Earth-Inspired Eats — Spiralized Zucchini Noodles with Ginger-Lime Peanut Sauce

By Meghan Rodgers

August 11, 2020

Zucchini. Zucchini. Zucchini.

Every time I say the word zucchini, another one magically appears in the garden.

At least it feels that way this time of year.

I’ve been lucky enough to find myself swamped with baskets of zucchini this summer. I grow lots of zucchini, but I’ve also inherited a dozen or more from neighbors, not to mention a share from a local CSA.

Thankfully, this recipe for Spiralized Zucchini Noodle with Ginger-Lime Peanut Sauce uses up quite a few zucchini at a time. To not use up all of these green beauties would be considered food waste—and we just can’t have that.

Seriously.

It’s not just food we waste when we let our veggies go bad. We’re also wasting all the resources that went into growing them.

Nationwide, food waste ends up wasting nearly a quarter of our water supply. When disposed of in a landfill, our food waste rots and becomes a contributing source of methane gas, which contributes in no small part to global warming.

The fact that we carelessly waste nearly 40% of our food in the United States means that we have a huge opportunity to reduce our environmental footprint by just changing one simple habit—don’t let food go to waste.

Sure, letting a few zucchini from your home garden go to waste doesn’t have quite as big of an environmental impact as, say, veggies trucked in from another state or fruit shipped in from another country, but it’s best to maintain that habit of using up what you have before buying more.

You’ll save money and learn to be creative with food prep, all while saving the planet.

Now that’s tasty.

Try this Spiralized Zucchini Noodle recipe with Ginger-Lime Peanut Sauce at home this summer. The noodles are fresh and crisp, and this recipe requires zero cooking—always a delicious bonus!

Peanut allergy? Don’t worry. You can use any nut butter in this recipe and it will turn out just as great. 

No spiralizer? You can just as easily use the a large opening on a box grater and make veggie matchsticks instead. 

Spiralized Zucchini Noodles with Ginger-Lime Peanut Sauce

Ingredients 

• 4 large zucchini, washed and patted dry
• 1 large yellow squash (or use all zucchini), washed and patted dry
• 1 large carrot, washed and patted dry
• 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
• 2 tbsp coconut milk
• 2 tbsp hoisin sauce (or soy sauce)
• 1 tbsp Sriracha
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and grated
• 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1/3 cup crushed roasted salted peanuts, shells removed
• 1 handful of mixed sprouts (garnish, optional)
• 2 tbsp fresh chopped cilantro

Directions

1. Use a spiralizer to make noodles from all your zucchini, squash, and carrots. Place all veggies in a large bowl and set aside.
2. In a small bowl, combine the peanut butter, coconut milk, hoisin sauce, Sriracha, ginger, and lime juice. 
3. Pour Ginger-Lime Peanut Sauce over veggie noodles and toss (or use your hands) to coat.  Top with crushed peanuts, sprouts, and cilantro.

Meghan Rodgers is a media professional and writer covering travel, food and the environment. Find her writing on the food blog EverybodyCraves and her website, MeghanRodgers.com.