Weight Watchers Quick Side: Zucchini & Carrot Ribbons ♥

Today's pretty jumble of ribbons of zucchini and carrot, quickly sautéed in a little butter. Easily turned vegan. Paleo. Naturally Gluten Free. Weight Watchers friendly, just one PointsPlus!

~recipe updated from the Recipe Box, first posted 2007~
~more recently updated recipes~

At Christmas, one of the family Santas, probably my sister, tucked what I'll call a "hand mandoline" or "julienne cutter" into my stocking. Since such devices, even relatively expensive ($30, say) ones, have until now produced only frustration and disappointment, I wasn't expecting much. But this little guy worked like a charm on both the soft zucchini and the firm carrot, not perfectly, as the ends tended to get stuck, but well enough to pull out often – especially since I love the looks and the taste of the white, green and orange ribbons. It's easy to imagine substituting the ribbons for pasta, or for dropping into a big pot of soup just for the looks. If you can't find one of these devices, just use the large holes of a grater.

UPDATE Alas, the handy kitchen tool from Santa pictured here disappeared along the way. I've replaced it once or twice and the replacements do work but I sure wouldn't say, "like a charm". Today, I'd probably pull out the easy-to-use spiralizer for the zucchini and then use the julienne cutter on the carrots.

COMPLIMENTS!
"... delicious and easy to make. I would make it again in a snap." ~ Anonymous

RECIPE for ZUCCHINI & CARROT RIBBONS

Hands-on time: 10 minutes
Time to table: 20 minutes
Serves 4

2 carrots, washed and peeled
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon sliced garlic
1 medium-size zucchini, blossom and stem ends removed
Salt & pepper

Cut the carrots into ribbons, then in half. Heat the butter in a large skillet until shimmery. Add the garlic and the carrots, stirring to coat with fat and seasoning with salt and pepper. Let cook, stirring often while cutting the zucchini. Add the zucchini to the skillet, stirring to coat and distribute the heat, season with salt and pepper again. Cook until soft (or al dente if you prefer). Taste and adjust the seasoning.

ALANNA's TIPS & KITCHEN NOTES
To use the ribbon cutter, keep the vegetables whole and place flat on a cutting board. Draw the cutter along one side, the whole length. Turn the vegetable over, flat-side down, this gives you more stability. Over and over, draw the cutter along the whole length, applying a little pressure, taking great care to not risk losing control of the cutter, it's very very sharp! You'll end up with some leftover ends – they were a good "cook's snack" while supper cooked! If your cutter comes with a blade guard, be sure to put it back on before putting the cutter away in a drawer.
The carrots take longer to cook, that's why they go in first.
Because you don't end up cooking the whole carrots and zucchini (because the cutter can't cut the last bit), the ribbons from two carrots and one zucchini add up to only about a half pound of ribbons vs the usual pound of vegetables used for nearly all recipes here on A Veggie Venture. Still, this is a very satisfying side dish, it easily feeds four.

NUTRITION INFORMATION Per serving: 44 Calories; 3g Tot Fat; 2g Sat Fat; 7mg Cholesterol; 43mg Sodium; 4g Carb; 1g Fiber; 2g Sugar; 1g Protein. WEIGHT WATCHERS POINTS: WW Old Points 1 & WW PointsPlus 1

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MORE FAVORITE SIMPLE ZUCCHINI RECIPES

~ Fried Zucchini Sticks vs Baked Zucchini Sticks ~
~ Zucchini with Tomatoes & Cheddar ~
~ Feta-Stuffed Zucchini ~
~ more summer squash recipes ~
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~ Zucchini Spiral "Noodle" Salad ~
~ Carrot & Zucchini Bread ~
~ Mediterranean Eggplant ~
~ more summer squash recipes ~
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MORE FAVORITE CARROT RECIPES

~ Bourbon-Glazed Carrots ~
~ Creamy Carrot Puree ~
~ "Wonderful" Glazed Turnips & Carrots ~
~ more carrot recipes ~
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~ Laura's Healthy Carrot Soup ~
~ Mashed Potatoes & Carrots ~
~ Baked Cabbage Wedges ~
~ more carrot recipes ~
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COOKING IN SEASON: THIS SAME WEEK ACROSS THE YEARS

Asparagus with Dip Carrots Glazed with Maple Syrup & Lime Roasted Asparagus with Feta Green Beans with Onion & Almonds Perfect Hard-Boiled Ruby Eggs Oil & Honey Dressing for Salad Greens Carrot Cookies Day 365! of A Veggie Venture's first year-long odyssey Zucchini & Carrot Ribbons Dandelion Greens with Mushroom & Pancetta Pumpkin Muffins Sweet Cornbread How to Cook Artichokes in the Microwave Tofu Salad Sandwiches Summer Black-Eyed Pea Salad Thai-Style Celery & Peanut Butter How to Cook Eggs in a Coffee Cup in the Microwave Cauliflower "Rice" with Ginger Vinaigrette

A Veggie Venture is home of "veggie evangelist" Alanna Kellogg and the
famous asparagus-to-zucchini Alphabet of Vegetables.

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