Dishing Up the Dirt

zucchini noodles with beets and lemon tahini sauce

zucchini pasta beet2

I feel the need to dedicate this post and this recipe to my amazing in-laws who came to visit Taylor and me this past week. I’m pretty sure this was not the most relaxing vacation they’ve ever taken. We put them straight to work on the farm. It really does take a brave person to come out and visit us in August!

in-laws

The good news is that Taylor’s dad is pretty used to getting his hands dirty. We used to work side by side with John when we were farming back east. He and his brother started Hutchins Farm and that is the whole reason why we got into farming in the first place. We learned from the best!

johnsquash

While Taylor’s folks were in town I felt like the laziest farmer. His dad took on some of my least favorite chores (harvesting crate after crate of summer squash and weeding.) My lower back got to take a much needed vacation. My mother-in-law cooked us farm fresh dinners and sported her new Tumbleweed Farm hat around town. We could definitely get used to having a few extra hands around these parts.

in-laws2

zucchini pasta beet

Since my workload was lighter these past few days I had extra energy to whip up this tasty “pasta” dish. I used my new favorite kitchen tool (a spiral cutter from amazon.) Check it out here.  You don’t need one to make the dish though. A vegetable peeler or sharp knife will work just fine. You can also sub in regular spaghetti noodles if zucchini noodles aren’t your thing. Pour some wine, play your favorite tunes and dig in.

Zucchini Noodles With Beets and Lemon Tahini Sauce

Prep Time: 10 mins.    Cook Time: 15 mins.    Serves: 2

  • 2 medium sized zucchini, cut into spirals or thin strips (this works best with a spiral cutter)
  • 2 large beets, cut into 1 inch pieces
  • 1 avocado, cut into 1 inch cubes
  • 1 bunch of fresh parsley, tough stems removed and minced
  • olive oil for drizzling
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • For the Lemon Tahini Sauce
  • 1/2 cup tahini
  • 4 TBS fresh lemon juice
  • 1 large clove of garlic, minced
  • 1/2 cup water (or more if too thick)
  • 2 TBS of minced parsley
  • pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
  • salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

  1. Fill a saucepan 3/4 full of water. Bring to a boil. Add beets and cook until fork tender. About 10 minutes. Once beets are strain them and place under cold water. Set aside until ready to use.
  2. Make the tahini sauce by combing all ingredients in a blender. Add more water if needed. Taste test and set aside.
  3. In a large bowl combine the zucchini noodles with the beets, a small handful of minced parsley, and avocado. Slowly drizzle in the dressing (reserving any extra for a later use). Season to taste with salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes.

Notes

Use this recipe as a guide. Adjust measurements and ingredients as needed.


Leave a Reply

10 thoughts on “zucchini noodles with beets and lemon tahini sauce

  1. Amy leclerc says:

    It takes a village!!! Those trucker hats look great!

  2. Kristin says:

    Sounds delicious! What is your favorite brand(s) or tahini and do you buy them online or local grocery? Thanks and thanks for sharing your recipes!

    1. Andrea says:

      Hi Kristin,
      thanks for you comment. I buy my tahini paste at the local grocery store here. The bran they carry and that I love is Once Again. You can order it online as well. https://www.onceagainnutbutter.com They also make other nut butters that are pretty tasty. Let me know what you think!

  3. Simply Life says:

    looks like such a wonderful trip from the in-laws!

  4. That’s so special that you and Taylor are carrying out the “family business”!
    I can only imagine how proud he must be of you two and he looks awesome carrying that huge crate on his back! At least you know farming will keep you in great shape. Just keep up with the Barre3 for a strong back – I swear I will try it one day soon! 🙂

    Delicious meal with beautiful pictures, as always! You are a master at those zucchini noodles!

  5. Yummmm! I was hoping this recipe would make an appearance after you showed a little snapshot of it on Friday. I am on the fence about getting a zucchini spiralizer myself… worth it?

  6. Lauren says:

    Taylor looks just like his parents (especially his dad) and you can see how happy he was to have his parents there! No offense, but he looks pretty tired in a lot of your photos 🙂 with good reason, right? I am wondering the same thing as Erica above – is the spiral cutter worth it? Hard to handle and clean? Also, I made your lemon tahini dressing about a month ago, bought & used tahini paste for the first time. It was the Joyva brand and was very separated in the can. I tried to stir it to make it come together before using it, but it was SO thick that it stayed somewhat separated. I used it anyway but wasn’t confident of the consistency & taste of my dressing. Is this normal for tahini paste or a sign that it had gone off, or wasn’t the best quality brand…? Thanks for your help & have a great day!

  7. That is one gorgeous dish! Thanks for sharing…also love the spiral slicer you linked to – I’ve always thought you had to buy one of those big contraptions, love the handheld size.

    1. Andrea says:

      The small ones are the best and still get the job done!

  8. I just bought a spiral cutter too and I love it! Zucchini noodles are pretty much the best thing ever, right? I wish I could get someone to visit me and help out with my garden–it needs it! 😉

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