Zucchini Noodles with Arugula-Lime Pesto

You may have noticed from my Instagram photos and Facebook posts that for the past few weeks I’ve been trying to eat more green. Why? To be honest, I totally let go of my healthy eating habits with our big move. My system was in desperate need of a reboot. In a major way. But I wasn’t ready to do a full cleanse, I just needed to get more green.

So, what better way to reenergize your system than with a week (or two) full of veggies?

Although you saw lots of chocolate treats – like my Chocolate Waffles and Chocolate Quinoa Crunch Bars – on the site last week, don’t let that fool you. Behind the scenes, I’ve been getting loads of fresh veggies at each and every meal. Mornings are veggie-packed egg white scrambles, lunches are huge salads with lean proteins, and my dinners are delicious raw meals like this.

Zucchini noodles tossed with a vegan arugula-lime pesto.

The lovely girls, Karina and Katrina from Tone It Up, inspired this meal. They posted a luscious green pesto, which used arugula instead of basil. I was intrigued…and skeptical at the same time. Hmm…no basil. I can’t be true pesto without basil, can it?

As I was throwing my ingredients in the food processor, I couldn’t resist. The Italian in me took over and in went a handful of basil leaves. And boy am I glad it did. The spicy bite of the arugula was softened by the basil. But it was the lime that really made this pesto shine. This pasta was bright, flavorful and reminded me of summer. It was just the green meal my body needed.

If healthy eating involves meals like this bowl of zucchini noodles and this sensational arugula-lime pesto, I’ll be eating green forever. Trust me.

Zucchini Noodles with Arugula-Lime Pesto

prep time

5 mins

total time

5 mins

author: Queen of Quinoa

recipe type: Entree

serves: 2

Ingredients

2 large zucchinis
1 cup arugula
1 cup basil leaves
3 tablespoon nutritional yeast
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon water (more if needed)
½ cup sunflower seeds (pine nuts would also be delicious)
Juice of 1 lime (about 2 tablespoons)
Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

Using a spiral slicer, turn the zucchinis into noodles. Transfer them to a bowl and set aside.
Combine the remaining ingredients into a food processor fit with the steel blade and process until smooth, scraping down the bowl as needed.
Spoon the pesto onto the noodles (however much or little as you would like) and toss to combine.
Serve immediately.

Notes

gluten-free | dairy-free | vegan | raw

WordPress Recipe Plugin by EasyRecipe

Baking with Quinoa by Alyssa Rimmer | Queen of Quinoa

Available Now!! Baking with Quinoa

Featuring 25 mouthwatering recipes – all free from gluten, dairy & refined sugar – Baking with Quinoa will show you just how easy it is to make healthy & nutritious baked goods.

Did you enjoy this article?

Share the love

Never Miss a Recipe!

About Queen of Quinoa

Alyssa Rimmer is the quinoa obsessed girl behind the gluten-free blog, the Queen of Quinoa. She loves experimenting with nutritious and whole-food ingredients, and seeks to encourage the everyday home chef that cooking and eating gluten-free can not only be healthy, but also delicious and fun. After struggling with stomach issues throughout her college years, Alyssa decided enough was enough and took her health into her own hands. She started by removing gluten from her diet and hasn’t looked back since. Two happy years have passed and her stomach issues have practically disappeared. Living gluten-free has also helped her to truly discover her passion for cooking and she has embraced her new lifestyle with open arms. With the Queen of Quinoa, Alyssa shares her gluten-free recipes, many of which are focused on the superfood quinoa, and discusses her journey to living a more fulfilled and healthy life. She now also cooks refined sugar-free and although not all her of recipes are vegan, she has loved learning and experimenting with vegan baking. She lives in Burlington, Vermont where she is surrounded by fresh, local produce and is always inspired by the fabulous seasonal ingredients that make this state so special. She is excited to share her recipes with you, as she helps to uncover the amazing world of quinoa.

View all posts by Queen of Quinoa →