Post-Cleanse Olive Oil Garlic Zoodles

A zucchini noodle dish can be a great dinner entree during your cleansing experience. It’s a variation from salads and smoothies, providing your taste buds with new flavors and textures. Zoodles are not confined to the raw vegan diet, though. You can incorporate them into life after cleansing, sautéing them in a pan with other ingredients. That’s where this recipe enters the equation.

A classic pasta recipe is pasta aglio olio, which uses four ingredients: noodles, garlic, olive oil, and red pepper flakes. You can include parsley, basil, and other herbs if you so desire. The idea is that this dish highlights the inherent flavor of olive oil, which brings out the garlic and pepper flakes. Naturally, there is a spicy element to the dish, but you can tame it by adding fewer pepper flakes. You can also add some nutritional yeast to this dish, which may calm the spice and add a cheesy flavor.

One thing to keep in mind about cooking zucchini noodles is that they can soften if you cook them too long. You want to warm them, not overcook them. The goal should be to have zucchini noodles retain some of their crunchy texture for optimal mouthfeel. Sautéing the zucchini enhances their ability to absorb the flavors from the olive oil, garlic, and pepper flakes. Once you finish cooking them, plate your zoodles and top with optional chopped parsley, basil, and halved cherry tomatoes. We hope you enjoy it!