Raw Zucchini ‘Spaghetti’ with Green Pesto

This is a fantastic and super easy dish that will pack a punch with all it’s health benefits from the green veggies – it’ll take you 5 mins to create, and best of all? You’ll hardly have anything to clean after!

Serves 1

Ingredients:

• 1 medium zucchini
• 1 handful of Spinach
• 1 handful of Parsley
• ½ ripe avocado
• 1 tsp Coconut oil
• Juice of ½ lemon
• 2 tbsp water
• Salt & Pepper
• ½ tsp Turmeric
• Sesame Seeds

Directions:

1. Peel the zucchini with a peeler, creating 2 millimeter thick slices of the zucchini.

2. Use a tea towel to pat the zucchini dry as it naturally contains a lot of water.

3. Combine spinach, parlsey, avocado, coconut oil, lemon juice, water and turmeric in a blender and blend until the consistency is smooth – if you want a runnier pesto simply add more water. Taste with salt & pepper.

4. Pour the pesto over the zucchini pasta in a bowl and sprinkle with sesame seeds. If you don’t like ‘raw’ zucchini you can lightly blanch the zucchini to take the crispy edge off.

Health Benefits:

Avocado: For years we were all told to avoid the high fat/high caloric content of avocado, but now scientists are demystifying that long-held belief with multiple evidence that this antioxidant-rich fruit enhances heart health, lowers cholesterol and improves skin. (Yes, it’s a fruit!) Avocados are rich in vitamins and minerals crucial to total body health. Beta-carotene, lutein, vitamins B6, C, E and K, selenium, zinc, folate, potassium, glutathione and omega-3 fatty acids are just a few of the nutrients found in a single avocado. Don’t eat more than one avocado a day though as it’ll still pack on the calories if you’re trying to lose weight.

Spinach: Spinach is a fantastic green-leafy vegetable often known as one of the functional foods for its nutritional, antioxidants and anti-cancer constituents.Fresh leaves are rich source of several vital anti-oxidant vitamins like vitamin A, vitamin C, Vitamin K and beta-carotene. Together these combinations help act as protective little ‘heroes’ that play a healing role in ageing and various disease processes. Spinach is also high in Omega-3 fatty acids which are vital for up keeping a normal metabolism.