14 March 2011

Spiral Zucchini Pasta Salad

spiral zucchini pasta pepper salad

I'm always looking for new ways to make veggies the star of every meal.  Some of you have already tried this [Kristina from Life as Kristina + Lisa of Thrive-Style] and some of you are going to think i'm lying when I say that this recipe is so utterly delicious that Paul and I licked our plates clean.  But I don't lie =) Case-in-Point, I know it's healthier, but I despise brown rice sushi.  The nuttiness of the brown rice overpowers my veggies and I end up just eating the fish, seaweed, + veggies and tossing the rice.  Such is life.  But I'm not here to bash brown rice sushi, that would be silly!  I'm here to tell you about the day I fell in love with my Spiralizer.

I thought I had enough appliances in the house... Between the blender, food processor, panini press, toaster, salad spinner, quesadilla maker, crock pot and mini crock pot, I thought I was at my max appliance threshold.  What else could I possibly need?

A Spiralizer!
spiralizer

It was between this and a rice cooker + this was worth every penny of the $35 it cost.
It literally took 1 minute to assemble and 1 additional minute to clean up.  I'm in LOVE!!

spiralizer spiral sliced zucchini

Here is my first creation
What's in it?
1 medium zucchini
4 mini bell peppers
1-2 cups of lettuce [optional. I used spring mix]
1 tomato or any other veggies you have on hand!
a spoonful or two of your favorite dressing!

Brontosaurus chefs + T-rex chefs You both can eat this! Enjoy!

Get "Cooking!"
Use a spiralizer to crank the zucchini into delicious curls.  Serve raw atop a bed of greens with all your favorite veggies.  I topped my salad with light Naturally Fresh Ranch dressing... have you tried their stuff before? AH-mazing! [and the ingredients rock!] Balsamic, Greek, or Italian dressings would be fabulous as well!  Bonus points for those of you who make your own dressings! <3 

So, How was it?
I wasn't joking when I said we licked the plate clean =)  It was fabulous!  I can't wait to come up with a zillion and one recipes for curly, delicious zucchini!

raw zucchini pasta salad vegetarian

Have you ever tried raw zucchini in a salad?  I think I actually prefer it raw vs. cooked!



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132 comments:

  1. I haven't bust out the spiralizer since January's all raw month. I do prefer my zucchini cooked but they were great spiralized too. I should bust that gadget out again this week for some raw food while the kids are gone. :)

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  2. this looks so fresh and vibrant! I know I would love this, I really want a spiralizer!! :D

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  3. I keep meaning to get my spiralizer out and put it use-- I used to use it all the time, but it's been collecting dust this winter!

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  4. I've been wanting to try this for.ever! It looks SO AMAZING! I need to bust out my spiralizer. Yum! :)

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  5. Not only does this look yummy, but it is so pretty!! :)

    That spiralizer thingy looks pretty cool. Is it available in stores or is it the magic of infommericals?

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  6. so cool!! never heard of it, but i think i need one :)

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  7. J-Fab, I got mine through CSN.com =) Amazon has them too! <3

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  8. i have never seen a spiralizer before!!! looks pretty nifty though!!! i love love love zucchini especially tempura battered!!

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  9. Ok this settles it, I HAVE to get a spiralizer!!!! I want one so bad! But I already have more kitchen appliances than one 22 year old girl should have. *sigh* such is life :)

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  10. Once again you have made me hungry!!

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  11. 35 dollas?! What a great find! I bet you could make a spaghetti take on some veggies!

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  12. This looks like such a colorful and healthy meal. It really looks great!

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  13. fancy pants! zucchini is my favorite thing right now :) so this looks tasty. xoxo jcd :: ps thanks for entering the giveaway !

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  14. where did you get it? i want one. that looks so yummy!!!

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  15. That's kind of awesome. I think I'd go a little crazy with a spiralizer.

    My mom used to have a potato shooter that was sort of the same concept. Coolest thing ever to use...

