cook until opaque, about 4 minutes, turning them halfway thru. Remove to a plate.
5. Add remaining vegetables and herbs to the zoodles and add more dressing. Toss everything together until combined and divide among two plates. Top each with half the shrimp.

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