Raw Zucchini Pasta in a Vegan Curry Cream Sauce

Fresh, raw zucchini pasta- angel hair style.

I'm not usually one to focus a recipe around a cooking gadget. Though heaven knows, I love me my kitchen power tools as much as any scratch cook out there. A gluten-free goddess has gotta have some fun, after all. And sometimes, to change things up, you need to break out of your routine and try something completely new. 

Which, not surprisingly, brings me to pasta.

I love pasta. Especially gluten-free pasta. But I don't love cranking up the gas stove to boil bulky pots of salted water when the kitchen is already steamy with late summer heat and I'm faint and famished (and did I mention, hot flashing like some cussing heaving alligator from the swamps of wherever it is they film True Blood. I may idly dream of gleaming white porcelain bowls heaped with creamy mounds of angel hair spaghetti kissed by a delicate white sauce, but I'm not inclined to heat up my kitchen just to satisfy this culinary craving.

I get prickly and sticky just thinking about it.

So I started investigating raw pasta. Which led me to discover a modest little kitchen tool that makes magic happen. A spiral slicer that turns August's ubiquitous zukes into tender strands of pasta. And not like, puny three inch strands. 

I'm talking long, lovely, curvy strands of angel hair spaghetti.

I used this nifty Joyce Chen spiral slicer to make my pasta.

How it does its engineering magic, only Temple Grandin knows. All I know is, you peel and slice a zucchini into a three to four inch long piece; put it into the top section; snap the top into place; push down and crank the handle and voila! The zuke transforms into long, limber strands of vegan veggie goodness. 

It really is magic. 

And it takes maybe, what? One minute (which, I'm sure many of you already conclude, is a wee bit faster than boiling water for rice pasta and waiting for it to reach some semblance of al dente, like, in your lifetime).

Not only that, it's a cool, low carb choice for those interested in shunning refined carbs for the sake of their girlish womanly figure. And it's absolute heaven for those of us experimenting with raw foods for healing pesky ulcers. 

So, what are you waiting for? You have my blessing to go get a new gadget. 

You'll love it.

How To Spiral Slice Raw Zucchini

Slice the peeled zucchini at a right angle. You need straight edges.

As you push the zucchini through and crank, you get angel hair strands.

A bowlful of light, fresh zucchini pasta, awaiting sauce.

The Recipe

Light and fresh zucchini pasta in a vegan cream sauce.

Raw Zucchini Pasta Recipe in a Vegan Curry Cashew Cream Sauce

Use a mild curry in this pasta sauce, or a Thai-inspired hot one. You can make this delectable dish as mild or as spicy as your taste buds crave. Be sure to taste test (the fun part) before you add the sauce to the zucchini pasta. You can also use my basic Cashew Cream recipe to make a simple herb cream sauce with fresh chopped herbs or a spoonful of your favorite pesto (here's a tasty vegan pesto recipe perfect for a raw Italian meal).

Ingredients:

To make the raw zucchini pasta you'll need:

A Joyce Chen Spiral Slicer (or similar spiral slicer)
1 medium zucchini per person (choose straight, firm zukes)
Extra virgin olive oil, to taste
Sea salt, to taste

For the sauce:

One half to one cup Cashew Cream Sauce Recipe, see below
A splash of MimiCreme or coconut milk, to thin
Mild or hot curry, to taste (I used mild)
Fresh chopped parsley, mint, or basil

For the plate:

Fresh baby salad greens or herb mix
Sweet yellow tomatoes
Slices of watermelon, cantaloupe or mango
Fresh parsley or cilantro

Instructions:

Peel the zucchini. Using a sharp knife, slice off both ends evenly, creating a straight across edge on the bottom and the top of the zucchini. Slice the zucchini in half (if your zucchini is large you may have to slice it in more sections to fit; you want a piece of zucchini roughly 3-4 inches).

Empty the bowl of the zucchini strands into a mixing bowl (I love this Oxo Good Grips Bowl with a handle). Drizzle a little extra virgin olive oil on the zucchini pasta, sprinkle with fine sea salt, to taste, and gently- very gently- lift and toss the strands to coat. I used a fork to do this. Set aside.

Here is the cashew cream sauce recipe.

Start thinning the Cashew Cream sauce with a spoonful or two of MimiCreme or coconut milk (any non-dairy milk will work in this, though hemp milk might not be quite the right choice, taste-wise) or raw young coconut milk to keep it strictly raw. Season with curry and fresh herbs, to taste.

Figure on roughly 1/4 cup of curry sauce per zucchini- though you can use less or more- to coat the pasta the way you like it. 

Start with a little bit of sauce and toss gently. A little goes a long way. I like to keep the pasta light and not totally drenched in sauce. But if you prefer an Alfredo-like experience, add more.

Plate the baby salad greens and sweet yellow tomatoes. 

Add a serving of the zucchini pasta in the center of the plate. Garnish with watermelon wedges.

Sprinkle with fresh parsley or cilantro. Serve at room temperature.

Just Vegan Not Raw Option:

If you are not interested in eating totally "raw", this dish may also be heated very gently over low heat, until warmed through.

More magical raw recipes from food bloggers that will keep your kitchen cool:

Basil and Raw Food at Rawmazing

Zucchini Spirals with Fresh Vegetable Sauce at Fatfree Vegan Kitchen

Sweet Chili Marinated Cucumber Salad at Happy Healthy Life

Zucchini Spirals with Basil Pesto + Red Pepper Coulis at The Raw Epicurean

Mermaid Pasta with Veggies at In the Raw