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  16. I also prefer raw zucchini! And I LOVE my spiralizer. Couldn't live without it. :)

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  17. Oh, yes.........raw zukes are king :)

    I'm so glad you're enjoying your spiralizer! I use mine so often, and mostly for zucchini, but I'm thinking of branching out and spiralizing something else too. I heard beets work---not sure about that one though!

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  18. i love spiralizers! i don't have one myself, but the summer program i run for my research uses one to make zucchini spaghetti out at the garden! the kids LOVE it and i'll take zucchini in just about any form! :)

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  20. yum! i usually have cooked zucchini on my salads, but i'll be sure to try it raw next time!

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  21. That spiralizer looks intimidating, but awesome! I'd love to shred up zucchini like that. Looks so delicious!!

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  22. Looks so yummy! Now I'm craving pasta salad! haha xxx

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  23. Looks super summery and yummy. I love zucchini raw and cooked!

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  24. I love that pasta! and its so fun to make!! not to mention, pretty colors. Cause that matters ya know?
    ;)

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  25. I've never heard of a spiralizer. It looks like a great way to use zuchini and yellow squash in the summer. I usually cook it, but you fresh pasta salad looks like a delicious way to serve it raw.

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  26. This looks good! But I could never justify getting something for one kind of veggie... what else can you make into "noodles"? Does it work with other things? Can you cook the veggies after you spiral them?

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  27. I really prefer raw zucchini! If I had room in my kitchen, I would so get a spiralizer! I always thought they were really expensive. I guess 35 dollars isn't cheap, but I thought they were at least 100!

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  28. Oh yum. I love raw zucchini in my salads, but I've never made one from mostly zucchini. I really want a spirializer, though, so I can make zucchini "pasta." Of course, the last thing my kitchen counters need is another appliance. :)

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  29. I love using my spiralizer! what a fun meal!

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  30. I've never seen this before! This is the reason why I never make noodles out of zucchini because I don't have the patience to slice them haha :D

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  31. This looks SO beyond delicious!!! Love all the veggies! :)

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  32. So jealous!! I want one of those babies so badly :) I love my zucchini, I think eating it as pasta would be awesome!

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  33. Is it really called a Spiralizer? That's funny. And that looks so pretty and colorful and yummy!

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  34. I love putting the raw zucchini on my salad at Souplantation. :) I have a spiralizer too but I forgot about it. I used it to make zucchini "pasta" which was just ok. I like your raw idea better.

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  35. I love veggies.

    Confession: I have never even heard of a spiralizer.

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  36. So funny, Mike and I thought we were the king and queen of appliances! We have a toaster oven, electric can opener, mini deep fryer, full sized crock pot, mini dipper crock pot, fondue set, electric griddle, belgian waffle maker, bread maker....

    but we did return our panini press and donated our quesadilla maker, you know, because those two extra appliances would have put us over the top.... ;) Thank goodness we have a lot of cabinet space!

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  37. Oh yum! This looks simple, healthy, and yummy!! I must try ;)

    Wow, your husband is in the military? He must be a very brave man!! As an American citizen tell him I say "thank you" for fighting for our freedom ;) Yes you will have a blogger friend who understands the heart ache of long distance relationships ;) But the reunions are always the best!! How long will he be away for? Or maybe you don't know yet?

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  38. A spiralizer is like my dream "luxury" appliance I'd love to have one day :) I couldn't imagine anything I'd love more in the summer than "pasta" made from veggies! My favorite way to eat zucchini though is probably in a sweet bread :)

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  39. I NEED one of those contraptions! Where did you get yours? That zucchini looks delish!

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  40. Wow I've never heard of a Spiralizer but now I will have to be on the look out for one :)

    I also would like a food mill to make perfectly creamy mashed potatoes and homemade gnocchi!

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  41. Hi love!!

    I really want one of those!! I think it would be awesome to make spiral sweet potato fries!!!!

