Inspiralize Everything An Apples-to-Zucchini Encyclopedia of Spiralizing

498 Pages·2016·85.55 MB·English

by  Ali Maffucci

Contents
Introduction
How to Inspiralize Everything
Apple
Beet
Bell Pepper
Broccoli
Butternut Squash
Cabbage
Carrot
Celeriac
Chayote
Cucumber
Jícama
Kohlrabi
Onion
Parsnip
Pear
Radish
Rutabaga
Sweet Potato
Turnip
White Potato
Zucchini & Summer Squash
Recipes by Category
Acknowledgments
Index

Introduction
On a typical Saturday morning, my husband, Lu, and I wake up early, go for
an invigorating run outside together, and end up at our local farmer’s
market. We check in with the farmers about what’s fresh, what’s coming
soon, and how life is. Many of our meals begin right there with the very
people who plant and harvest our food. We walk through the market, loading
up on seasonal, spiralizable (not a word in Webster’s dictionary, but definitely
in mine) veggies, finding all colors of the rainbow—red onions and bell
peppers, orange carrots and sweet potatoes, golden beets, green zucchinis
and cucumbers, and purple kohlrabi, depending on the season. At that point,
I’m already thinking about what we’ll be eating for dinner all week—will it be
Greek-Style Shrimp Scampi? Turkey Picadillo with Green Bell Pepper
Noodles? Hot-and-Sour Soup with Daikon Noodles? The possibilities are
limitless.
I still remember the first bowl of zucchini noodles I ever ate. My mother, a
type 1 diabetic, was experimenting with raw veganism to help regulate her
blood sugar levels. She discovered spiralizing, and invited me over to try an
Asian-style raw zucchini noodle dish. As I spun my fork in the crunchy green
“noodles,” I was wary. Growing up in an Italian-American family, I was
accustomed to eating heaping portions of spaghetti and dipping crusty, oven-
heated slices of white bread into the pool of leftover sauce in the bottom of
the bowl. How could sliced zucchini hold a candle to those meals? Well, that
dinner was one that changed everything for me.
If you’re familiar with my story, you know that I actually went home that
night with my mother’s spiralizer (thanks, Mom!) and started spiralizing
nonstop. After three months, I quit my corporate job, launched
Inspiralized.com, and made spiralizing my new lifestyle. I was blessed to
garner an audience fairly quickly, and, before the two-year mark, to write a
New York Times bestselling cookbook, Inspiralized. Fast-forward, and here
we are. Who would’ve thought zucchini noodles could be so impactful? I
promise, if you haven’t already tried them, once you do, you’ll be just as
smitten as I am. And eventually, you, too, will Inspiralize Everything.
I still adore pasta today, but spiralizing has since transformed family
dinners—and the way I cook, eat, and live every day. In the past, I would head
straight to the living room after I finished at the table so I could lie flat on the
couch, belly up, and let the food coma take over. Now, after a spiralized
meal, I go for a walk around the block with Lu, full of energy and feeling
nourished and satisfied. We’ll breathe the fresh air into our lungs, soak up
the day’s last minutes of sunlight, and end up down by the Hudson River,
taking in the gorgeous views of downtown Manhattan from our neighborhood
in Jersey City. Not only does this help us digest our food after a meal, but
we’re also able to enjoy some quiet time to ourselves, talking about our day
and feeling gracious. Since launching Inspiralized, I haven’t cooked a bowl of
“regular” pasta at home. When I dine out at restaurants, of course I’ll order a
plate of piping-hot fresh gnocchi in an aromatic tomato-basil sauce and
signal the waiter to bring over more bread—God forbid a drop of sauce goes
unslurped! I would never neglect my roots or deprive my taste buds. But on
the whole, my eating is more balanced than ever before. (Plus, I can classify
these meals as “research”—consider it a job perk.)
Opting for a clean-eating lifestyle changes everything—your energy levels
skyrocket, your mood becomes more positive, your focus improves, and your
waistline shrinks. Overall, you become a better version of yourself. You’ll be
grateful for the food you eat, as it not only strengthens your body, but also
provides you with the vigor needed to live and enjoy your optimal life. After
discovering spiralizing, my whole perspective on eating healthy changed: I
started to focus on eating whole, real ingredients and stopped getting caught
up in the minutiae of dieting. I discovered moderation, the concept of
nourishing your body from the inside out, and, most important, committing to
a lifestyle rather than a temporary diet. Spiralizing is a way to eat lighter and
a lifestyle rather than a temporary diet. Spiralizing is a way to eat lighter and
more nutritiously, but still have the dishes and flavors I love to eat most (like
pasta!). Once I went all-in with spiralizing, I lost 30 pounds and was able to
finally find the weight my body feels best at and that I can maintain without
obsessing over what I’m eating. I was freed from the chains of yo-yo dieting
and calorie counting and can honestly say that spiralizing has led me to the
healthiest and happiest body I’ve ever had.
All my success and positive results have only driven me to keep spiralizing.
I have new tricks, cooking methods, ingredients, and of course recipes to
share with you. In writing this cookbook, no rock was left unturned, or, ahem,
unspiralized. Want a thinner noodle? I can show you how to get that. Having
difficulty spiralizing large, tough vegetables? No problem—I’ve got you
covered. I even found a new vegetable to spiralize! Based on all your helpful
feedback, I’ve included new categories and classifications for the recipes,
such as Dairy-Free, No Cook, and Saves Well for a full list of indicators). You’ll
find dishes from all different cuisines—Thai, Chinese, Indian, Greek, Cuban,
American, and, of course, Italian. Every recipe can be easily adapted to suit
your preference or dietary needs. And everything here is meant to be a fully
satisfying meal. You may have a hearty salad for lunch (like Fried Green
Tomatoes with Avocado Ranch Kohlrabi) and an ample bowl of soup for
dinner (like Slow-Cooked Carnitas Soup with Chayote Noodles).
Spiralizing can be used not only to re-create noodle and rice dishes, but
also to make everyday meals more interesting. Whether or not vegetables
were meant to be this extraordinary, they are now—and when you spiralize,
you’ll impress yourself and friends with what comes out of your kitchen.
Simply put, after reading this book, you’ll be able to masterfully spiralize
everything from Apples to Zucchini.
When my grandparents call to invite us over for Sunday night dinner, we
grab the keys, run out the door, and drive the hour to their house from Jersey
City, picking up a bottle of Chianti, Brunello, or Montepulciano (my
grandfather’s favorites) on the way. We know we’ll arrive to a delicious,
home-cooked meal, overflowing with love. We’ll toast to good health and do