Lately I've been experimenting with making pasta out of vegetables. Blame it on my attempts to cut down on bready carbs, or simply on obsession with my julienne slicer.

Some of my favorite veggies to make into noodles are zucchini and carrots. Pictured to the left, the noodles are tossed with a fresh basil pesto.

This pesto, is light AND vegan. Made with a cashew parmesan cheese, the pesto tastes great on pasta, or even mixed into a chickpea salad.

Basil Pesto:
2 cups (packed) fresh basil
3 garlic cloves
1/4 cup cashew parmesan
1 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt

Method: pulse in a food processor until well combined and smooth.

Zucchini and Carrot Pasta "Noodles":
2 zucchini
2 carrots
1/2 tbsp salt

Method: Slice vegetables using a julienne slicer/peeler. (The one I have been using can be bought here.) After the vegetables are peeled, place in a colander in the sink and rinse with warm, running water for a few seconds until well saturated. Once the water has drained, sprinkle them with the salt.
Then, allow the vegetables noodles to sit in the colander for about 20-25 minutes. This is how the veg will develop a noodle-like texture.

At this point, the vegetable noodles can be served cold or if preferred, you can add them to a pot of boiling water for about 3-5 minutes to give them a spaghetti temperature. Bear in mind, if you leave them in the pot too long, you could overheat giving the vegetables a soggy texture.

Hope you enjoy!

What ways will you use your veggie noodles?