    I think I saw them on amazon, where did you buy your spiralizer?!

    Have a great night! xoxoxoxo <3

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  42. Raw zucchini in salads is my favorite! I also love baked zucchini fries...YUM!

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  43. This looks great! I don't have a spiralizer :( but maybe I can figure out a way to still have this because I am always looking for new ways to have my veggies

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  44. The spiralizer sounds so cool!! Zucchini is becoming my new favorite vegetable. I've been eating them raw all week! :)

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  45. Looks great!
    I love the IDEA of getting so many kitchen appliances, but then I remember the limited space issues I'm dealing with and now you know the rest of the story as to why Megan is spiralizer-less. Boo.

    Your salad is so pretty though! You should try the spiralized zucchini with warm pasta sauce...I've heard that's good!

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  46. Thanks for the link love:) Spiralizers are a-mazing! I'm thinking about making some curly sweet potato fries soon!

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  47. LOVEEEEEE my spiralizer but I always forget to use it! I actually like spiralizing up potatoes for oven curly "fries" best! Totally yummy. Hope you're doing well

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  48. apart from the food, your photo has a lovely color combinations.

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  49. It looks good! I kind of like raw zucchini but it has a weird texture to me when its raw.

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  50. Can salads be cute because this salad is too cute!! Haha! :-)

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  51. You sold me. I'm buying one and making this. Gosh you are awesome!!!

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  52. ahhh, so jealous of your spiralizer! What a cook kitchen contraption!!!

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  53. So pretty! All of those colours are nicely set off by the plate. Love green!

    I want a spiralizer. When I make raw zuchini pasta, I just use my carrot peeler. It's really not the same feel!

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  54. I'm so JEALOUS you have a spiralizer! I've wanted one forever!

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  55. Gosh you make me want to eat healthier, I love it!!! Looks sooo tasty!!! If you don't have a spiralizer how would you recommend making the zucchini so thin?

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  56. holy yummers!!!! can you make and send me a bowl. i could lick my laptop screen right now.

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  57. I had never even heard of a spiralizer until I started reading blogs! I'll definitely have to look into it!

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  59. this is freaking cool! i am totally gonna get one of those handy things now..i didnt even know such a thing existed!

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  60. Ah ha! The mini peppers strike again!!

    Raw zucchini > cooked zucchini! I only had it raw for the first time last year and now I'm hooked. I can't wait until summer...my dad usually plants an a$$ load of squash in his garden and I play sneaky sneaky and load up my bag when I go to visit!

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  61. What a beautiful pasta salad! I could eat that right now and it's breakfast time! Now I want a spiralizer! :o)

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  62. That is the coolest contraption that I've ever seen! Where have I been?! I love what you did with it too. Your recipe looks so simple and delicious. I still love ya even if you don't like brown rice sushi. :)

    Have a beautiful day,
    Candace

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  63. I think a spiralizer is the only appliance I'm missing! Definitely need to invest in one soon!

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  64. The spiralizer looks like so much fun and it makes such a pretty salad! This looks fabulous! YUM!

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  65. Oh my word. It looks so delicious! And healthy...yes!

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  66. I actually don't think I've ever had raw zucchini before! I can't imagine having another kitchen appliance, but as long as it's easy to clean, I might add this to my birthday list :)

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  67. I love raw zucchini. Last summer when I had it growing in our garden. It was so delicious and refreshing. I can't wait to grow more this year!

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  68. I definitely need a spirilizer....I keep seeing all these wonderful recipes. I love raw zucchini! It's amazing!

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  69. I don't even know what this is ...
    But I kind of want one.
    It makes things look cool.

    http://glamkittenslitterbox.blogspot.com/
    Twitter: @GlamKitten88

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  70. Looks good and I love my spiralizer too, especially in the summer when I can get monster zucchinis! It's also good for carrots, sweet potatoes (to bake), butternut squash, cucumbers, etc. So glad you got one, hope you have a blast with it.

