As someone that generally has so much to say in real life, at times I can find this blank window of a new post to be completely daunting. I am not a writer, not by any stretch of the imagination. My posts are riddled with incorrect punctuation and remedial grammatical errors – probably every last post on this website. I can be somewhat insecure about this fact, it used to almost be crippling at times. Being ever a perfectionist, I want everything to always be on-point and I can give myself an insanely hard time when I feel that things don’t meet my expectations.
Thankfully I have the utmost confidence in my recipes and my ideas, so I power through. I chat a little, I share what’s on my mind and we just get through it together. This is one of those times that my brain is so overloaded with everything going on, that while it feels full to the brim, somehow, I am also at a loss. With mid-terms last weekend, Expo West this weekend add a back injury, parties, a newborn nephew on the other side of the country, tons of people in town right now, and everything in between – there is almost too much to share that somehow there ends up being nothing important enough to write to you about. Or maybe my brain is just beyond tired. I am leaning more towards that.
So, I will do my best to follow some of my most favorite advice to dish out – K.I.S.S. (keep it simple stupid). We’re simply going to chat about this recipe and then I will give you said recipe. That might be about all I can handle at this point.
This recipe came out of what we had on hand and what my body was crying out for. One of my favorite exercises in creativity in the kitchen. You can never go wrong with spiralized zucchini noodles, they just win at everything, always. The lightly caramelized fennel and shallot bring a hint of subtle sweetness to the dish, with a fresh crunch and the spicy, crispy toasted sourdough breadcrumbs make for an amazing finishing move, with the perfect crunchy texture to a super light, nourishing and healthy dish. I have fallen in love with this whole crispy, toasty bread crumbs on veggies idea, thanks to my friend Sherrie.
I absolutely love Bread SRSLY‘s gluten-free, vegan sourdough bread and recently discovered that it makes some of THE best breadcrumbs I have ever had. This post isn’t sponsored by Bread SRSLY, but simply a profession of my love and adoration for this product and for it’s girl-boss, Sadie, the brains and brawn behind it all.
Truth be told, the best thing of all is that this is a one pan meal. Made in steps, you don’t need more than a cast iron skillet, 20 minutes and a couple of hungry mouths – OK and all the ingredients, a stove, all of those things, too.
[print_this]Zucchini Noodles with Caramelized Fennel and Spicy Sourdough Breadcrumbs {gluten-free and vegan}
serves 2-4 (depending on if it’s the main or a side)
- 2 teaspoons Terra Delyssa Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- red pepper flakes, to taste (a large pinch or two)
- 2 pieces gluten-free sourdough bread, lightly toasted (or any other GF bread of your choice)
- 3 tablespoons Terra Delyssa Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 large-ish fennel bulb (or 2 small), trimmed, core removed and thinly sliced
- 1 large shallot or 1/2 small red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1 clove garlic, peeled and finely minced
- 3 medium zucchini
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- shaved or grated raw milk parmesan cheese, optional
Roughly chop the lightly toasted bread (or pulse a few times in the food processor). Toss the breadcrumbs with the two teaspoons of olive oil, the red pepper flakes and a pinch of sea salt. Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium-heat, add the breadcrumbs in and let them toast up even more and get golden brown. Keeping them in a single layer, helps. Remove from the pan and set aside.
In the same pan, over medium-high heat add 3 tablespoons Terra Delyssa Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Add the fennel and the shallots and cook, stirring frequently, until tender and deep golden, about 10-12 minutes. Don’t let them burn. Season lightly with a little salt and pepper and remove from heat.
Using spiralizer on the small setting, spiral cut into thin spaghetti-shaped noodles. In the same hot pan, over a medium-heat add another small drizzle of olive oil, if necessary, to just lightly coat the bottom of the pan. Add the minced garlic and I like to add another small pinch of red pepper flakes, here – cook for only about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Just enough to make the garlic fragrant. Add in the zucchini noodles and toss for 2-3 minutes or until al dente. Add the caramelized fennel and shallots and toss around to combine. Season with sea salt and pepper, to taste.
Remove from the heat, serve immediately topped with the spicy toasted sourdough breadcrumbs and a little shaved raw milk parmesan, if you desire. You can add an extra drizzle of olive oil, if you’d like. Great as a main, with your favorite protein or as a side dish.
If you are like me and you don’t have a heavy hand, you may have some leftover bread crumbs, eat them like a snack or save them for other treats, like roast veggies, salads, on baked fish, stuffed mushrooms, etc.
[/print_this]Terra Delyssa is a sponsor of Tasty Yummies. All content, ideas, and words are my own. Thanks for supporting the sponsors that allow me to create new and special content like this for Tasty Yummies.
