Basil season is back, and never have I been so stoked about making pestos again. Over the years, I’ve made arugula (rocket) pesto, dandelion pesto, chlorella pesto, parsley pesto, and even wild ramp pesto, but none of them hit as well as the original BASIL PESTO.

What better thing to put pesto on than zucchini noodles? We all know by now that most grains are not super digestible, contain genetically modified gluten, or are fortified with questionable “vitamins” (iron filings) or other chemicals from bleaching or pesticides, contributing to illness. Zucchini noodles are a truly life changing swap for this, their texture is actually delicious unlike spaghetti squash noodles (sorry but it’s true), and holds together nicely with pan frying. Plus, they can easily be grown for free at home.

This zucchini noodle recipe is made with natural ingredients from the earth, grown and raised in the sun with the UV light information, and sufficiently nutrient dense for an active lifestyle. It’s one of my favourite ways to get in something equally as quick as it is satisfying. Packed schedule? Lots to do? Whip this up and be on your way, whether you’re currently living the slow life or on an epic mission.

Making a larger batch of this can ensure you’ve got a protein-rich (blood sugar and hormone balancing) breakfast ready to go the next day. And the thing about basil pesto is that it doesn’t take a lot of it for great flavour, so by making this recipe, you’ll have lots left over for subsequent servings of pesto noodles, or anything you want to spread pesto on (which for me is a LOT of things!).

This recipe is definitely on the lighter side, so consider serving this with a batch of roasted sweet potato fries in grass fed/finished beef tallow!

Pesto Ingredients

• 3-4 cloves fresh organic garlic, peeled

• Juice of 1/2 organic lemon

• 1 tsp grated lemon rind

• Scoop of grass-fed collagen or gelatin (optional)

• Scoop of wild pine pollen (optional)

• 1/3 cup raw parmesan cheese, finely grated (use activated nuts like walnuts if you don’t do dairy… or use a mixture of both!)

• 3/4 cup biodynamic olive oil

• 4-6 heaping handfuls of organic basil

• 3/4 tsp sea salt and organic black pepper, to taste
  
  
  

Pesto Noodles Ingredients

• 1 pound pasture-raised organic chicken breast (or another type of protein like wild shrimp, grass-fed and finished bison meatballs, or even tempeh, depending on the mood and nutritional needs), thawed and seasoned with sea salt and black pepper

• 1 spoonful of high-quality cooking fat of your choice. I usually like virgin cold-pressed coconut oil, but grass-fed tallow, lard, and grass-fed ghee can all be excellent and even more flavourful.

• 1 medium zucchini per person eating, spiralized with the skin on!

• 2 handfuls organic mushrooms of your choice, sliced (cremini, button, shiitake, oyster, enoki…)

• 1-2 tbsp pesto per zucchini used (see above)

• sea salt and organic cracked black pepper, to taste

• pinch of organic chili flakes, for a mild spice factor

• pinch of dried organic herbs of your choice (rosemary, oregano, sage…)

Method for Raw Parm Pesto

1. In a food processor or blender, blend all ingredients into a smooth green paste. Stop and scrape the sides down with a spatula if needed. Scrape the pesto out into a glass or ceramic storage bowl and set aside while you make the zoodles.

2. Optional: mix in 1 tbsp raw ACV to keep for more than a week in the fridge (this will ferment it over a few days and preserve it a bit).

Method for Pasture-Raised Chicken with Zucchini Pesto Noodles

1. Cook the meat! Season your chosen meat with sea salt and pepper (and dried herbs if using meatballs). Get your chicken (or other meat) baking in an oven preheated to 375 F. For two chicken breasts, this took me 30-45 minutes. Just keep an eye on it, check the internal temp with a meat thermometer if needed, and remove once done. Yes, it’ll be pretty plain and dry when seasoned with just salt and pepper (especially if it’s chicken breast), but the pesto will be SO flavourful that it’ll make up for it. Set the meat aside for now.

2. Make the noodles. In a pan over medium heat, melt your chosen cooking fat. Fry your mushrooms to get them soft first. Stir for 30 seconds, then season them with sea salt and pepper, cover pan with a lid to simmer for 1-2 minutes, and add in the zucchini noodles to the pan once mushrooms are softened.

3. Stir the noodles with the mushrooms until they soften and turn bright green. This will only take a few minutes! Season again with sea salt and pepper. Remove and place the mixture into your serving bowl.

4. Add the chicken to your noodle mixture. Add a heaping tablespoon or two of the pesto, and mix together until evenly coated. Adjust salt and pepper seasoning to taste. Season with a dash of chili flakes, and serve!
   

Tips

• Use an organic tomato sauce to switch it up instead of pesto, and do the classic meatball + tomato sauce combination with the zoodles.

• I like to make larger amounts of meat to have some left over especially for the next morning’s breakfast and other meals.

• I often fry up a batch of zucchini noodles when I have leftover meat of any kind, and just add it in.