Vegan Creamy Ginger-Coconut Kale Zucchini Spaghetti

It’s the first Monday of the New Year!! Let’s all take a big breath of...

Vegan Creamy Ginger-Coconut Kale Zucchini Spaghetti

It’s the first Monday of the New Year!!

Let’s all take a big breath of fresh air. Breath those new opportunities, new beginnings and new outlooks in.

On your exhale, breath out any negativity, hang-ups, grudges or regrets.

Alas, it’s 2015, it’s a New Year and it’s time to be the freshest, healthiest, happiest, inspired version of yourself.

Vegan Creamy Ginger-Coconut Kale Zucchini Spaghetti

The beginning of the New Year is so exciting – it’s like the world is our oyster!

If eating healthier is one of your goals for 2015, then you’re in luck today. I figured I’d start the New Year off right with the basics: zucchini noodles.

Zucchini noodles are helpful for weight loss, thanks to their low calorie and carb count, their high water content (key for detoxing!) and their high dietary fiber content. They’re also packed with folates, which help your metabolism function properly.

Vegan Creamy Ginger-Coconut Kale Zucchini Spaghetti

This pasta sauce? Well, it’s green – of course. Nothing screams healthier than a green pasta! It’s made of immune-boosting superfoods, such as ginger, coconut, kale and garlic. It’s thickened with raw cashews and seasoned simply with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes.

Honestly, I could drink this pasta sauce as a shake. Maybe I’d add a little banana or vanilla protein powder in there, but it’s seriously delicious.

The peas add more healthy green color and also, some plant-based protein. It’s pretty much a slam dunk in the health department!

If you want to spice this dish up, you can add some quinoa, some chicken, or some edamame for protein. Other veggies that would work well are broccoli and red bell peppers.

Vegan Creamy Ginger-Coconut Kale Zucchini Spaghetti

However you have this dish, build it into your meal plan for the coming weeks – you’ll glow from the inside out!

What spiralized (or Inspiralized) recipes are you going to use to help keep healthy this year?

Nutritional Information & Recipe

Inspiralized

Vegan Creamy Ginger-Coconut Kale Zucchini Spaghetti

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 6

Ingredients

  • 1/2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 garlic cloves minced
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons fresh ginger peeled and minced
  • 1 15 ounce can lite coconut milk
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice
  • red pepper flakes to taste
  • kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
  • 3 cups chopped kale
  • 1/4 cup packed fresh basil
  • ¼ cup raw cashews
  • 6 medium zucchinis Blade C, noodles trimmed
  • 3/4 cup defrosted green peas

Instructions

  • In a large pot over medium heat, add in the olive oil. Once heated, add the garlic and ginger and cook for 1-2 minutes or until fragrant.
  • Add in the coconut milk, lemon juice, red pepper flakes and season with salt and pepper. Stir to combine and then add in the kale. Cover and cook until the greens have wilted, about 5 minutes.
  • Transfer the kale mixture to a high-speed blender and add in the basil and cashews. Blend until smooth and creamy and set aside.
  • Wipe down the pot and place back over medium heat. Add in the zucchini noodles and peas and toss for 3-4 minutes or until cooked to al dente or your preference. Once cooked, divide into bowls and top with green sauce. Serve immediately.
with love, Ali

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Recipe Rating




comments

  • That looks lush! I might subbed the coconut milk for some of my soya light "milk" personally but can't wait to try it out.
  • Last night was my first night spiralizing and I am hooked! Thank you for your insights and ideas, I am so motivated to start the year off right and keep it going:) This looks like dinner tonight, I can't wait! PS-I'm a Jersey girl now in FL so I love reading about Jersey City and NYC in your blog!
    • Yay for Jersey Girls! So glad to hear you're spiralizing! I was just in Florida for Christmas (my parents spend their winters down there) and I miss it already - so warm :)
  • This looks so good, and I have all the ingredients to make it tonight! Re: the kale, do you remove the stem? I usually remove it from my kale dishes, but since this is going in the blender, maybe it doesn't matter?
    • or you can add part of the peas to the blender, will also make it creamy! and avocado always works :)
    • This recipe was delicious! I made a couple of changes to lower the fat. I replaced half of the coconut milk with coconut water. Then I skipped the cashews and simmered apple slices with the kale. The apples helped to thicken the sauce after blending. It also tastes great with a little nonfat Greek yogurt.
  • Sounds delish! Where can one find lite coconut milk?
    • Any grocery store! Here's an example: http://www.thaikitchen.com/Products/Coconut-Milk/Lite-Coconut-Milk.aspx
    • You can find lite coconut milk at Trader Joe's.
  • This looks delicious! Can't wait to make it. One question - is canned lite coconut milk the same as the coconut milk you can buy in a carton or is it thicker? I know the full fat canned version is much thicker but I've never bought the lite version before.
    • You can buy coconut milk (lite version) in a can, just like the full fat version!
  • Yum! How long does it keep for?
  • This made way more sauce than we needed- think it would freeze and defrost well? Delish!
    • Would be great to know if it does freeze and defrost well.
  • This was great after a heavy Saturday meal out. Starting the week off right with a tasty and clean dinner. Thanks!
  • Kale....the bane of my existence as I cannot find it where I live in Portugal..... So - do you think anything greeny would work? ie - spinach? Chinese cabbage? regular cabbage? shredded brussel sprouts? your professional opinion please! tx
  • Wow, is this delicious!
  • I plan to make this soon. Do I have to soak the cashews first?
  • Thanks for this simple, health and scrumptious recipe. I took your advice and added some protein - a few tiger prawns - and it really worked. It's perfect for my 5:2 programme that I have made into a lifestyle thanks to recipes like these.
  • This recipe is out of this world! I adore Thai food and frequently cook with coconut milk but the pairing of lemon juice, red chili pepper flakes, basil and kale was simply spectacular. I filled a mason jar with the sauce and have been christening everything with it this week. Many thanks! beetsandbratwurst.blogspot.com
  • I made this tonight and it was amazing but, should it be really thin or should it be thick like real pesto? Great recipes!!
  • Yumm! I had kale and zucchini and no ideas. Thank you! I will have to pick up a noodle maker, but I grated the zucchini instead and threw in some linguini noodles. For those who need to avoid nuts, tahini worked just fine in the blender. Also, for my preschooler's portion (she's not a pesto fan, not sure how she has my genes), I mixed in a little tomato paste to make it more like her familiar spaghetti. Sprinkled with nutritional yeast and both versions got gobbled up!