With yesterday’s summer rolls, we’re on that no-cook, light, easy, and quick beat.
Here, we have mostly all of my favorites – avocado, zucchini noodles, and basil. You can’t go wrong with that combination.
Now let’s talk a second about basil vinaigrette versus basil pesto. A basil vinaigrette has no nuts or cheese and uses red wine vinegar to give it that tart, tangy vinaigrette-like taste. A basil pesto, of course, has nuts, usually cheese, and is much creamier and thicker, meant to coat noodles.
What I love about this vinaigrette is that it’s lighter and versatile. You can toss it with spinach or serve it over most spiralized veggies. It saves well, so keep it in the fridge or freeze it for future use.
The acids in the vinaigrette slowly soften the zucchini noodles, so the longer the mixture sits, the softer the noodles get – perfect for those summer work lunches or potlucks!
I’m really into peas lately, too. They’re great tossed into salads, in fried rices, and of course, as a vegan protein powder source. BUT, if you don’t like peas, leave them out – they won’t really affect the flavor of this dish, but just toss something extra in there for some protein – quinoa, beans, whatever.
And if you’re not vegan, serve this as a side dish alongside some summer grilled meats!
There’s something from everyone here, as always.
Watch our video to learn how to spiralize a zucchini using the Inspiralizer and subscribe to our YouTube channel to watch more videos:
Nutritional Information & Recipe
Weight Watchers SmartPoints*: 9 points
*These points were calculated using the official Weight Watchers SmartPoints calculator. We are in no way affiliated with Weight Watchers, we are providing this information based on popular demand.
Avocado and Tomato Zucchini Noodle Salad with Basil Vinaigrette
Ingredients
- For the vinaigrette:
- 1 ounce fresh basil
- 1 small garlic clove peeled and chopped
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1/2 tablespoon water
- salt to taste
- 1 small shallot chopped
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes
- For the salad:
- 2 medium zucchinis Blade D, noodles trimmed
- 1 cup sun gold heirloom tomatoes or cherry tomatoes, halved or sliced
- 1 large ripe avocado peeled, pitted and sliced into eight slivers
- 1 cup defrosted cooked green peas
- pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place the ingredients for the vinaigrette into a high speed blender and pulse until creamy, about 30 seconds. Set aside.
- Toss the zucchini noodles and tomatoes with three-quarters of the vinaigrette. Divide the noodle mixture into four bowls and top each with two avocado slices and sprinkle over with peas. Pour over the remaining vinaigrette and season generously with pepper.
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