Many people equate switching to a low carb diet with having to give up many of the foods that they love. That is hardly the case, often it just means having to be more creative when you cook.
In fact, did you know there are many different low carb swaps for carb-filled recipes that allow you to enjoy, pancakes, pizza, crunchy snacks like chips, French fry alternatives, and even pasta! Yes, pasta!
For many, one of the hardest parts of eating low carb is the need to give up pasta that is loaded with starch carbs, but pasta alternatives are made easy with the invention of the spiral cutter!
While you cannot eat pasta made from flour when living a low carb lifestyle, when you use these amazing vegetable cutting tools, you can still enjoy your pasta dishes, in a very low carb healthy version.
Many people who have tried using spiral vegetable cutting tools now swear by them. They have become as important to them as a knife or bowl when preparing healthy meals.
The remarkable and unique taste of dishes that use spiral cut vegetables combined with the nutritional diet benefits they have has people rushing to learn this new healthy form of cooking.
What Is A Spiral Vegetable Cutter?
These devices come in a wide variety of models and price ranges. They can be found in different forms, from a hand held spiral vegetable cutter to a machine that you feed the vegetables into that does the work for you.The name is somewhat misleading because these devices are excellent at making spiral cut fruits too.
Here are some general guidelines when selecting fruits and vegetables to use in them:
1. Use fruits and vegetables that are very solid, two of the best choices are zucchini and cucumbers.
2. Try to avoid using highly irregular shape vegetables and fruits, the straighter the sides the better your spiral cut vegetables will turn out.
3. Hollow core vegetables cannot be used.
4. A good general guideline is the length of the fruits and vegetables to be cut should be longer than 2 inches and the diameter larger than 1 ½ inch.
Here are some examples of fruits and vegetables that typically work well in a spiral vegetable cutter:
• Apples
• Zucchini
• Beets
• Broccoli
• Butternut Squash
• Carrots
• Chayote
• Cucumbers
• Onions
• Parsnips
• Pears
• Plantains
• Radishes
• Rutabagas
• Summer Squash
Spiral Cut Pasta – Low Carb Style!
Why are spiral cut veggies a good choice?
• For one it fits the mold when designing a diet that is low in carbs that eliminates high starch foods like pasta.
• Another reason is that spiral cut vegetables add some excellent taste and texture to any recipe.
• Many savory pasta dishes already feature different vegetables in their recipes to enhance the flavor, so spiral cut vegetables only compliment this trend further.
• It is also a well-known fact that it is much easier to maintain a low carb diet when you can mimic and enjoy your carb-filled favorites.
So what is the vegetable of choice for making vegetable noodles?
Currently one of the most popular vegetables to make spiral cut noodles out of is zucchini.
Once the zucchini has been cut, simply steam the spirals or pour hot water over them to soften them just a bit before adding sauce and other ingredients.
Recipe Ideas
You can make various types of low carb spiral veggie dishes that mimic your favorite pasta recipes.
1. Spiral zucchini with marinara
2. Spiral zucchini with spinach and cream sauce
3. Spiral zucchini with Alfredo sauce with or without chicken and shrimp
4. Spiral zucchini with butter, fresh garlic and parmesan
5. Spiral zucchini with clams
6. Spiral zucchini with sausages and marinara
7. Virtually any other Italian sauce or ingredients you can image
The above can be used as main dishes or even as side dishes to go with your steak, chicken or fish entrées.
There are other vegetables that can be spiral cut to replace starches in recipes including:
• Yellow Summer Squash
• Carrots
• Cucumbers
Give A Spiral Vegetable Cutter A Try
If you are on a low carb diet, then pick up a spiral vegetable cutter and try it.
You will be amazed how these great high carb swaps will taste. With a spiral cutter, a low carb diet no longer means that you have to cut out your favorite pasta from your menus.
Enjoy and eat well!