So, I think it’s safe to say that I’m inspiralized. I’ve had my spiralizer in business for five days and I’ve already spiralized four vegetables (cucumber, carrot, butternut squash and potato), and made three spiralized meals. I’ve been getting some inspiration from www.inspiralized.com and dreaming up many of my own ideas as well. I’ve also been practicing photographing my creations for use in my blog (and possibly in a cookbook someday?).

If I ever do write a cookbook, I’ll have to work on giving more precise measurements. My cooking style is more of a “eyeball it and hope for the best” approach, rather than using precise measurements of quantities. In many cases, as in this carrot salad, exact quantities aren’t worth the fuss. Here is a list of what I used, and you can add as much or as little of each as your inner foodie desires (about a handful of each should do).

– 2-3 large carrots, peeled and spiralized

– crumbled feta

– candied pecans (see previous post for recipe)

– dried cranberries

– sesame seeds

– snow peas, halved or left whole

– grape tomatoes, halved

– balsamic vinegar to dress

– 4 poached egg whites

– pepper

1) Spiralize carrots and place in large salad bowl

2) Poach egg whites and season with pepper

3) Add remaining ingredients to carrots

4) Top with poached eggs

Serves: 4

Santa brought me a spiralizer! And I’m already addicted.

Yesterday marked my first spiralized creation, and hopefully a year full of many more to come. This one was inspired by the Butternut Squash Ravioli that I adore from Milestones. Instead of stuffing ravioli with butternut squash, as they do at Milestones, here, the butternut squash IS the “pasta”. I added many of the same toppings to give it the same great taste; a healthier (and way easier) version of a delectable dish!

For the “Noodles”:

– 1 butternut squash (cylindrical part peeled, and bulb part discarded)

1) Spiralize on the “spaghetti-like” setting of your spiralizer.

2) Place in steamer and steam about 5-10 minutes or until tender but firm enough to not turn into mush when scooping into bowls.

For the Marinara Sauce:

– 2 large tomatoes, diced

– 1 onion, chopped

– 1 clove garlic, crushed

– 1 cup jarred tomato sauce

– 1 tsp olive oil

– ~2 tbsp fresh basil, chopped finely

– pepper to taste

1) Sautee onion and garlic in olive oil on medium heat until soft

2) Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, basil and pepper and simmer for 10 minutes

For the Candied Pecans:

– 1 cup pecans, halved or chopped

– 2 tbsp brown sugar

– 1 tbsp olive oil

– 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1) Spread pecans out on a baking sheet lined with wax paper and broil on medium for 2-3 minutes or until lightly toasted

2) Combine olive oil, brown sugar, and balsamic vinegar in a small saucepan over medium heat until gently bubbling

3) Add toasted pecans to mixture and stir until well covered

4) Return pecans to baking sheet and spread out to allow coating to harden

Putting it all together:

– 1/2 cup goat cheese, crumbled

– 2 tbsp fresh basil, finely chopped

1) top butternut squash noodles with marinara sauce

2) sprinkle pecans, crumbled goat cheese, and fresh basil on top in any order your inner foodie desires

Voila! Simply spiralized.