Courgette Noodles (Zoodles) with Lime & Mint Pesto

I thought I would share another of my delicious courgette noodle recipes. This time I used lime, pine nuts and mint to make a pesto to cook the courgetti / zoodles in, and it was so tangy and delicious!

Courgette Noodles (Zoodles) with Lime & Mint Pesto - serves 1

handful of fresh mint leaves

juice of 1 lime

pinch of chilli flakes (optional)

half a ripe avocado

1 tbsp pine nuts

half a tsp coconut oil

1 courgette, spiralised

• add the mint, lime, chilli, avocado and pine nuts to a powerful blender such as a Nutribullet, and blend until smooth (adding a little water if necessary)
• heat the coconut oil in a large non stick pan over a medium/high heat
• add the pesto and then the courgette noodles
• heat for around 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and coated in the pesto

More inspiring noodle recipes in Nourishing Noodles by Chris Anca rrp £14.99

Courgette Noodles (Zoodles) with Peanut Chicken

This is a simple dish that requires few ingredients and takes well under 10 minutes to make. If you don't have a spiraliser, some supermarkets sell ready spiralised fresh vegetables these days. It's extremely tasty, and could quite easily pass for regular noodles.

Courgette Noodles (Zoodles) with Peanut Chicken - serves 1

1 tsp coconut oil

1 tbsp crunchy peanut butter

pinch of chilli flakes

1 tbsp dark soy sauce (use GF if making a GF dish)

handful of cooked chicken breast pieces

1 courgette, spiralised

1 tbsp peanuts, chopped

• heat a large non stick pan
• add the coconut oil, peanut butter, chilli flakes and soy sauce until melted together
• throw in the chicken and courgette noodles, and stir to coat
• cook for 3-4 minutes until softened, stirring occasionally
• serve sprinkled with chopped peanuts

25+ Delicious ways with courgettes

It's definitely been a good season for courgettes, and I've seen lots of them over social media, of all shapes, sizes and colours - well maybe not all colours, but definitely green ones, yellow ones and some of a mottled variety.

This year we managed to grow a few of our own up at the allotment, and there are still more to come. When you grow your own vegetables it can be easy to get sick of the sight of them, especially if they all come at once, so it's good to have various different ways of eating a particular vegetable to ensure you don't get bored.

Courgettes are a very versatile veg and can be eaten in many ways, and here are just a few. If you live on the other side of the atlantic you may also know these as zucchini.

Ratatouille is a one pot stewed vegetable dish usually made with courgettes, peppers and aubergine. I like to add any vegetables I have sitting at the bottom of the fridge, and bake an egg on the top - One Pan Egg Ratatouille

Spiralised courgette, or courgetti or zoodles, is a healthy way to enjoy sauces usually served with spaghetti or noodles. There are some amazing looking and sounding courgetti/zoodle recipes here, including Pad Thai, Chicken Zoodle soup and zoodles with kale pesto.

I love falafel, which is made with chickpeas but here there is an added healthy addition of grated courgette in this Healthy Zucchini Falafel.

Why not try baking your courgettes for a healthy alternative to chips and crisps. These courgette fries, zucchini bites with garlic dip and salt & pepper zucchini crisps all look so mouthwatering.  

Two unusual ways that caught my eye were vegetarian zucchini 'meatballs' and a zucchini crust pizza made from grated courgette, egg and flour.

If you've been inundated with courgettes then why not try a spot of pickling. This zucchini relish and this apple & courgette chutney would be great with cheese.

If you have a sweet tooth you can also use your glut of courgettes in cakes and muffins, such as my lemon & courgette madeira cake, these chocolate chip muffins, zucchini bread, courgette cake and carrot & courgette muffins, are just a few ways you can enjoy a sweet courgette treat. 

Find these recipes and more on my Courgettes & Zucchini Pinterest board

Follow The Crazy Kitchen's board courgettes on Pinterest.

Don't under estimate the courgette...

Roasted Yellow Courgette Soup

The weather has turned and it feels almost wintery out there so we have turned to soups to warm us up and fill our bellies ready for the onset of the colder weather. Last week I was given more giant yellow courgettes from one of my allotment friends. I've already made lemon & courgette cake and orange & cinnamon courgette cake and after Hanna's birthday we are feeling a little caked out so I decided on a healthier option to use up some more of the yellow beasts.

I had a perfect taste tester for the soup as Hanna was off school ill with headaches and sore throat so after she woke from a morning nap I asked her if she would like to try some. When she asked what flavour I hesitantly told her it was courgette as I know she's not keen on them. After her requesting tomato soup and me breaking the news that we hadn't any she agreed to try some....and finished off the bowl!

Roasted Yellow Courgette Soup

2 very big yellow courgettes, enormous in fact..think marrow!
2 onions
1 bulb of garlic
fresh or dried herbs
salt & pepper
Olive oil
1 pint of vegetable stock

Chop the courgettes & onions into large pieces
Slice the garlic bulb in half
Place the courgettes, onion & garlic in a large roasting tin & add a big glug of olive oil, herbs & salt & pepper
Roast in a 180C oven for around 1 hour until softened
Squeeze the garlic from the skin & discard the skin
Tip everything including the juices into a large saucepan & blend with a stick blender
Add the stock & season as required