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Vegan Walnut Parmesan Zucchini Noodles

vegan walnut parmesan zucchini noodles | recipe via willfrolicforfood.comvegan walnut parmesan zucchini noodles | recipe via willfrolicforfood.comvegan walnut parmesan zucchini noodles | recipe via willfrolicforfood.comvegan walnut parmesan zucchini noodles | recipe via willfrolicforfood.com

Vegan Walnut Parmesan Zucchini Noodles

During the Winter months I like to mix up my cooked meals with a couple of go-to, quick,, raw-ish meals. Smoothies and desserts certainly make their way into the rotation. Dinner is usually a hearty grounding soup or stew. Either that or or it's a slew of sautéed veg with different fantastic sauces. But lunch… oh lunch. My most rushed meal of the day. I often barely get to it. And, I admit, I often end up eating a pastiche of snacks. Hummus, almonds, carrots, plantain chips. Not the worst. But definitely not the best. I find lunch challenging even freelancing from home! So one of my goals this month has been to meal plan my way into excellent lunch situations. Vegan walnut parmesan zucchini noodle lunch situations included!

vegan walnut parmesan zucchini noodles | recipe via willfrolicforfood.comvegan walnut parmesan zucchini noodles | recipe via willfrolicforfood.comvegan walnut parmesan zucchini noodles | recipe via willfrolicforfood.comvegan walnut parmesan zucchini noodles | recipe via willfrolicforfood.comvegan walnut parmesan zucchini noodles | recipe via willfrolicforfood.comRight now I’m really digging lightly sauteed zucchini noodles with some sort of punchy sauce or vegan cheesy situation. I developed this walnut parmesan years ago, back when I first got into plant based cooking. And it’s stuck with me since the beginning. Mostly because it literally takes 1 second to blitz together in a blender. 1 and done. Then I toss it on all the things. I even baked up some crimini mushrooms stuffed with this walnut parmesan the other night as an appetizer for a dinner party. Definitely a hit, y’all!

These vegan walnut parmesan zucchini noodles are savory, satisfying and crazy fast. The vegan parmesan has that whole umami cheese thing going on. Sun dried tomatoes amp up that umami flavor even more (did you know tomato seeds are high in glutamic acid, an amino acid responsible for umami flavor?). Plus they add a tangy sweetness and a little Italian flair. Basil brightens everything up. It’s a no brainer recipe, for sure. Don’t even think about it, dudes. Just go make it.

And it's a #cheesebabyshower!

In other news, did you know Sarah of Snixy Kitchen is about to pop out a baby?! Well she is and all of us blogger babes are so friggin stoked we just had to throw her a virtual baby shower about it! Sarah loves cheese (and sweets). So we’ve all collaborated to wish her well by pumping the inter webs full of cheesy and sweet and sweet cheesy recipes! Check all of the recipes out below!

Cheesy Things

 

 

Sweet Things

 

 

Cheesy & Sweet Things

 

le jus d'orange - White Cheddar and Apple Mini Pies with Cinnamon-Infused Honey

 

Vegan Walnut Parmesan Zucchini Noodles
Recipe Type: Main
Author: Renee Shuman (Will Frolic for Food)
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 2-3 servings
This naturally gluten free and grain free zucchini noodle recipe is quick, savory and delicious! You simply warm the zoodles through with sautéed garlic and olive oil, then toss with the quick vegan parm. It's wonderfully satisfying yet very light and hydrating. I really enjoyed a massive bowl of this as a post-yoga lunch.
Ingredients
  • 1 cup walnuts
  • 1/4 cup hemp hearts
  • 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
  • 1/2 teaspoon Celtic sea salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 3 large zucchinis
  • 2 large cloves garlic, smashed and minced
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil + more to taste
  • 1 teaspoon sweet white cooking wine
  • 3 tablespoons minced sundried tomatoes*
  • handful fresh basil, chopped roughly + more to garnish
Instructions
  1. In the bowl of a high powered blender, combine the walnuts, hemp hearts, nutritional yeast, salt and pepper. Blitz briefly to break everything down into a sandy mixture. This only took me 1 second with my nutribullet. The main thing is to avoid pulsing the mix into a "butter." You want a parmesan-like, slightly rough texture. Once blended, set aside.
  2. Remove the tops of your zucchini and discard. Spiralize or mandoline slice your zucchini into long, thin noodles. Place your zucchini noodles in a bowl and set aside.
  3. Set a large sauté pot over medium high heat. Add the minced garlic and olive oil, cooking for 2 minutes, until beginning to brown. Add the zucchini noodles to the pot along with the sweet white cooking wine. Cook covered for 4-6 minutes, occasionally gently tossing the zucchini noodles in the pot -- you just want to cook the noodles until their warmed through. Remove from the heat and drain off the excess liquid from the pan.
  4. Add directly to the pan the chopped sundries tomatoes, walnut parmesan and chopped basil. Toss to combine. Serve immediately, garnishing with more fresh basil leaves as you like. Enjoy!
Notes
*If using whole dried sundried tomatoes you might want to soak them in hot water for 10 minutes prior to mincing. I think soaking them brings out their flavor, anyway.
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