Food & Drink

Dieters are going crazy for this guilt-free pasta

If “zoodles” aren’t yet in your regular dinner rotation — or even something you consider a real word — prepare for that to change in the coming months.
Zoodles are noodles made from zucchini using a machine called a spiralizer that can turn vegetables into quasi-pasta. Forget the juicers and power blenders — the spiralizer is the must-have gadget of the moment in healthy kitchens.

On Amazon, two of the top 10 best-selling kitchen tools are spiralizers. They’re also a top seller for Sur La Table — which sells no fewer than a half-dozen versions of the machine — and at local kitchen stores. KitchenAid even released a spiralizer attachment for its stand mixers last summer and plans to release two new blades — to create pasta of varying thickness, from angel hair to wide ribbons — this spring.

“They’re very popular,” says Tux Loerzel, a manager at New York’s Whisk kitchen shop. “We’ve had trouble keeping [certain models] in stock.”

For those who want to have a slim waist — and eat their big comforting bowl of Bolognese, too — spiralized noodles are something of a godsend. While a bowl of spaghetti packs 400 calories (in 4 ounces of dried pasta), a bowl of zucchini pasta has about 35 calories (using 1 zucchini per serving).

“It’s the answer to our prayers of ‘I just want to eat what I want to eat but I don’t want to gain weight and I want to feel good,’ ” says Ali Maffucci, 28, the author of best-selling cookbook “Inspiralized,” which has sold more than 127,000 copies to date, according to Nielsen.

Before she started spiralizing, Ali Maffucci weighed 175 pounds (left). Now she’s down to 140.

The Jersey City, NJ, resident — who’s already at work on a second cookbook — credits spiralizing with helping her drop 35 pounds from her 5-foot-8 frame.

Maffucci, who grew up in a small town in central New Jersey, first discovered spiralizing in 2013. She became so passionate about the process that she quit her job working in development in the airline industry so she could focus on her recipes.

“The consistency is uncannily similar to spaghetti, and I’m Italian-American and grew up eating spaghetti all of the time,” says Maffucci, who now has 114,000 followers on her @inspiralized Instagram account and a blog that she says gets 2 million views a month. “I don’t feel like I’m on a diet, I just feel like I’m eating my favorite things and they happen to be healthy.”

The spiralizer hasn’t just helped Maffucci lose weight, it’s also proved a moneymaker. She says she’s quadrupled her salary, thanks to advertising on her blogs, sales of her own branded spiralizer — she’s sold 33,000 units since launching it last March — and partnerships with companies like Houlihan’s chain restaurant, which just launched a spiralized menu.

After the success of its first spiralizer cookbook, Williams-Sonoma is issuing a second one, “Spiralizer 2.0 Cookbook,” due out in June.

“For people who want to get more fruits and vegetables, it’s a slam dunk,” says Amanda Haas, culinary director for Williams-Sonoma. And, she notes, it’s not just for making faux fettuccine. “It makes eating salad a little bit more exciting. It’s gorgeous and you want to eat it,” says Haas.

New Yorkers say the gadgets are especially great for city living.

“It’s easier than chopping, especially when you’re short on counter space,” enthuses Savannah Smith, a 23-year-old who lives in the East Village and works for a real estate startup, adding that she likes using her spiralizer to make interesting salads and slaws.

For those who prefer a more laissez-faire approach, there’s Hungryroot, a local company that makes prepackaged veggie noodles. They’re an increasingly popular item at FreshDirect, which has seen an average 40 percent growth in sales each week for Hungryroot since it started selling the products in September.

Keri Glassman, a nutritionist based on the Upper East Side, says she tells all of her clients to try veggie noodles.

“You’re replicating the comfort-food meal,” she explains, “but taking out the refined pasta, which we know is just a big bowl of sugar.”


 

GO-TO GADGETS

There are dozens of different spiralizers on the market. Most fall into one of three categories — handheld, countertop and electric. Which is right for you and your vegetables? Have a look:

If you think you’ll be spiralizing often and want to tackle harder veggies, such as beets and sweet potatoes, go for a gadget that sits on your countertop. The Inspiralizer, $49.95 at inspiralized.com.

Want to go electric? Opt for an add-on for your KitchenAid stand mixer. KitchenAid spiralizer attachment, $99.95 at Amazon.com.

This inexpensive handheld model is Sur La Table’s most popular spiralizer, great for those who want to taste the trend without making a big investment. OXO handheld spiralizer, $15 at surlatable.com.


 

RECIPES

Forget the heavy noodles and rice and sub in healthy vegetables instead with these vibrant recipes from Ali Maffucci’s “Inspiralized” and Denise Smart’s “Spriralize Now!”