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  71. JENN, this looks SO good!! does the zucchini still have the toughness to it after you spiralize it? I'm so intrigued.

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  72. I thought about getting a spiralizer but I heard that a julienne pealer works too so I settled for that. Yours looks so much better though! haha Was it expensive? Where did you get it? It looks big, I'm not sure I'd have a place to store it in my itty bitty kitchen! haha

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  73. OK, a spiralizer is pretty darn cool!!

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  74. that does look so good, I love the spiralizer, it just makes food more fun.

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  75. LOVE your blog!!
    i need a spiralizer now. thanks a lot. lol

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  76. ohhh it looks so pretty! I think I'd have so much fun just playing with the machine :)

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  77. I would love to have a spiralizer but really, my kitchen has no room left! I can't even fit a food processor - the horror, right?

    Love the pasta! It looks delicious. But I must say, I LOVE brown rice sushi. :)

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  78. I seriously need that veggie tool!!! That is awesome.

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  79. So I totally bought one after reading this lil, I ordered it from amazon. Fun!! Keep the spiralizing (pretty sure I made that word up) recipes coming :)

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  80. I love this idea! I have seen others make it too...guess I need to get one of those appliances!

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  81. I want a spiralizer, I want a sprilazer now! (in a Veruca Salt accent) ;)

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  82. My spiralizer is so neglected... I need to fix that!! :D

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  83. I've never had zucchini before it. But Im thinking about making a pasta this weekend that calls for zucchini, so I will hopefully try it then! :) That seems like an awesome machine.
    Hope your day is going well. <3

    <3Chelsea Elizabeth
    http://organizedxxmess.blogspot.com

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  84. I've always wanted a spiralizer! Totally beats a rice cooker, those things are pointless, trust me.

    Whitney

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  85. Now this is really cool. I think I am going to have to get one of these! I love the way it makes the vegetables look!!

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  86. Oh wow!!! That is the spiralizer that I just got!!! MUST TRY THE RECIPE!!!! LOL

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  87. Yessss, I love zucchini- and raw summer squash is really really good too. I can't wait until it's in season and growing out of everybody's gardens so rampantly that they want to give it away... to me...

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  88. I would love to have a spiralizer, but honestly the thought of having one more kitchen appliance in my tiny kitchen is not very motivating.

    Love you salad!

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  89. Hi..you have an awesome blog.. i love it..! Im now your follower!

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  90. oh man, you may have talked me into another appliance too. I just got a vitamix and countertop real estate is hard to come by.

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  91. no way ! okay- i didnt realize i needed a spiralizer until just now. like you i thought i had everything. hubs will be glad to know it was only 35! lol! this looks so vibrant, so fresh and so good! A fun and delicious way to do veggies! thanks girl

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  92. That looks so yummy. Now I'm hungry! haha..

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  93. Just Stopping by from TMTT. I wanted to invite you to check out my Iron Chef Challenge This month's themed ingredient is canned tomatoes, so link up a recipe using those and you could win a prize. It should be a lot of fun, hope you can join us!!

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  94. looks amazing and delicious .will try for my kids

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  95. I am going to order one of these right away!! Zucchini was recommended as a replacement for pasta on my low-carb diet. I haven't tried it but I'm going to now. Thank you!!

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  96. This looks delicious and is definitely going on my "to try" list!

    (visiting from tgc blog hop)

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  97. I'd never even heard of a spiralizer, but now I want one! Stopping by from TGC's Creative Girls

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  98. I may have to get one of those! Very cool! Thanks for linking up to Made From Scratch Tuesday!

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  101. I'd never even heard of a spiralizer, but now I want one! Stopping by from TGC's Creative Girls

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  102. My spiralizer is so neglected... I need to fix that!! :D

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  103. I love this idea! I have seen others make it too...guess I need to get one of those appliances!

