Noodles. Zambonis. Peduncle. Putin. Schnitzel. Herman. Shakshouka. Engelbert Humperdinck. 

These are all words that are fun to say. 

Which brings us to today’s recipe for zoodles. And also coodles. Are these real words? Nope. Are they delicious? YES. What are they? Well, zoodles are noodles made from zucchini and coodles are noodles made from cucumber. And all you need to make them is some type of noodling implement. In my case, I used a cheap and efficient julienne peeler. Zoodles or coodles are a unique way to serve vegetables, with the added benefit of being healthier than eating regular pasta noodles.

This makes a fun and healthy side dish when served with a simple dressing. All you need to do is peel the cucumbers and zucchini until you hit the seeds. I like to peel one side, flip it over, peel the other side, flip, peel, flip, peel, until I’m left with a seedy rectangular core, which I toss. 

You can add some olive oil and balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper, maybe a small bit of herbs for a healthy side. You can try making a pad thai-style peanut sauce and adding crushed nuts on top. You can even steam the zoodles (not the coodles) and make a warm pasta (zasta?) that you can spoon tomato sauce on top of. So many possibilities. Try it!