ROAD // Zucchini Noodle Salad

My first recipe is what inspired this whole series. And you don't need a pricey spiralizer to make it either. Of course, I've seen the ones that attach to KitchenAid mixers, but they come at a premium (may make a nice gift, though -- I doubt my cheapie can make beet noodles). One of the most popular tools on Amazon is around $20; it has a handy handle and makes very neat looking noodles. I, on the other hand, have a bare bones model. You hold it in your hand and twist. It makes large and small noodles and costs around $12.

However you slice it, this is what you want in your life:

RAW ZUCCHINI NOODLE SALAD

What you'll need . . . 

• Half a bell pepper, sliced
• Half a large zucchini, spiralized
• Half an avocado
• Few tablespoons water (or kombucha*)
• Couple tablespoons almond meal
• 1 clove garlic
• Salt, pepper 

* I added some ginger kombucha because I happened to be drinking it when I made this dish. If you use plain water, consider adding a bit of apple cider vinegar just to give the sauce a little extra flavor.

Method . . .

1. Toss your veggies into a medium bowl. You can add more variety of veggies if you like, too. I just happened to have these on hand.
2. Then put your avocado, water or kombucha, garlic, and almond meal in a food processor. You want to get a thick sauce, so play around with the ratios until you reach your desired consistency. Mine was like lowfat yogurt.
3. Toss everything together and top with the salt (I'm loving pink sea salt lately) and black pepper to taste.

This meal took about five minutes to prepare from start to finish. It serves just one person, which is how I'll approach all meals in this series. It's best served fresh or else your avocado sauce may brown.

And if you want to read more about Raw Once A Day, check out yesterday's post.

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Sourdough Starter + Other Kitchen Things

The two-month shots sort of took us for a loop this week -- sorry for the quiet! I had planned to share a couple recipes, but I'll only manage to start the discussion on sourdough bread. I love baking bread. Specifically, sourdough. But keeping my starter alive has been difficult for me for whatever reason. I get really into it, and then my interest wanes in the warmer weather. I'm sure some of you out there can relate.

So, I decided to get another one going before autumn using the super simple instructions over at The Kitchn. No grapes, no yeast, no voodoo. Just flour, water, and patience.

Oh, yeah . . .

A photo posted by A S H L E Y // neverhomemaker (@neverhomemaker) on Aug 17, 2016 at 6:24am PDT

And just like that . . . after only five days . . . she was fed and ready! The first recipe I decided to make was my favorite bread of all time. Do you guys remember this beautiful sourdough loaf from a few years back? I sure do. It was the first time I successfully made bread that was bakery quality.

Like so:


And then I started Googling and discovered that there's way more you can make with starter than I even imagined. Go check out this recipe for Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies! They're sweet with a hint of tang and a great texture. I want to try these Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls next with an orange glaze.

While we're on the topic of fermenting, we have a few other things going on in the kitchen as well. Stephen just made his first batch of pickles for the season. We have three gigantic jars of these guys in the fridge just waiting to be gobbled up.

A photo posted by A S H L E Y // neverhomemaker (@neverhomemaker) on Aug 19, 2016 at 7:05am PDT

He uses the recipe in Put 'Em Up, if anyone is wondering. That's a great book, and it basically lives in our kitchen in August when the harvest is plentiful. Other preservation books we like include Food in Jars, Preserving by the Pint, and Naturally Sweet Food in Jars (all the same author).

A photo posted by A S H L E Y // neverhomemaker (@neverhomemaker) on Aug 19, 2016 at 7:02am PDT

Stephen also made another batch of kombucha, which he says he'll write about for me another day. ( (Do you remember my epic fail when I tried several years ago?) He is relatively new at it (only a year or so), but he's getting on point with flavors. My favorite this time around was a cucumber basil variety he made by juicing some of our CSA produce. Very refreshing.

That's what's going on in our kitchen this week. I hope to get a delicious slow cooker recipe to you early next week (YES! It's hot, but slow cooking season is upon us!).

HAPPY FRIDAY!

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