Zucchini As Pasta - I finally made it!

This recipe came as part of a Twitter dialogue, demonstrating the good things that can come from this program. Believe me, before taking this class, I was the first person to say how much I couldn't stand the idea of Twitter, how it was like the worst parts of Facebook combined with people just reporting the fact that they went to the grocery store. But I, @imanihamilton, have seen the light. This recipe is one of many reasons why.

First, I Re-tweeted this Food and Wine Recipe (@fandw) recipe using zucchini as pasta, which led to another Twitter user (@foodiesatwork) reply that directed me toward this zucchini pasta recipe from the New York Times. The basic idea of preparing and cooking the zucchini is as follows:

1. Slice 2 zucchinis lengthwise with a vegetable peeler, making wide pasta-like strands. I actually used a cheese grater because I discovered I don't have a vegetable peeler here at college. I was happy with the results.

2. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a pan on medium-high heat, add half of the zucchini. Cook the other half exactly the same way, but breaking into two groups allows each half to cook better.

3. Add salt and ground pepper to the pan and mix with a spatula or wooden spoon, stirring occasionally to let the zucchini cook evenly.

4. While the zucchini cooks,

• grate 1/2 cup parmesan cheese

These are my additions to the recipe:

• mince 1/4 cup parsley
• slice into very thin strips 2 salami slice- I used Genoa Salami

4. When the zucchini becomes slightly transparent, remove from heat.

5. Add 1/2 of the toppings listed above and eat while still warm, allowing the parmesan to melt.

6. Cook the other half of the zucchini the exact same way, and add the other half of the toppings.

Your favorite pasta sauce, of any type, would also be great with this. I leave town for San Francisco  tomorrow (totally just mentioning that because I'm so excited) for a week and didn't want to open a whole jar, so I did without and while I tend to love tomatoes in any form, I was still very happy with this dish sans-tomatoes.

Don't short change yourself on the cheese! You've already done yourself a favor by making pasta from a vegetable so don't hold back. The parmesan is one of the elements that transforms this dish from the flavor of most other zucchini you've tried to tasting like a better version of pasta.

Another Twitter reply from @Chefamom mentioned that she prepares this dish for diabetics, bringing up another point that clearly, this makes a healthy, diabetic-friendly substitute for pasta.
Even if you haven't been diagnosed as a diabetic, there are warning signs we should all be looking out for it: http://www.defeatingdiabetes.com/diabetes-statistics.htm.

Now you can enjoy this dish even more knowing you're doing good things for yourself. And not lacking anything in the flavor category.