Zucchini with crab

✦ 2 large zucchini, ends trimmed and halved crosswise
✦ 1 tbsp. olive oil
✦ 1 garlic clove, crushed
✦ 1 small red chili, seeded and finely chopped
✦ 3½ ozs. white crabmeat, picked apart
✦ Finely grated zest and juice of ½ an organic lemon
✦ 1 tbsp. chopped mint
✦ Freshly ground black pepper

Using a spiralizer fitted with a 3mm spaghetti blade, spiralize the zucchini.

Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan over medium heat, add the garlic and chili and cook gently for 2 minutes. Stir in the spiralized zucchini and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until just tender.

Stir in the crab, lemon zest and juice and mint, gently toss together and season with pepper. Serve immediately. Serves 2.

Shrimp Pad Thai

✦ 2 tbsp.tamarind paste
✦ 2 tbsp. Asian fish sauce
✦ 2 tbsp. palm sugar or light brown sugar
✦ Juice of 1 lime or water
✦ 1 daikon, about 12 ozs., peeled, ends trimmed and halved crosswise
✦ 1 carrot, ends trimmed and halved crosswise
✦ 2 tbsp. peanut or sunflower oil
✦ 1 garlic clove, chopped
✦ 1 red chili, seeded and finely chopped
✦ 1 bunch of scallions, sliced
✦ 4 ozs. raw shelled shrimp
✦ 2 eggs, beaten
✦ 7 ozs. bean sprouts
✦ 4 lime wedges, for serving
✦ 2 tbsp. roasted peanuts, roughly chopped
✦ 4 tbsp. chopped cilantro

Make noodle sauce. Whisk together the tamarind paste, fish sauce, sugar and lime juice. Set aside.

Using a spiralizer fitted with a 6mm flat noodle blade, spiralize the daikon. Change to a thinner spaghetti blade and spiralize the carrot, keeping the daikon and carrot separate.

Heat a wok over high heat, then add 1 tbsp. of the oil and swirl around. Add the garlic, chili and scallions and stir-fry for 1 minute, stirring continuously. Add the spiralized daikon and stir-fry for 2 minutes, then add the spiralized carrots and shrimp and stir-fry for 1 to 2 minutes or until the shrimp have turned pink.

Push the stir-fried ingredients to the side of the wok and add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Pour in the eggs and cook, stirring continuously, until they begin to set.

Add the bean sprouts and pour in the noodle sauce. Toss everything together until heated through, stirring continuously for 2 minutes. Stir in half of the peanuts and cilantro, then spoon into bowls.

Serve immediately topped with the remaining peanuts and cilantro, with lime wedges to squeeze over. Serves 2.

Thai beef salad

✦ 2 tbsp. palm sugar or light brown sugar
✦ 2 tbsp. Asian fish sauce
✦ Juice of 3 limes
✦ 3 garlic cloves, crushed
✦ 1 bird’s eye chili, seeded and finely chopped
✦ 6 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
✦ 1 small cucumber, ends trimmed and halved crosswise
✦ 2 carrots, peeled, ends trimmed and halved crosswise
✦ 1 small daikon, peeled, ends trimmed and halved crosswise
✦ 1 lb. sirloin steak
✦ 1 tbsp. sunflower or peanut oil
✦ Salt and freshly ground black pepper
✦ ½ head Napa cabbage or iceberg lettuce, finely sliced
✦ Handful of peanuts, roughly chopped (optional)

Whisk together sugar, fish sauce, lime juice, garlic, chili and cilantro in a small bowl. Set aside.

Using a spiralizer fitted with a thin spaghetti blade, spiralize the cucumber, carrots and daikon. Place the spiralized vegetables in a bowl and drizzle with half the dressing.

Brush the steak with the oil. Heat a griddle over high heat until smoking hot, then add the steak and cook over medium-high for 3 to 6 minutes on each side. Allow to rest for 5 minutes, then thinly slice.

Just before serving, stir the cabbage or lettuce into the bowl with the spiralized vegetables. Place on a large platter, top with the steak and drizzle with the remaining dressing. Sprinkle with the peanuts, if using. Serves 4.

From “Spiralize Now!” Copyright © 2015 by Denise Smart. Photos by William Shaw. Published by Weldon Owen, an imprint of Bonnier.

Turnip rice

✦ 1 tbsp. olive oil
✦ 1 large garlic clove, minced
✦ 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
✦ 5 celery stalks, finely diced
✦ 4 large turnips, peeled, spiralized, then riced
✦ Salt and pepper
✦ ¾ cup low-sodium chicken broth
✦ Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

Spiralize a turnip. Then place noodles in a food processor and pulse until rice-like.

Place a large nonstick skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil. When the oil is shimmering, add the garlic, onion and celery; cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until the onion is translucent. Add the turnip rice and season with salt and pepper. Pour in the chicken broth and cook for 5 to 7 minutes or until the turnip rice begins to brown slightly. Serves 4 as a side.

From “Inspiralized: Turn Vegetables into Healthy, Creative, Satisfying Meals.” Copyright © 2015 by Ali Maffucci. Photos by Evan Sung. Published by Clarkson Potter, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC.