Bacon-Basil Zucchini “Pasta”

My inexpensive mandoline slicer is one of my favorite kitchen tools!  It makes so many jobs in the kitchen so much faster.  There are some jobs that would take so long with a knife that I just never even bother.  Making Paleo “noodles” out of vegetables is one such job.  If you’re looking for a mandoline, make sure you get one that can do a fine julienne.  A ton of different vegetables can be julienned into long strips and steamed, braised or sautéed as mock noodles.  And my kids LOVE them (there’s something so satisfying about a long skinny slurpy noodle, especially if it is a carrot noodle, a turnip noodle, or a broccoli stem noodle).

This recipe features zucchini as a mock noodle, which has such a lovely flavor for Italian-inspired dishes.  Omit the walnuts to make this recipe autoimmune protocol-friendly.  This recipe makes enough for 3-4 hearty side dish portions.  Alternately, you could add some grilled steak, prawns or chicken and turn this into a main dish for two.  If you don’t have an oversized frying pan (which is another kitchen must-have!), you could try using a Wok.