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  104. LOVE your blog!!
    i need a spiralizer now. thanks a lot. lol

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  105. I thought about getting a spiralizer but I heard that a julienne pealer works too so I settled for that. Yours looks so much better though! haha Was it expensive? Where did you get it? It looks big, I'm not sure I'd have a place to store it in my itty bitty kitchen! haha

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  107. ahhh, so jealous of your spiralizer! What a cook kitchen contraption!!!

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  108. Can salads be cute because this salad is too cute!! Haha! :-)

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  109. apart from the food, your photo has a lovely color combinations.

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  110. LOVEEEEEE my spiralizer but I always forget to use it! I actually like spiralizing up potatoes for oven curly "fries" best! Totally yummy. Hope you're doing well

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  111. This looks great! I don't have a spiralizer :( but maybe I can figure out a way to still have this because I am always looking for new ways to have my veggies

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  112. Raw zucchini in salads is my favorite! I also love baked zucchini fries...YUM!

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  113. Wow I've never heard of a Spiralizer but now I will have to be on the look out for one :)

    I also would like a food mill to make perfectly creamy mashed potatoes and homemade gnocchi!

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  114. A spiralizer is like my dream "luxury" appliance I'd love to have one day :) I couldn't imagine anything I'd love more in the summer than "pasta" made from veggies! My favorite way to eat zucchini though is probably in a sweet bread :)

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  115. So funny, Mike and I thought we were the king and queen of appliances! We have a toaster oven, electric can opener, mini deep fryer, full sized crock pot, mini dipper crock pot, fondue set, electric griddle, belgian waffle maker, bread maker....

    but we did return our panini press and donated our quesadilla maker, you know, because those two extra appliances would have put us over the top.... ;) Thank goodness we have a lot of cabinet space!

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  116. Is it really called a Spiralizer? That's funny. And that looks so pretty and colorful and yummy!

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  117. I love using my spiralizer! what a fun meal!

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  118. I really prefer raw zucchini! If I had room in my kitchen, I would so get a spiralizer! I always thought they were really expensive. I guess 35 dollars isn't cheap, but I thought they were at least 100!

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  119. This looks good! But I could never justify getting something for one kind of veggie... what else can you make into "noodles"? Does it work with other things? Can you cook the veggies after you spiral them?

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  120. I love that pasta! and its so fun to make!! not to mention, pretty colors. Cause that matters ya know?
    ;)

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  121. Looks super summery and yummy. I love zucchini raw and cooked!

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  122. That spiralizer looks intimidating, but awesome! I'd love to shred up zucchini like that. Looks so delicious!!

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  124. Oh, yes.........raw zukes are king :)

    I'm so glad you're enjoying your spiralizer! I use mine so often, and mostly for zucchini, but I'm thinking of branching out and spiralizing something else too. I heard beets work---not sure about that one though!

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  125. That's kind of awesome. I think I'd go a little crazy with a spiralizer.

    My mom used to have a potato shooter that was sort of the same concept. Coolest thing ever to use...

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  126. fancy pants! zucchini is my favorite thing right now :) so this looks tasty. xoxo jcd :: ps thanks for entering the giveaway !

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  127. This looks like such a colorful and healthy meal. It really looks great!

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  128. 35 dollas?! What a great find! I bet you could make a spaghetti take on some veggies!

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  129. so cool!! never heard of it, but i think i need one :)

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  130. Not only does this look yummy, but it is so pretty!! :)

    That spiralizer thingy looks pretty cool. Is it available in stores or is it the magic of infommericals?

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  131. I haven't bust out the spiralizer since January's all raw month. I do prefer my zucchini cooked but they were great spiralized too. I should bust that gadget out again this week for some raw food while the kids are gone. :)

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  132. I am new to vegan raw cooking, and I'm  lovin every minute of it, I am so going to get this spiral pasta maker, I too miss the swirling of pasta. I am in love with my juicer, ninja blender and now my food/processor, I never knew raw food could taste so dynamite

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